Some BBG employer clients are reporting that they have received MLR rebate checks from their carrier.
What are MLR rebate checks and why do only some employers receive them?
Affordable Care Act rules stipulate that insurance carriers must spend a certain percentage of health insurance premiums on medical claims and other specified related activities. This is referred to as a Medical Loss Ratio (MLR).
The MLR ratio for small groups is 80/20, For large groups it’s 85/15.
If an insurance company spends less than the MLR amount designated by Obamacare then the insurance company must rebate the unspent portion back to the employer sponsoring the plan.
Wondering what to do if you are one of those employers receiving an MLR rebate check?
There are rules established by the Department of Labor governing distribution. Employers must use these as guide when allocating and distributing the rebate dollars. The rules can be found here http://dol.gov/ebsa/newsroom/tr11-04.html.
In a nutshell:
Employer groups are required to treat the rebate as a plan asset. Uses may include, but are not limited to, reducing future premiums or premium increases, or rebating a portion back to the subscribers. The rebate is required to be used for the benefit of the subscribers in one of the following ways:
• To reduce subscribers’ portion of the annual premium for the subsequent policy year for all subscribers covered under any group health policy offered by the plan;
• To reduce subscribers’ portion of the annual premium for the subsequent policy year for only those
subscribers covered by the group health policy on which the rebate was based; or
• To provide a cash refund only to the subscribers who were covered by the group health policy on which the rebate is based.
A more thorough review of what to do with MLR Rebate Checks can be found by clicking here How Employers Should Handle MLR Rebates
Clients can contact BBG for assistance.
Example Rebate Check