Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is investigating whether employees were improperly charged higher health-insurance premiums, lost health coverage, or had dependents removed from their employer-sponsored health plans during dependent eligibility audits administered by Mercer or one of its affiliated benefits administration services.
Many employers retain third-party vendors to verify that spouses, domestic partners, and dependent children enrolled in employer-sponsored health plans remain eligible for coverage. During these audits, employees may be required to submit marriage certificates, birth certificates, tax returns, court orders, or other documentation within a limited period of time.
Employees have reported that dependents were removed from coverage after documentation was allegedly rejected, deadlines were missed, or administrative errors occurred during the verification process.
These Mercer-administered eligibility audits may have included:
- requiring employees to submit documentation establishing dependent eligibility;
- imposing strict deadlines for submitting documents;
- terminating dependent coverage because documentation was allegedly incomplete or untimely;
- requiring employees to appeal coverage terminations after dependents were removed;
- retroactively rescinding dependent coverage;
- requiring employees to repay medical claims after coverage was cancelled; or
- increasing employee premium costs after dependents were removed from the health plan.
Federal law places limits on when employers and health plans may rescind health coverage or terminate dependent eligibility. Employees may also have rights to receive adequate notice, an opportunity to appeal, and a full and fair review before health-plan benefits are reduced or terminated.
We Are Interested in Hearing From Employees Who:
- had a spouse or dependent removed during a Mercer-administered eligibility audit;
- were told they failed to provide sufficient documentation;
- submitted requested documentation but still lost dependent coverage;
- lost coverage retroactively after a Mercer-administered eligibility audit;
- were required to repay medical claims following a coverage rescission;
- paid higher premiums because a dependent was removed;
- experienced administrative errors or processing delays during the audit; or
- believe the dependent verification process was confusing, unfair, or improperly administered.
You may have rights even if the coverage change appeared as a “dependent verification,” “eligibility audit,” “coverage rescission,” “dependent removal,” or “loss of dependent coverage.”
If your employer used Mercer to conduct a dependent eligibility audit and you believe you were improperly affected, please contact Migliaccio & Rathod LLP. There is no charge to speak with us, and there is no obligation to take legal action.
If you believe you encountered these issues, we would like to hear from you. Please complete the contact form on this page, send us an email at [email protected], or give us a call at (202) 470-3520.
Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is a Washington, D.C.-based law firm that represents consumers and employees in class-action lawsuits nationwide.