Retiree Health & Welfare Plan – Rights and Protections

Your COBRA Rights

COBRA Continuation Coverage can become available to members of your family who are covered under the Trust Fund plan, when they would otherwise lose their group health coverage.  For additional information about your rights and obligations under the Trust Fund plan and federal law, refer to the “General Notice of COBRA Continuation Coverage Rights” available upon request from the Trust Fund Office.

You may have other options available to you when you lose group health coverage.  For example, you may be eligible to buy an individual plan through Health Insurance Marketplace if you are not eligible for Medicare.  By enrolling in coverage through the Marketplace, you may qualify for a tax credit which will lower costs to your monthly premiums.  Being eligible for COBRA does not limit your eligibility for coverage for a tax credit.  For more information about the Health Insurance Marketplace, visit www.healthcare.gov.  Also, you may qualify for a special enrollment opportunity for another group health plan for which you are eligible (such as a spouse’s plan), if you request enrollment in that plan within 30 days of a qualifying event, even if that plan generally does not accept late enrollees.

If You Have Questions

Questions concerning your Plan or COBRA continuation of coverage rights should be addressed to the contact(s) identified below.  For more information about your rights under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), including COBRA, and other laws effecting group health plans, contact the nearest Regional or District Office of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) in your area or visit www.dol.gov/ebsa.  Addressed and phone numbers of Regional and District EBSA Offices are available through EBSA’s website.  For more information about the Marketplace, visit www.healthcare.gov.

Keep your Plan Informed of Address Changes

To protect your family’s rights, let the Plan Administrator know about any changes in the addresses of family members.  You should also keep a copy, for your records, of any notices you send to the Trust Fund Office.  Plan contact information:

CMTA-IAM Joint Retiree Health & Welfare Trust
c/o Health Services and Benefit Administrators (HS&BA)
4160 Dublin Boulevard, Suite 400
Dublin, CA 94568-7756
Telephone Toll-Free (800) 635-3105