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HIPAA Special Enrollment Rights
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that provides special enrollment rights to employees and eligible dependents who decline coverage under the Medical, Dental and Vision Plans because they have other health care coverage. HIPAA's special enrollment rights apply in certain cases in which you and/or your dependents decline Medical, Dental or Vision Plan coverage because you have health care coverage through another source — and then lose that coverage. These rights also apply if you acquire an eligible dependent.
If you or your eligible dependent declined coverage under the Medical, Dental, or Vision Plan, you may enroll for health care coverage within 31 days of a qualifying event (90 days if the qualifying event is the birth or adoption of a child or if a newly eligible dependent should pass during this 90-day period) for coverage to be effective the date of the event. If you miss the 31-day window, you will not be able to make a change until the following Annual Benefits Enrollment. Qualifying events include:
  • You and/or your eligible dependents lose other health care coverage because you no longer meet the eligibility requirements (because of legal separation, divorce, death, termination of employment, or reduced work hours);
  • If you have a new dependent because of marriage, birth, adoption, or placement for adoption, you may be able to enroll yourself and your dependents provided that you request enrollment within 31 days after the marriage, birth, adoption, or placement for adoption (90 days for birth/adoption). If you are eligible for coverage but do not enroll, your dependent cannot enroll;
  • Employer contributions for other coverage ends; or
  • The other coverage was provided under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) and the COBRA coverage period ends.
If you qualify for this HIPAA special enrollment, your coverage under the Medical, Dental and/or Vision Plans will begin on the date of the event provided you enroll within the appropriate time frame and pay the required contributions.
Effective April 1, 2009, if you or your eligible dependent loses Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage because you are no longer eligible, or become eligible for a premium assistance subsidy under Medicaid or CHIP, you may enroll for JPMorgan Chase coverage, as long as you make your request within 60 days of the event.