• It depends on what your employer offers. Employers are free to design whatever health benefit they choose to offer their employees.

However, you cannot be offered less comprehensive benefits because of your health status. Health status means your medical condition or history, genetic information, or disability. This protection is called nondiscrimination.

• If you are covered under a fully-insured group plan, it must cover certain required benefits. Policies sold by Washington insurers must cover at least those benefits that are required by plans offered through Washington Basic Health (see Chapter 5). In addition, Washington requires all fully-insured group health plans to cover certain mandated benefits, for example, diabetes treatment and mammograms. Insurers may sell policies that cover additional benefits beyond those required by law. In addition, insurers have flexibility to vary cost sharing (deductibles, co-pays, etc.) under the policies they design.

For more information about which benefits must be covered in your fully-insurance group plan, check with the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner at (800) 562-6900.