Protection Limits and Leaving Nevada Group Health Insurance Coverage

Limits to Protections for Certain Government Workers

Federal law permits state, county, and local governments to exempt their employees in self-insured plans from some of the protections discussed previously in this chapter. Public employers must make this choice annually. When they do so, they are required to notify the federal government and specify which health insurance protections will not apply to their plan.

According to the latest list available from the federal government, several public employers in Nevada have decided that certain health insurance protections will not apply to their employees. (For a complete list, see the box below.) If you have group health coverage through these employers, you should contact them for more information. Other non-federal public employers in Nevada may have made this choice after this guide was written. If you are not sure about your protections under your public employee health plan, you should contact your employer.

As You Are Leaving Group Coverage...

• If you are leaving your job or otherwise losing access to your group health coverage, you may be able to remain covered under the group health plan for a limited time. In addition, you may have special protections when buying certain kinds of individual health coverage. See Chapter 3 for more information about COBRA continuation coverage, state continuation coverage, and individual health insurance coverage for "HIPAA eligible individuals."
• If you lost your health insurance and are receiving benefits from the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program, you may be eligible for a federal income tax credit to help you pay for new health coverage. This credit is called the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC), and is equal to 65% of the cost of qualified coverage, including COBRA.
• If you are a retiree aged 55-65 and are receiving benefits from Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC), then you may be eligible for the HCTC