If I close my business today due to COVID-19 and rehire employees a few weeks or months later, can HMAA waive the 4-week waiting period to re-enroll those employees?

If you rehire employees who were previously covered under your plan, HMAA can waive the 4-week waiting period for these employees if they are re-enrolled within 6 months of losing coverage. Thereafter, employees will be subject to the standard 4-week waiting period and must meet the eligibility requirements for hours worked in order to enroll.

If you are rehiring employees who were not previously covered and wish to waive the 4-week waiting period for a certain timeframe, you may do so as long as this applies to ALL new hires during the specified time period.

To help mitigate the loss of employer-provided drug and vision coverage, HMAA provides the following options:

• Optum Perks is a prescription drug savings program through which your employees can obtain a free discount card online and instantly save on select prescription medications. Learn more.
• VSP Individual Vision Plans are direct, non-employer-sponsored vision plans in which your employees can enroll and pay the premium online through VSP’s website. Learn more.