What is a Qualifying Event and why do I need one to join my employer’s group health or dental insurance?
Qualifying Events apply to employees who, for whatever reason, elected not to enroll in their employer’s group plan when they were initially eligible. Insurance carriers have enrollment guidelines in place to prevent abuse of the healthcare system. Employees cannot continuously enroll and disenroll in medical and dental plans whenever they want to because they need services performed. This would take advantage of the fact that there are no health questionnaires or pre-existing condition clauses required to enroll in any of the plans offered by MDS Insurance Services, Inc. If employees elected not to enroll during their initial eligibility period, they must wait until open enrollment, which varies with each carrier, or have a Qualifying Event. A Qualifying Event can be described as a life-changing event. Examples of Qualifying Events are marriage, divorce, birth of a child, adoption, or loss of previous coverage.
