Travis Software Official Blog

The Department of Labor has released model COBRA notices designed to help COBRA Administrators comply with ARRA, the 2009 stimulus.

WebCOBRA has been updated and is now ready to process the new COBRA administrative requirements of the 2009 ARRA (stimulus bill).

The majority of our customers have now upgraded to version 8.3 of TravisCobra. WebCOBRA will be upgraded this weekend!

Over the last two weeks, some views have changed and we’ve added some features—here’s what’s coming in the next week.

Below are the changes to the TravisCobra Downloader and the WebCOBRA System Integrator; you can use both the CSV format and the XML format in WebCOBRA.

We have published a document describing the four ARRA Letters that WebCOBRA can produce:

1. Renotification COBRA Election Packet
2. ARRA Enrollment Form
3. ARRA Open Enrollment Letter
4. ARRA Enrollment Confirmation

We have released version 8.3 of TravisCobra; this is the ARRA release that will enable you to meet the new COBRA administrative requirements of the 2009 ARRA (stimulus bill).

We have published sample COBRA Election Packets generated from TravisCobra and WebCOBRA. Both systems are in final test right now, and will be delivered this weekend.

Last Update: 03/09/2009

Based on details provided by our administrators and government representatives during a conference call, here are several scenarios on how both TravisCobra and WebCOBRA will calculate premium reductions for the Stimulus Plan.

The general way to think about this is the 65% subsidy states that the premium should be considered paid for if the QB pays 35% of the premium. We’ll define the “premium” as the total due, so that includes the admin fee and normal employer subsidies.

We’ve published details on how we are going to modify TravisCobra and WebCOBRA to help you meet the new COBRA Administrative needs of the 2009 Stimulus Bill. Read more for details on the new Actions, Letters, and Reports in both systems. We will have the following ready for you to use by 3/1/2009 in both TravisCobra and WebCOBRA.

Over the past ten years, particularly since the passage of HIPAA and several state privacy laws, many, if not most, administrators have been moving away from identifying COBRA QBs by their Social Security number. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) is taking all of us a step backward into the past with its reporting requirements regarding Assistance Eligible Individuals (AEIs) who receive COBRA premium subsidies.

Now that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the ARRA, or the Economic Stimulus bill) is law, we thought you would like a summary of the general changes being made to TravisCobra and WebCOBRA.com and when we’re going to have those changes to you.

First, the timing. Since the 65% subsidy to eligible Qualified Beneficiaries starts as early as March 1, 2009, that date forms the date which we are targeting for having your new versions of TravisCobra sent to you, and for having the new release of WebCOBRA.com implemented. We actually began development of the changes to our systems in mid-January, after the Cobra changes first appeared in the stimulus bill proposed in the House of Representatives.

Both houses of Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on Friday. The Senate agreed to the conference report 60-34, and now goes to the President’s desk for him to sign into law.

What changes do we see for COBRA Administrators?

The American Recovery and Reinvestment – Conference Report (2009 stimulus) has been released, which you can find it at the House Rules Committee and the House Appropriations Committee. We’ve also taken the relevant section (B) and posted it for you to download.

As we’ve covered, the House and Senate have passed two differing bills for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Stimulus Bill). Both contain significant changes to COBRA Administration, and while the bill could change radically in the next few days, here are our interpretations of the two bill’s differences.

Last Updated: 02/13/2009

Since the House version of the bill and the Senate version of the bill are different, the law has not yet been passed by Congress. The two chambers will send their bill to a conference committee, where they will hammer out their differences and produce one final bill for the President to sign.

Last Updated 2-13-2009