E-News Update on State Group Health Insurance

September 2, 2011

This week, the Chief Procurement Officer approved the plan to extend contracts with current health insurance providers through the end of this Fiscal Year, or through June 30, 2012. Although I and the other members of COGFA put forward and approved this plan at our last meeting, state law required a special hearing and the approval of the Chief Procurement Officer. Now that we've crossed these hurdles, we can all enjoy a lot more stability.

In the event you are unhappy with your current provider, Central Management Services has announced that they will still be holding a Special Enrollment Period from October 10-28. If you switch providers in this period, your new coverage will take effect December 1, 2011. For more information, visit the CMS website, here.

This is great news for those of you concerned about maintaining your coverage through Health Alliance. You are guaranteed to keep this coverage until at least June 30, 2012. What happens after that depends on how the courts handle the pending lawsuit. We'll keep you posted.