Legal Statements & Disclosures
HIPAA Portability Rights
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires that group health plans reduce the period of pre-existing condition exclusions by an individual’s “Creditable Coverage” under another group health plan, individual health policy, Medicare, or certain other medical plans or coverage. Creditable Coverage includes coverage an individual has as an employee, primary insured, dependent or beneficiary. You may be required to provide evidence of prior Creditable Coverage.
General Notice of COBRA Continuation Coverage Rights
If you are covered under United Supermarkets’ Team Member Health Plan, or if you choose to be covered effective Jan. 1, 2010, you have rights to COBRA continuation coverage. The right to COBRA continuation coverage was created by a federal law, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA). COBRA continuation coverage can become available to you when you would otherwise lose your group health coverage. It can also become available to other members of your family who are covered under the Plan when they would otherwise lose their group health coverage. For additional information about your rights and obligations under the Plan and under federal law, review the Summary Plan Description located on the Web site.
Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act
If you have had or are going to have a mastectomy, you may be entitled to certain benefits under the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 (WHCRA).
Notice of Privacy Practices
United Supermarkets has always been very careful to protect your private health information. However, beginning April 14, 2003, new privacy rules took effect for certain businesses and benefit plans in order to be compliant with the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996. Accordingly, United Supermarkets has created a Notice of Privacy Practices. The notice describes the Health Plan’s legal requirements for its privacy practices and the rights you have as a plan member related to the privacy of your Protected Health Information (PHI).
Your PHI is information about you, or that could be used to identify you, as it relates to your past and present physical and mental healthcare services.
Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act
The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 created two new special enrollment rights for team members and their dependents.
The Act states that if you or your dependents lose coverage under Medicaid or a state child health plan, you may request to enroll yourself and/or your dependents in United Supermarkets’ Team Member Health Plan no later than 60 days after the date you coverage ends. The Act also states that if you and/or your dependents become eligible for financial assistance from Medicaid or a state child health plan and you are currently enrolled in our group health plan, you have the option of terminating enrollment in our group health plan for you and your dependents and the other plan no later than 60 days after becoming eligible for coverage under one of those plans.
Please note that once you terminate your enrollment in our group health plan, your dependents’ enrollment will also be terminated. Failure to notify us within 60 days will prevent your enrolling in our plan and/or making any changes to your coverage until the 2011enrollment period.
United Supermarkets, LLC Prescription Drug Coverage and Medicare Notice
The United Supermarkets, LLC Prescription Drug Coverage and Medicare Notice contains information about your current prescription drug coverage under the United Supermarkets, LLC Team Member Group Health Plan, and about your options under the Medicare prescription drug coverage. This information can help you decide whether or not you want to join a Medicare drug plan. If you are considering joining, you should compare your current coverage, including which drugs are covered at what cost, with the coverage and costs of the plans offering Medicare prescription drug coverage in your area.
