Issue 28

Have you noticed a new look to the COBRA employer login page?

The URL remains the same: cobra-retiree.upmc.com/, but there is a new look to login page.

This is the new look:

You will ignore the Sign In area and instead click on the blue Employer Login box. Then the usual login screen will be available:

Once logged in, you may add new COBRA Qualified Beneficiaries (QBs) and view current COBRA Qualified Beneficiaries (QBs) and correspondence that has been sent out. You can also run a variety of reports such as “Generated Letters Detail,” which would show you a listing of all the letters our COBRA system has generated for your COBRA members by date. This report is especially helpful because it allows you to monitor and verify that COBRA offers are being generated.

If you opted into our Buy Up services, you may generate General Rights notices for new employees.

We also have an employer COBRA manual that is very helpful and informative. Here is a link to the manual:

View the employer COBRA manual

Speaking of helpful information, you can access all our past newsletters by clicking on the dropdown in the Archive box:

You will find the Archive here: upmchealthplan.com/bms/.

Did you know that the COBRA admin fee quote had a face-lift?

UPMC BMS generates a fee quote for our COBRA admin services upon initial set-up and then on a 24-month cadence. If you offer all UPMC Health Plan coverages, your COBRA administration fee is waived. If, however, you offer other carriers* for medical, dental, and vision, then there will be an administration fee for COBRA services.

Our full administration fee quotes have taken on a new look. We have discontinued the option to pay monthly or quarterly admin fees. Upon your company’s COBRA admin fee renewal, your options for admin payment will be limited to annual and if you opt to pay via ACH debit (for the entire year), then one month will be free.

* This is an incentive to offer all three lines of business with UPMC Health Plan!

See the updated fee quote example:

And finally, did you know that we are getting ready for Open Enrollment and if you have active COBRA members, they will need to be notified of any plan changes? If you are a UPMC Benefit Management Services (BMS) Buy-up client, we can help you with Open Enrollment. Please contact your dedicated COBRA analyst for information.

(Please know that rate change notices are sent out to all COBRA participants when the rates are updated in the COBRA system.)

If you have any questions, please contact your dedicated COBRA analyst. If you do not know who your dedicated COBRA analyst is, please email us at cobra@upmc.edu.