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Health Insurance Options for
Members on Active Military Duty
If you have individual coverage through Wellmark and are called to active
military duty, your health insurance options depend on the length of your
activation period:
- Activation period less than 31 days: If your military activation
period is less than 31 days, your Wellmark coverage will continue with
no changes.
- Activation period more than 30 days: If your military activation
period will be 31 days or more, the government has a health insurance
plan that will cover you and your family. This plan is called Tricare
and you will receive information about it directly from the military.
If you have Tricare coverage, you can suspend your Wellmark coverage
so that you are not responsible for premium payments while you are on
active duty.
Notifying Wellmark of Active Military Duty
Please follow the steps outlined below to notify Wellmark that you would
like your Wellmark health insurance suspended while you are on active
military duty:
| Step |
Action |
| 1 |
Confirm your eligibility for Tricare with the military.
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| 2 |
Decide if you and your family will keep your Wellmark
coverage or access the Tricare health insurance plan. If you decide
to access Tricare for yourself, but keep Wellmark coverage for your
family, you must submit an application for your family members.
Your agent can help you with this process, or you can contact Customer
Service at the number on the front of your ID card for an application.
Contact your agent for the application if you are a Farm Bureau
member.
It is very unusual for individuals to choose to retain their Wellmark
coverage for family members, but if you do decide to apply for coverage
for your family members, it is critical that Wellmark receives your
application within 31 days of the date you are on active military
duty. If we receive the application within 31 days, your family
members will not be subjected to medical underwriting.
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| 3 |
Send Wellmark a copy of your military papers that include the date of entry
into active duty and a written statement requesting suspension of
coverage. You may download, sign, and submit this sample
statement (pdf). Send these documents to:
Wellmark, Inc.
Membership & Enrollment
Station 300
636 Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50309
You must send the request for suspension within 31 days of the
date that you begin basic training or are called to active duty.
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Reinstatement with Wellmark
To be reinstated with Wellmark after returning from active military
duty: You may reinstate your health insurance coverage without medical
underwriting, if you notify us within 120 days of separation from the
military service or being placed on inactive status.
- You must send a request for us to reinstate coverage and include
a copy of the military papers indicating the date of discharge or inactive
status. Please send this information to:
Wellmark, Inc.
Membership & Enrollment
Station 300
636 Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50309
- If we do not receive this information within 120 days, you will need
to reapply for coverage as a new member and your application will be
subject to medical underwriting.
- The effective date of your reinstated coverage will be the date of
discharge or date of inactive status.
- You will be responsible for all premiums due from the reinstatement
effective date.
- If the member is a dependent who was a full-time student prior to
the military suspension, the dependent can be reinstated on their parent’s
policy. The dependent will be considered eligible as long as he/she
resumes full-time student status by the next available start date, with
an accredited institution of higher learning. If full-time student status
is not resumed, the dependent cannot be reinstated as a covered member.
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