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Medical / Dental / Vision InsuranceASI Flex (Flexible Spending Accounts) information
Employees may choose between 2 medical options:
Dental benefits are the same regardless of whether the employee chooses the PPO or the HMO plan. The dental plan is administered by Benefit Planners. Premiums are paid through payroll deduction and is available on a pre-tax basis. The following people are eligible to Participate in the State's Health Plan:
Effective dates vary depending on the employee type:
Employees can make changes to their health plan during the Annual Open Enrollment Period which is normally held during May. This year the Annual Open Enrollment Period was delayed until September. The effective date of the 2009-2010 Plan Year is November 1st through June 30th. Dependent coverage changes can be made within 31 days of a qualified family status change. Qualified changes include marriage, birth/adoption, change of spouse's employment status, and involuntary loss of insurance coverage. Proof of the qualified change along with marriage/birth certificates are required. A newly hire or rehired employee may decline (opt-out-of) coverage offered during their new hire enrollment period. Employees who decline coverage lose the following benefits: medical, dental, pharmacy, vision, life, accidental death and dismemberment, group travel accident, and long-term disability coverage.
A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is a special bank account for your healthcare and dependent care (childcare) expenses. Using an FSA has one big advantage – it helps you save money. Every dollar contributed to an FSA is never taxed, which means you keep the 24-40% that is usually withheld on that money. Participating is simple; you make contributions through convenient payroll deductions spread evenly across the year. You then use your FSA money to pay for any healthcare or dependent care expenses not covered by your insurance plan. Plan maximums for Plan Year 2009 are: COBRA is a federal regulation which permits you as an employee or retiree and your eligible covered dependents, to continue your medical (includes pharmacy) or full coverage (includes medical, dental, pharmacy and vision) benefits that were in effect on the day before you or your dependents coverage ended due to circumstances called Qualifying Events.
The continuation of such coverage through COBRA provides you time to find another source of health care, either group coverage through another employer or an individual policy. The group health coverage offered under COBRA is the same coverage PEBP provides to active employees/retirees and their eligible dependents. When the state changes the group health coverages for active employees and their eligible dependents, the group health coverages provided under COBRA will change in the same manner. The COBRA coverage period may be a minimum of 18 months, but no longer than 36 months. PEBP COBRA homepage
The new plan year began November 1, 2009 and will go through June 30, 2010 (8 month vs. the normal 12). Open Enrollment for the upcoming plan year is from September 1, 2009 to September 30, 2009. Rates for the upcoming plan year (November 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010) will be decided at the next Public Employees Benefits Program Board meeting which is scheduled for June 30, 2009. Rates at all coverage tiers will be increasing due to the decrease in the employer subsidy as well as premium increases due to overall increase in insurance costs. Details regarding these rates are reflected below: If you have any questions or comments about any of the information contained on this or other Human Resources pages, please e-mail HRCustomerService@csn.edu. |
