Information about distribution of 1095 tax forms
Beginning February 8, Independence Blue Cross will begin mailing IRS 1095-B tax forms on a rolling basis to subscribers who purchased plans individually off-exchange and to subscribers of fully insured group employers.
The purpose of these forms is for individuals to verify that they had minimum essential health care coverage during the previous calendar year, as required by the Affordable Care Act. We are issuing 1095-B forms to subscribers only, unless we receive a request from a subscriber to issue a duplicate form to an enrolled spouse and/or dependent.
What you need to know about 1095 forms
It’s important to know that who issues the 1095 forms depends on whether health care coverage is purchased individually or it is employer sponsored:
- The federal government will issue a 1095-A to those who purchased an individual Independence health plan on-exchange at HealthCare.gov.
- Independence will issue a 1095-B to subscribers who purchased plans off-exchange and to subscribers of fully insured customers.
- Self-funded employers whose plan is administered by Independence will issue a 1095-C.
The 1095 forms include the Social Security Numbers (SSNs) and names of covered individuals, the months of coverage for each individual listed, and the name of the issuer. We encourage your customers’ employees to consult their tax advisor and refer to the 1095 Q&A on the IRS website for more information about which 1095 form they will receive and how to use it.
How subscribers can provide Independence with corrected or missing SSNs
If subscribers receive a 1095-B form with an incorrect or missing SSN, there will be instructions available at our website in early February about how to correct or provide a missing SSN, with a correction form that subscribers can download for self-service.
There is also a dedicated toll-free phone number at 1-888-335-4270, which will be printed on the 1095-B forms, to assist individuals who may need to correct or provide a missing SSN. Customer service representatives can mail a hard copy of the correction form to anyone who may be unable to download it at our website.
Our customer service representatives can provide assistance for corrections to 1095-B forms only. Individuals who have questions or need assistance with 1095-A or 1095-C forms must contact the issuer of the form.
Subscribers will receive targeted messaging to help them stay informed
We are posting a 1095 FAQ on our website to help subscribers understand the purpose of the 1095 form and to answer general questions for self-service.
We are also linking to the FAQ and correction form through targeted messaging on our member portal at ibxpress.com and through IBX WireTM text messages. Information about 1095 forms for 2016 tax reporting was also included in our recent required notification mailing to members.
We will be sending a follow-up communication when the FAQ and correction form are posted on our website.
If you have questions about distribution of the 1095-B forms, please contact your Total Benefit Solutions account manager at (215)355-2121.
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