The Ohio Superintendent of Insurance has issued an order directing insurers to relax certain insurance requirements in light of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. This order applies to health insurance, not other ancillary insurance services (like dental or vision).
Insurers:
- Cannot increase premium rates because of COVID-19
- Must provide insurance even if employees are no longer working or are working reduced hours
- Must provide the option to defer premiums for 60 days, interest free
For continuing coverage:
- If there are 20+ employees and one active employee remains, employees can elect COBRA coverage
- If there are fewer than 20 employees and one employee remains active and enrolled, employees can elect Ohio state continuation coverage for up to 12 months
- If an employee loses their coverage, insurers must waive special requirements and allow those employees to obtain coverage the day after they lose employment for policies not bought from the federal exchange. Policies bought on the federal exchange are effective the first day of the next month and premium subsidies may be available.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss further, please reach out to Rob Gilmore at rsg@kjk.com or 216.736.7240 or Alexis Preskar at avp@kjk.com or 614.427.5748, or contact any of our Labor & Employment professionals.