NECESSARY ACTION REQUIRED BY ALL CURRENT HCTC MONTHLY PLAN PARTICIPANTS

Pre-65 January Invoices Delayed, Read Carefully, the HCTC Re-authorization & Re-enrollment Process Below

Dear Airline, Auto and Steel Retiree and Eligible Dependent: 
Last week Congress passed, and President Trump signed a spending package that extended the HCTC for one year, until December 31, 2020! The Trusts members will benefit from extension of the HCTC however, due to Congress’ delayed action on this matter, the January invoices, which were to be mailed in December, have now been delayed and will be sent the second week of January. There is no impact to plan participants enrolled in the plans through the Airline, Auto or Steel Trusts paying 100% of the cost, and not eligible for the HCTC program. They will continue to make their payments by the 1st of each month.  

HCTC Eligible Plan Participants Next Steps:
(1)   Your January premiums payments are now due by January 25th and will be paid directly to Benistar, at 100% of the cost of the insurance you have elected to enroll in effective January 01, 2020. 
(2)   The Monthly (AMP) program will not begin until the IRS/HCTC announces they will be accepting the 27.5% payments again. Until that time, you will make a 100% payment to Benistar directly and will take the 72.5% cost you paid for the months paying 100% off of your income tax next year.
(3)   We believe you will be paying 100% for at least 1 month and maybe 2 however, we cannot promise when the Monthly HCTC program will begin.
(4)   The IRS/HCTC program will not accept the Newly completed 13441-A forms sent to them from the plan administrator Benistar until they Re-Open the program department on January 15, 2020. Don’t send your forms directly to the IRS/HCTC Program, Benistar will be processing your newly completed 13441-A forms and sending them to the IRS/HCTC program for you. 
(5)   You must continue to pay Benistar 100% of the cost of your premium each month until you are notified by the IRS/HCTC program that you have been re-enrolled into the program and they have the correct rate and plan you are enrolled in on the 13441-A document, effective for your start date into the monthly program. 
(6)   You must complete and submit to Benistar ASAP, a Newly Completed 13441-A FORM for each individual enrolled as a “Single” in the plan. A “Family” will only need to complete (1) 13441-A form for their Family.
(7)   Keep in mind, the plan cost information you provide on the 13441-A form may be different from what you elected for a plan you chose to enroll in for the month of January, prior to the reauthorization of the HCTC program, at  100% cost of the premium for your January payment. 
(8)   Benistar will be providing all 13441-A forms and documentation required they have received from plan participants BEFORE January 15, 2020, to the IRS/HCTC program on January 15, 2020, once the program is restarted.  
(9)   Once Benistar sends the necessary documents required and the IRS/HCTC program processes the documents, this will trigger the IRS/HCTC program to then send you the necessary re-enrollment letter from the IRS/HCTC program and Benistar to mail you your yearly voucher payment packet.
(10)  If you already have a HCTC PIN NUMBER from being enrolled in 2019, you will be using the same PIN Number in 2020. 
(11)  It is important to note that if you do not complete the 13441-A form and email or fax it to Benistar at the following contact info (fax) 1-860-408-7025 (email) memelig@benistar.com in a timely manner, your enrollment into the monthly program may be delayed and you may be required to continue paying 100% of the cost of your insurance plan until you have completed the steps required and received the letter from the IRS/HCTC program stating you have been re-entered into HCTC monthly program.

Blue Cross Blue Shield will hold a “Special Enrollment Window” for BCBSM plan participants once the monthly program has been announced. Stay Tuned for the Dates for the "Special Open Enrollment Window".
For those HCTC eligible plan participants enrolled in a plan for the month of January, through one of the Trusts or another provider, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan will give you the opportunity to change your current plan, during a “Special Open Enrollment Window” that will be announced soon. This means you will have the ability to enroll or change your election in the current Trust plan, during this “Special Enrollment Window” due to a “Life Event” triggered by the reinstatement of the HCTC program. You must contact your plan representative and notify them you have experienced a “Life Event” and would like to terminate your coverage through their plan. If you are enrolled in a plan through one of the Trusts we represent, you will need to complete a New Insurance Enrollment form in the Trust and also a New 13441-A form found on our website www.hctcplans.com and send them to Benistar, the plan administrator in a timely manner in order to get you enrolled into the monthly program.  

Thanks for helping us to get you enrolled into the Monthly HCTC program as soon as possible and for your Great Work in doing your part to help contact Elected Representatives and express your importance of this HCTC program!

Happy New Year!

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Cone Retiree Healthcare Group, 
Cathy Cone                                                John Cone                                                   Lisa Andrews
cathy@mymedplans.com                    John@mymedplans.com                     Lisa@mymedplans.com

POSTED 12/21/2019: 

This week Congress passed, and President Trump signed a spending package that extended the HCTC for one year.     (Read more under HCTC Information tab)

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From: Portman Press <portman_press@portman.senate.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2019 12:10 PM
Subject: Portman, Brown Announce Final FY 2020 Funding Bill Includes Extension of Health Coverage Tax Credit

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Portman, Brown Announce Final FY 2020 Funding Bill Includes Extension of Health Coverage Tax Credit
Health Coverage Tax Credit is Critically Important for Thousands of Hardworking Retirees in Ohio

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the final FY 2020 funding bill released includes a short-term extension of the Health Coverage Tax Credit through the end of 2020. This credit helps subsidize the cost of continued coverage for retirees and other individuals who lost their health care coverage — in addition to their pensions and other benefits — when their employers either entered into bankruptcy or laid off workers due to foreign trade. Earlier this year, Portman and Brown introduced bipartisan legislation that would extend for five years the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC). The HCTC is critically important for many hardworking Ohioans, including as many as 5,000 Delphi salaried retirees in Dayton, the Mahoning Valley, and Sandusky. In addition, a few hundred workers from the Lordstown General Motors plant have applied for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and would benefit from the HCTC as well.

“Thousands of retirees in Ohio and their families depend on the Health Coverage Tax Credit, and I’m pleased the funding bill includes an extension of this credit, even if it is only for one year,” Portman said. “Since I came to the Senate, I’ve fought for multiple extensions of the HCTC, including my bill that was included in the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 the last time the credit was extended. These hardworking Ohioans rely on the HCTC for affordable health insurance after their pensions were terminated or after they were adversely affected by foreign trade, and I will continue to work with my colleagues and the administration to ensure the stability of health coverage for these individuals and their families. While this short-term extension is less than the five years I called for in my legislation with Senator Brown, I’m still pleased that we were able to prevent the expiration of this credit, providing certainty to thousands of Ohioans.”

“The Health Coverage Tax Credit is a lifeline for thousands of Ohioans, many of whom are living on fixed incomes after losing their pensions and healthcare. This critical legislation will help ensure these retirees and workers get the relief they need in order to afford healthcare,” said Brown.

NOTE: The HCTC, which is set to expire on January 1, 2020, helps to reduce the cost of maintaining health insurance coverage for a number of individuals that are either receiving TAA benefits or are between the ages of 55-64 years old whose pensions were terminated and are being administered by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Portman and Brown worked together to extend this tax credit in 2011 and again in 2015.