October 25, 2007
Open enrollment begins next week
Increased annual coverage limits, the removal of lifetime benefit caps and some different plans are among changes coming in UW employees’ medical and dental insurance for 2008.
Open Enrollment for all medical and dental plans runs from Oct. 29 to Nov. 30, and there will be benefits fairs on Oct. 30 and 31, and Nov. 1.
Katy Dwyer, director of UW Benefits and WorkLife, said there are several improvements coming in 2008 for an array of benefit programs that offer employees great flexibility. Medical and dental coverage options for UW employees are negotiated at the state level by the Health Care Authority.
A key change for 2008, Dwyer said, is the elimination of lifetime maximum limits for medical and mental health coverage, which had been set at $2 million. It won’t affect everyone, she said, but those with serious medical needs will be helped. “That can mean an enormous amount to a family facing long-term illness” or sophisticated medical treatments, Dwyer said.
Some annual coverage limits will increase, too. Uniform Dental will increase its annual maximum from $1,500 to $1,750. “It’s been $1,500 for as many years as I can remember, so that’s a nice little improvement,” Dwyer said. “I’m glad to see it go up.”
Covered outpatient mental health visits will increase in number allowed each year, from 20 to 50. And inpatient mental health care will, for the first time, be paid at the same rate as treatment for a physical ailment.
There will be some shifts in medical plans offered. The Community Health Plan and Regents Blue Shield medical plans will be discontinued and the Aetna Public Employees Plan will take its place. Dwyer said the Health Care Authority is “eliminating the middle man” by self-insuring with the nationwide Aetna coverage.
“By tapping into the national provider network we really do expand our possibilities,” she said. “And we’re trying to acknowledge a much more mobile work force.”
The Regence/Blue Shield dental plan also will be discontinued, but a new self-funded plan called Willamette Dental will serve the same provider network. Dwyer stressed, “If people choose Willamette Dental they will have access to the same dentists and structure.”
The Benefits Fairs will be held:
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, in the UW Medical Center and Health Sciences lobbies, 1959 Pacific Ave.
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, in the Harborview Medical Center Research and Training Building lobby, 300 Ninth Ave.
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, in the HUB Ballroom.
As is the case most any year, insurance premiums payments will increase, too.
For an employee alone under the Uniform Medical Plan, the monthly premium will rise from $24 in 2007 to $28 in 2008. For that employee and spouse (or “qualified domestic partner”) the rate was $57 in 2007 and will be $66 in 2008.
Group Health continues to offer two options, its Classic plan and its Value plan, which has a lower premium but higher deductibles and copayments. Rates for a single employee/employee and spouse in GHC Classic were $57/$124 in 2007, and will rise to $74/$158 in 2008. For the GHC Value plan, rates were $13/$36 in 2007 and will rise to $20/$50 in 2008.
Open Enrollment is also a time to consider a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) — pre-tax money set aside from each pay check that can be used to reimburse many health care expenses. The program will offer a debit card option for 2008 that will be the subject of informational meetings in several campus locations on Nov. 6.
The Dependent Care Assistance Program, another pre-tax plan, will be administered by the same people as the FSA next year. Both plans offer substantial savings to UW employees.
For more information about Open Enrollment or benefits offered to UW employees, visit online at http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/benefits/
