Now that you've made your decision on the health plan, the California Health Small Group insurance carrier, the Employer Contribution amount, and your New Hire Employee Waiting Period, it's time to sit down and complete your forms for submission. The forms themselves are both applications and contracts. It's easy to gloss over the various fields as it can be a little time consuming and overwhelming if you let it get to you. It's important to make sure you pay attention to the questions and get each field completed. Incomplete forms will likely result in a delay of coverage at worst, or a returned application at best. So get comfortable, pull up a chair by the fireplace and settle in with your enrollment form until it is done.

Employee Signature Dates

It is best if the Employee signature dates is inside 30 days, and some carriers allows 60 days typically from the requested enrollment effective date after any Employee new hire waiting periods. If an Employee signature date is beyond the 30 or 60 day mark the California health insurance carrier can delay enrollment and request a new application. If you have issues with remote state Employees, or Employee who work on jobsites that are difficult to reach you can shop the California Small Group health insurance market a bit to see which companies offer the most flexible enrollment form standards.

Application Modifications

Only the Employee may make modifications to the Employee enrollment application. Changes must be marked, initialed, and dated by the Employee. Only the Owner, Corporate Officer, or company designated Plan Administrator may make changes to the Employer level forms and documents. These must be initialed and dated as well.

Language

Employee and Employer level enrollment forms come in several languages . When an Employee is not available exception forms can be sumitted which are completed by designated family members or translating representatives.

Formats

Depending on the size of your business Human Resource system integration can be made available to upload employee census data. Online internet enrollment systems are also now available at certain health carriers if desired. This is an easy way to make sure the forms are completed in full and reduces the paperwork processed. The Internet systems force the Employees to complete every mandatory field correctly. Finally, fax submission and regular mail of course are the most standard formats of submitting an enrollment form.

Time Frames

You are always in good shape for a requested effective date if you submit your application packet prior to the first of the month your desired start date. Most of the California health insurance carriers will allow you to submit your enrollment packet up to the 5th of the month an still maintain a 1st of the monthe effective date. A few of the California health carriers will allow 15th of the month requested effective dates which usually will include additional submission days. If an incomplete application packet is completed eventually, but beyond standard timeframes you can request a modified effective date or in worse case a withdrawl to keep your rights to re-apply.