COVID-19 updates: Our commitment to you continues
MESSA knows the COVID-19 pandemic has created a time of great uncertainty and complexity for our employers. As part of our commitment to keeping you informed, we would like to provide you with the following updates that impact you and your employees right now.
Pandemic relief for your dental insurance premium
MESSA and Delta Dental of Michigan understand the financial challenges that our employers face in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response, we are announcing pandemic relief for your Delta Dental premium. The intent is to help ease the financial burden employers are experiencing and demonstrate the committed partnership between MESSA, Delta Dental of Michigan and the employers we serve.
Employers with an effective date of April 1, 2020, or prior are eligible for a premium credit.
Here are the details:
- MESSA will credit employers one month of Delta Dental insurance premium. The credit will be reflected on your June invoice and will be based on the actual dental insurance premium calculated within our billing system for April. Retroactive adjustments will not be considered in determining the credit.
- The credit will be stated in two areas on your June invoice. Once as a separate line item for each eligibility group and again as it applies to each individual employee. This will allow you to pass on credits as appropriate to your employees.
- If the credit is greater than the amount of your June dental insurance premium, the additional credit will be applied to future invoices until the full credit has been exhausted.
- Any retroactivity will be reflected within your June invoice, just as it is every month.
- This is a one-time credit. There will be no retroactive refunds reflected on future invoices.
We sincerely hope this premium credit brings financial relief to you and your employees, and lets you know how deep our commitment is to you. Thank you for your continued support.
If you have any questions about this credit or your invoice, please reach out to the MESSA Billing and Specialty Team at 888.888.4167, ext. 2988.
Special Enrollment, COBRA, Claim and Appeal Deadlines Extended during COVID-19 Outbreak
All group health plans must disregard the period from March 1, 2020 until sixty (60) days after the announced end of the National Emergency or such other date announced by the Agencies in a future notification (the ‘‘Outbreak Period’’) for all plan participants, beneficiaries, qualified beneficiaries, or claimants wherever located in determining the following periods and dates:
- The 60-day election period for COBRA continuation coverage
- The date for making COBRA premium payments
- The date within which individuals may file a benefit claim under the plan’s claims procedure
- The date within which claimants may file an appeal of an adverse benefit determination under the plan’s claims
- The date within which claimants may file a request for an external review after receipt of an adverse benefit determination or final internal adverse benefit determination
- The date within which a claimant may file information to perfect a request for external review upon a finding that the request not complete
- 30-day period to request special enrollment
The Outbreak Period shall also be disregarded when determining the date for providing a COBRA election.
For more information from the Department of Labor regarding the extension of certain timeframes for employee benefit plans, participants, and beneficiaries affected by the COVID-19 outbreak (29 CFR Parts 2560 and 2590), click here.