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Mandatory Benefits Act Passes
"Uncle Sam Wants You -- To Sell Insurance" (Insider, May) was evidently sent to press before the long-stalled Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (PL 99-272) was enacted on April 7.
Effective July 1, the law requires employers with 20 or more employees to offer continued group health coverage to former employees and dependents for up to 18 months, and to the spouses and dependents of deceased and divorced workers for up to three years.
There is no evidence that continuation of benefits will increase employer costs. Aetna, for example, routinely offers spousal continuation in group policies marketed to employers, and most choose this protection, for which no extra premium is charged.
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