Frequently Asked Questions

Please send an email to your ORISE/OGS Program Point-of-Contact (ORISE/OGS POC) at the contact email you have for them, as well as the ORISE/OGS Benefits Administrator at HRHealthInsurance@orau.org as soon as possible to request terminating your health insurance coverage.

Your insurance will be termed on the last day of the month you request the coverage to end.

• For example: If your outside health insurance coverage is starting November 1, 2024, the deadline for you to update your Zintellect account to reflect that outside health insurance coverage information would be the close of business on Friday, November 1, 2024, as that is the Friday of the last week in October. For starting December 1, 2024, it would be close of business Friday, November 29, 2024, so on and so forth.
• If you update your information after that deadline and end up getting charged the premium for that next month, there will be no refund of that premium.
  • If this is the case, please call your providers and ask them to do a coordination of benefits with your ORAU BCBST health coverage as the primary. Anything not paid for by BCBST will be submitted to your new coverage for payment.
• It is your responsibility to make sure you complete these steps.
  • You might be asked for proof of outside coverage by your ORISE/OGS POC to verify your eligibility to terminate your insurance through ORAU unless your appointment is ending.

There is no length of time required to be enrolled in ORAU’s benefits, but there is a grace period followed by a locked period when your coverage initially begins or if you come back after leaving the plan for any reason.

• Once you enroll in the ORAU health insurance plan, there is a 30 day grace period from the effective date of the insurance plan to pick up outside coverage and term your policy through us.
• If you go past the 30 day grace period, you will be locked into our policy for 90 days from the effective date of your coverage. After the 90 day lock ends, you are free to un-enroll from our coverage as long as you maintain health insurance with someone.
• The only exceptions to this rule would be if your appointment ended before that, or if you have a qualifying life event. Please reach out to the ORISE/OGS Benefits Administrator at HRHealthInsurance@orau.org, with any questions.

If you enroll in ORAU insurance coverage, you are responsible for at least one month’s premium.

• If you term ORAU health insurance, you must have outside health coverage and there can be no gaps in your coverage.

You have two business days from the day you receive your benefits welcome email to let us know you enrolled by mistake, and you need to void your coverage with us at no cost.

If you let us know after the two business day deadline passes, your coverage will term at the end of that month, and you will be responsible for that month’s premium payment.

To add an insurance eligible dependent to your plan, you must reach out to their ORISE/OGS POC and the ORISE/OGS Benefits Administrator to get the process started.

• The definition of what is considered an eligible dependent is explained in #16 below.

Arrangements regarding health insurance coverage must be made prior to you going on a LOA to ensure the health insurance requirement is met.

You will need to communicate your situation with your ORISE/OGS POC, and they will notify the ORISE/OGS Benefits Administrator and Payroll immediately.

• Your ORISE/OGS POC will instruct you on the process to pay your health insurance premium while on leave from the program.
• The insurance premiums must remain current while the non-employee participant is on a LOA.
  • Premium payments are due on the 20 ^th of the month and failure to make those payments can result in your health insurance being termed to the last month a premium payment was made.
    • Missing this payment could result in your appointment being ended early.
  • LOA’s due to immigration issues may be eligible for a premium hold.
    • Please contact your ORAU POC and ORISE/OGS Benefits Administrator at HRHealthInsurance@orau.org.

Premiums will not be refunded to the non-employee participant if the reason for the over-payment is due to the non-employee participant’s error.

• Please reach out to your ORISE/OGS POC with any questions.

It is your responsibility to keep your ORISE/OGS POC and your Zintellect account up to date on anything that will affect your appointment in any way, including health insurance updates, address changes, etc..

Your insurance will be termed on the last day of the month.

• If your outside coverage starts the 2 ^nd of the month or later, your ORAU health insurance coverage will not end until the last day of that month to ensure there is no gap in coverage.
• If you fail to notify your ORISE/OGS POC, and officially update your health insurance information in Zintellect, you will not be given any refunds, and we will not backdate the insurance term date.
• If you filled out insurance information at any time in Zintellect, then you have to un-enroll in Zintellect for it be official.

No.

If you start your health insurance coverage from the 1 ^st through the 15 ^th of the month, you will pay a premium in that month.

• If insurance coverage starts the 16 ^th of the month or later, the first premium will be deducted the following month.
  • If you sign up for coverage the 16 ^th of the month or later, and then term coverage at the end of that same month, you will still be required to pay for one month’s insurance premium in accordance with #3 above.

Health insurance coverage is always termed the last day of the month in which you end your appointment or request your coverage to end as you have acquired outside health insurance coverage.

• If your appointment is scheduled to term within the first 7 days of a month, two premiums may be taken in the last full month of participation to cover the cost of health insurance coverage for that current month and the next month in which the participant terms.

Payroll will normally take the final premium in the month the coverage ends.

• If you leave the program before enough stipend is earned cover more than the health insurance premium, Payroll will deduct the premium first, which may result in a zero stipend check.

If the eligible dependent is added from the 1st through the 15th of the month, you will pay a premium in that month.

• If coverage starts the 16th of the month or later, the first premium will be deducted the following month.
• If an eligible dependent is signed up for coverage, you will owe at least one month’s premium in accordance with #3 above

In most cases, you should expect to receive your benefits welcome email within a week of your coverage starting.

• In cases of high enrollment rates, there may be a slight delay.
  • If for any reason you have a need for the plan information and you have not received it, please email the ORISE/OGS Benefits Administrator at HRHealthInsurance@orau.org, and they will assist you.
  • The benefits welcome email will contain job aids for how to register your account/s online, download temporary insurance cards, download the apps, etc.
• Cards should arrive at the address listed on the application within 15 business days.
  • Make sure that the address in Zintellect is where you want your health insurance cards, medical correspondence, and health insurance tax information to go to.
  • If you move at any time, you must update your mailing address in Zintellect. This will update your information with the providers as well.

Log in to Zintellect and verify all the information is correct there.

• If it is correct, contact your ORAU POC and the ORISE/OGS Benefits Administrator at HRHealthinsurance@orau.org and they will assist you in updating your information with the providers.
• If it is not correct, update your information, and also send an email to your ORISE/OGS POC and ORISE/OGS Benefits Administrator, to let them know.

If you forget your password to the BCBST website, click on the Forgot / Reset Password button. Click that you are a member and enter your User ID and click continue. Answer the security questions that you created when you initially setup your account. It will then prompt you to enter a new password and confirm your new password.

• If you forget your User ID, click on the Forgot / Reset Password button. On the bottom it will say Forgot Your Member User ID? Click retrieve my Member User ID. You will need the subscriber ID, group number, date of birth, and zip code. You should be able to find the subscriber ID and group number on your insurance card.
• If these steps do not work, please contact BCBST Member Services directly at 1-800-565-9140.

Dependent is defined as your legal spouse and/or child to age of 26 including:

• Your children related by blood or marriage.
• A child 26 years of age or older who is disabled and dependent upon you for care.
• Children you have legally adopted.
• Children you have legal custody of.
• Children you are required to provide health insurance coverage for as part of a divorce decree.
  • Note: No child can be a dependent of more than one participant.

Legal spouse is defined as the person you are legally married to.

• Common law marriages are only recognized in the following places:
  • Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington D.C.
  • Common law marriage will only be recognized if the participant is living in a state where Common law marriage is legally recognized.
  • You will be required to fill out, sign and have notarized an Affidavit of Common Law Marriage.
• Domestic partnership is not a legal marriage.
  • Self-insured and self-funded plans, like the one ORAU offers, are not subject to state laws that require companies to offer health insurance to domestic partners because federal law under ERISA preempts state law where it relates to ERISA benefit plans.

If you reside outside of the state of Tennessee, please use BlueCard PPO (Outside of Tennessee) as your network when searching for in-network providers if you are not already enrolled or logged into your account.

If you have already enrolled and are logged into your account, then use My Network as your network.  

• You can search for individual doctors, practices, hospitals, etc..
  • You can use the filter feature once your list populates to narrow down your search.
• Find Care here.

No.

• You must be currently enrolled in ORAU’s health insurance coverage or applying for new ORAU health insurance coverage to enroll in our dental and vision bundle.

Dental and vision must be taken as a package deal.

• You cannot have one without the other.

No.

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage must all be enrolled at the same coverage tier.
  • For example: If you currently have family coverage for medical and want to enroll in dental and vision, you must enroll in family coverage for those benefits well.
• ORAU’s plans offer individual, member +1, and family tiers for coverage options.

Yes.

• Please see #2 and #3 in the medical portion above.
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No.

• You are not required to have dental and vision coverage for your appointment.
• Only medical insurance is required.