Hello!
A large company sponsors a self-insured medical plan. Company has promised (through various agreements) to provide certain retired employees and their dependents with medical insurance. The Company pays 50% of the premium the retirees pay 50% of the premium. For 2008, the Company is redesigning its medical plan to move post-age 65 retirees to a company-sponsored fully-insured plan. The benefits are similar (only minute differences) and the premium cost is lower.

My question is whether the company can wrap the fully-insured plan with the self-insured plan so that the health plan is one plan? So there is only one SPD, one Form 5500, etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

The answer is yes. But it won't be any easier than separate documents, it will likely be harder. What advantage is derived from this? 1 SPD instead of 2 (but twice as big)? One 5500 instead of 2 (but insured plan filing is way easy anyway)? I would ask the ERISA attorney engaged to prepare the document(s) which way will be easier and simpler and go with that.