The Chambers Plan has undergone some changes as of January 2022. These changes will apply to all current and new employees enrolling in the new year.

Change to New Employee Eligibility

The Chambers has changed employee eligibility to match industry best practices. Employees hired in 2022, no longer have to wait to the first of the month after they satisfy their waiting period to come on the plan, but will start on the plan immediately after satisfying the waiting period. This is a welcome change, we have been asking from the Chambers, and better aligns with other insurance carriers. Billing for employees will commence the first day of the next full month after the effective date.

For most plans, this means employees will be eligible for benefits 3 months from their date of hire. As an example, an employee hired on February 15th, would have an effective date of May 15th with a 3 month waiting period. Billing will commence for the employee effective June 1st. This change is effective January 2022, and will not affect any employees hired in 2021. Please forward any questions about effective dates and eligibility to our office.

Changes to Termination Coverage

On the flip side, coverage will now end on the termination date, not the end of the month. An employee terminated July 17th, will not receive coverage till July 31th, but will lose coverage July 17th. The employer will still be billed for the employee for the month of July, with the premium offsetting the partial first month. Please note this change does not effect the employer extending the benefits past the termination, all regular rules and procedures still apply. For more information in regards to termination dates, billing, and coverage please contact our office.

Partial Waivers

With the changes to Employee Eligibility, partial waivers have also changed. The Chamber will now only except increments of 1 month from the hire date for partial waivers. Using the example of a hire date of February 15th, the employer can do a partial waiver for the employee coming onto the plan either March 15th or April 15th. You may no longer do a partial waiver for the first of the next month.

Please note: This does not change requests to waive the entire waiting period. If an employee is having the entire waiting period waived, they will need to provide a reason for the waiver (i.e. “As a condition of employment” or “As per the hiring agreement”). If you have questions about a specific waiting period, please reach out to our office for more information.