This website and overview of benefits is provided as a convenience. It is not a legal document and shall not be construed as a guarantee of benefits nor of continued employment at the firm. All benefit plans are governed by master policies, contracts and plan documents. Any discrepancies between the information provided through this website or elsewhere is superseded by the terms of the actual policies, contracts and plan documents. The firm reserves the right to amend, suspend or terminate any benefit plan, in whole or in part, at any time. The authority to make such changes rests with the Plan Administrator.
OPEN ENROLLMENT FOR 2025
Member Benefits at a Glance
&
Benefits Enrollment/Waiver Form
If you are looking for the 2020 Benefits at a Glance (for coverage through 12/31/2020), go HERE. This is the 2020 Enrollment Form.
(If you have a change in status event you should complete and return to benefits@cm.law within 30 days.)
CM Law recognizes that health insurance coverage gives partners and their families valuable peace of mind when unexpected accidents or illnesses strike. For this reason, we have worked hard to provide CM-sponsored group health offerings that are fully-funded by the participants, with a variety of plans to satisfy different needs and budgets. We do not currently mandate participation in any of these group health offerings.
For a helpful overview of CM’s current group medical, dental, and vision plan offerings and to review the legally required notices and disclosures for these offerings, please refer to the current Benefits at a Glance guide at the above link. If you have additional questions not answered on this site or in the guide, please contact Angus McRae, our benefits broker, via phone at (770) 300-0001 x 101 or via email: amcrae@angusmcrae.com.
Please note that if you enroll in the group health benefits, there will also be a nominal annual fee to cover ongoing accounting and processing costs incurred by the firm to offer and administer these partner-funded benefits (and the annual fee will be calculated each year based on the total number of participants in the group health plans).
Use the below menu to learn more about the group health benefits that are currently offered to CM partners.
Medical Plans - by UnitedHealthcare
You have a choice of three medical plan options for 2020, including a Point-of-Service plan and two CDHPs (Consumer Driven Health Plan with HSA qualification). All plans pay 100% of the cost for in-network preventive care and all include an annual deductible amount you must satisfy before the plan begins paying for a portion of your medical care expenses (coinsurance). For specific details about each plan, click below to view the Benefit Summary documents:
UnitedHealthcare Point-of-Service Plan with $2,000 in-network deductible
UnitedHealthcare HSA-Qualified Plan with $3,000 in-network deductible
UnitedHealthcare HSA-Qualified Plan with $5,000 in-network deductible
You can search for UnitedHealthcare network doctors or hospitals at https://uhc.welcometouhc.com/ or by calling 1-866-873-3903 during business hours. If you have questions about network prescription coverage, view UnitedHealthcare’s 2020 Prescription Drug List.
In addition to offering broad in-network coverage, all three plans offer 24/7/365 Virtual Visits access to U.S. board-certified doctors through the convenience of phone or video consults. Keep in mind that CM’s annual renewal rates are largely dependent on the total claims paid in the prior year. Virtual Visits is an affordable alternative to costly urgent care and ER visits for less-serious medical conditions such as cold/flu, allergies, UTI, bronchitis, sinus problems, earaches, pink eye, skin rash and more–and using this service when appropriate can save money for all of our partners during annual plan renewal. For further information refer to the UnitedHealthcare Virtual Visits website or this flyer.
Dental Plan - by Principal
A general overview of the dental plan can be found in the current Health Benefits Guide, but more detailed coverage information can be found in the 2020 Principal Dental Benefits Summary. Members enrolled with Principal plans may be eligible for a variety of other useful discounts and services. For the 2019 Aetna Dental Benefits Summary, go here.
Vision Plan - by Principal
A general overview of the vision plan can be found in the current Health Benefits Guide, but more detailed coverage information can be found in the 2020 Principal Vision Benefits Summary. Members enrolled with Principal plans may be eligible for a variety of other useful discounts and services. For the 2019 Aetna Vision Benefits Summary, go here.
Eligibility and Enrollment Periods
Once you become eligible, you may participate in the medical, dental and vision coverage for you and your eligible dependents, including your spouse and children. Benefits eligibility begins on the first of the month coinciding with or following a 30 day waiting period after your date of hire. Annual open enrollment dates vary but will be announced each fall for the following calendar year.
Does CM Subsidize Health Benefits?
A core aspect of our low-overhead business model is that we are able to push a substantially higher percentage of collected revenue directly down to our attorneys. Therefore, as with all other group benefits offered at CM such as our Long-Term Disability insurance and 401(k) plans, the costs of group health benefits will be fully funded by the participants through draw deductions (or through a partner writing a check to CM if a partner’s draws are insufficient to cover the premiums for the selected plans). However, we believe the group plans our benefits broker has identified for CM partners will provide better overall value and flexibility compared to what is available from the individual healthcare marketplace or the Affordable Care Act exchange. A partner’s failure to pay the premiums for the elected coverage may result in termination of coverage and re-enrollment may not be available until the next annual open enrollment period.
Are there Underwriting or Participation Requirements for our Group Health Plans?
CM does not currently mandate partner participation in any group health benefits. The UnitedHealthcare plans for 2020 are already medically underwritten based on our total partner demographics (age/ZIP code data) – thus we will not be required to submit individual medical questionnaires for 2020. The rates shown by UnitedHealthcare in the Member Benefits at a Glance Guide assume participation of +50% of members and lower participation may cause the rates to increase. However, the underwriting guidelines allow participation waivers to exclude those members from CM’s total headcount who have valid reasons such as having alternative coverage available from a spouse’s employer, the military, or Medicare. Waivers are not allowed for coverage under a partner’s individual plan (on or off-exchange plan) or coverage from another employer-sponsored plan. We anticipate that member enrollment will be sufficient to satisfy the threshold requirement after valid waivers have been applied.
If I leave the firm, what about COBRA coverage?
If a partner who is enrolled under one of the firm’s group plans leaves the firm, the partner may be eligible for continuation of coverage under COBRA. For more information, please review these 2019 CHIP and COBRA Notices.
Voluntary Long-Term Disability Insurance - by Principal
CM Law offers you the opportunity to join a partner-funded group long-term disability policy at the rates included in the Member Benefits at a Glance Guide. Upon joining CM, all attorneys must either enroll or decline this coverage by completing the LTD Enrollment/Waiver section on the current-year Group Benefits Election Form. Coverage becomes effective on the first day of the month following your first full month at CM given timely enrollment. If you do not enroll when you are first eligible (i.e., within the first 30 days of joining CM Law), your future enrollment (even during annual open enrollment) will be subject to medical underwriting and you must complete this Statement of Health form. Questions regarding this disability insurance can be directed to our agent, Angus McRae at amcrae@angusmcrae.com or 770-300-0001 x 101.