Anthem Blue Cross of California Urges Small Groups with Less than 20 Employees to Take Action

Anthem Blue Cross of California (Anthem) urges small groups with less than 20 employees to take action in order to qualify Assistance Eligible Individuals for state continuation COBRA premium assistance as defined by The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). 

Anthem states they must pay the premium for impacted employers with less than 20 employees and file for a federal subsidy tax credit. By May 31, 2021 and for each month during the eligible period, Anthem must notify AEIs that subsidies are available. During this period, Anthem is advising employers to review their records for AEIs, update this spreadsheet and return to Anthem via Small.Group@anthem.com.

Once Anthem receives information from the employer, identifying AEIs, Anthem will then send Model Notices (see Alternative Notice and Summary of Premium Assistance Provisions under ARPA) to AEIs.   Anthem will send a Notice of Termination of the subsidy to the same employees between August 16, 2021, and September 15, 2021. 

For more information, we provide their State Continuation Talk Points. You can always reach out to us for clarification or check for the most up-to-date information from our dedicated ARPA site.