What is a Certificate of Health Insurance Portability?
Under provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, after June 1, 1997 employers are required to provide all individuals who lose group health insurance a certificate of portability. This certificate details the amount of time the individual was covered on the plan (including waiting periods) and in some cases the type of coverage. Individuals can present this certificate to a new employer, who would credit the time covered under your health plan towards the new employer s pre-existing condition limitation time period. For example, if the individual had ten months of coverage under your plan and the new employer had a 12 month pre-existing condition limitation, the new employer would subtract 10 months from the 12 and the individual would only have a two month pre-existing condition limitation. For coverage under your plan to count, there must not be a gap in coverage for more than 63 days from the time your coverage ends to the first day of the new emp
