Important Updates
Participant Eligibility Levels, Threshold Changes and Monthly Co-Premium Payments
Eligibility Threshold Changes For 2024
The Trustees are aware that the COVID-19 pandemic deeply affected musicians. During the last two and a half years, the Trust paid for musicians’ premiums out of Fund reserves in order to ensure that musicians continued to receive health coverage, despite the gross reduction in employer contributions. However, the Trustees, after much careful deliberation, determined there was a need for changes.
2022 Participant Eligibility Levels and Monthly Co-Premium Payments
Due to the impact of COVID-19 ("CV"), there continues to be a significant loss of employment, triggering a reduction of employer contributions to the Professional Musicians, Local 47, and Employers’ Health and Welfare Trust (Trust). There is concern for members who would lose coverage in 2022 for not having met the requirement of having a minimum of $700 in employer contributions remitted on their behalf during the Qualifying Period of October 3, 2020 through October 2, 2021 (Qualifying Period).
The Trustees have made significant efforts to help the current medical enrollees to retain their coverage for 2022, while continuing to protect and preserve the financial future of the Trust for the coming years.
Below is a Summary of Material Modifications to the Plan for the Trust, describing the Employer contribution amount necessary to enroll in medical coverage for the 2022 Coverage Year (January 1 to December 31, 2022).
2022 ELIGIBILITY RULES FOR CURRENT MEMBERS ENROLLED IN 2021 MEDICAL COVERAGE
The “Level C” employer contribution amount is lowered from $700 to $25 during the Qualifying Period ending October 2, 2021 for members, who have been enrolled in medical coverage from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021, so that such members may elect medical coverage as provided under Level C during 2022.
For current members, the minimum amount of Employer contributions necessary to qualify will be $25 for "Level C" enrollment/coverage: $1,200 for "Level B" enrollment/coverage; and $1,500 for "Level A" enrollment/coverage. Any amounts that you may have previously carried forward to the Qualifying Period ending October 2, 2021 will be applied to the 2022 Coverage Year.
2022 ELIGIBILITY LEVELS FOR MEMBERS WHO WERE NOT ENROLLED IN 2021 MEDICAL COVERAGE
For 2022 Coverage Year, the Level C qualification amount will continue at $700 for members who are not enrolled in medical coverage in the January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021 Coverage Year. For members who were not enrolled in the 2021 Coverage Year, to obtain initial eligibility to enroll in one of the three Levels of the Trust’s medical plans for the 2022 Coverage Year, the qualification amounts for these three Levels remain the same as described on page 9 of the Summary Plan Description (SPD).
This means that for the Qualifying Period ending October 2, 2021, the minimum amount of Employer contributions necessary to qualify for eligibility will be $700 for "Level C" enrollment/coverage; $1,200 for "Level B" enrollment/coverage; and $1,500 for "Level A" enrollment/coverage (including any available permissible carry-forwards from the 2020/2021 Qualifying Period).
INCREASE IN PARTICIPANT AND DEPENDENT CO-PREMIUMS
In addition, and to prudently allow the above qualifying adjustments for the 2022 Coverage Year, the Trustees have also determined that an increase in the monthly Participant co-premium is necessary. Thus, the applicable Participant monthly co-premium for the 2022 Coverage Year increased depending on the medical plan selected, and shall apply to all Levels of plans offered by the Trust. Dependent co-premiums will increase in accordance with the annual carrier increase for Coverage Year 2022.
This Notice presents an overview of the Plan’s Benefits and Eligibility structure, and is not intended to be all-inclusive, nor is it to be used as a SPD. In the event there is any conflict between this Notice and the official Plan documents, the official documents will govern. The Board of Trustees reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to change, modify or eliminate any benefits or requirement for benefits at any time, without advance notice.