Open Enrollment 2005: Starts Today, November 1, Ends Midnight,
November 30, 2004
November is Open Enrollment for benefits, the time of year
when you can change many of your UC health and welfare plans
for the coming year. Following are important highlights regarding
this year’s Open Enrollment. For detailed Open Enrollment
information, go here.
No Rate Increases for 2005
Although gross premiums increased 10 percent to 15 percent,
the University was able to increase its contribution towards
your medical and dental plans which resulted in no changes
to employee premiums for 2005.As a result, employees will
not see an increase in their 2005 monthly medical plan premiums
and will continue to receive the same, or, in some cases,
enhanced benefits.
The employee monthly premiums for both the dental plans and
the vision will continue to be fully paid by the University.
In other words, these plans will continue to be offered to
you at no cost in 2005.
The employee premium rates for Supplemental Disability will
decrease by 15.5 percent and Supplemental Life insurance plans
will decrease by 12.4 percent. Note that enrollment in these
supplemental plans, if enrollment was missed when first eligible,
must be coordinated by the Benefits Department and approved
by the insurance provider based on a medical questionnaire.
Once again, the four-level salary-based premium structure
introduced last year will continue. This structure allows
UC to provide larger monthly employer contributions for those
earning less. The salary groups are 0-40K, 41K-80K, 81K-120K,
and over 120K.
Tax Savings
UC continues to offer a variety of vehicles allowing tax
savings to employees enrolled in the Health & Welfare
program. Among these opportunities are:
- Tax
Incentive Plan (TIP) program, making dollars spent on health
premiums tax-free
- Health
Care Reimbursement Account (HCRA), which allows employees
to save money for health care expenses not normally covered
by their medical, dental, or vision plans
- Dependent
Care Reimbursement Account (DCRA) for dependent care expenses
of a child or elderly parent
If you are currently enrolled in these plans
and wish to continue your participation in these plans, you
must take action to re-enroll during Open Enrollment.
Expanded Eligibility
Health plan coverage eligibility in 2005 has expanded to
qualified opposite-sex domestic partners (one partner must
be age 62 or over and the other partner at least age 18) and
their children or grandchildren, and for disabled children
past age 23.
How to Enroll or Make Changes Online
Following last year’s successful employee Open Enrollment
online, we are again providing a special online Open Enrollment
section on the AtYourService web site.
To find detailed Open Enrollment information, go to here.
New Six- to Twelve-Digit Password
The four-digit personal identification number (PIN) has been
changed to improve security and service. A new six- to twelve-digit
alpha-numeric password is now required to access your benefits
information on the web site. Remember, employees will need
the new password to make your Open Enrollment changes. To
change or set up a new password, go here.
Open Enrollment Training Sessions
The Lab’s Benefits Department will present the following
Open Enrollment one-hour training sessions for employees:
Tuesday,
Nov. 2: Bldg 937, 6th floor (reservation required, contact
[email protected]), 10 a.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 2: Bldg 50, Auditorium, 2 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 4: Off-site at JGI (Walnut Creek), 2 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 9: Bldg 941, Room 155 (reservation required,
contact [email protected]), 2 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 16: Off-site at OSF (Oakland), 2 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 18: Bldg 50, Auditorium, 9 a.m.
Vendor and Wellness Fair – Monday, November
15, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
This year, offers a different twist in the Open Enrollment
vendor fair. The Benefits Department’s Health Care Facilitator
Program is promoting health and wellness in support of the
department’s theme for 2005, “Feeling Well, Living
Healthy, and Working Happy.”
In addition to the health plan vendors available to answer
questions face-to-face, many of them will offer “wellness”
activities, such as blood pressure screening, a body fat analyzer,
and a chair massage. Short presentations will also be offered
covering health and wellness related topics by representatives
from the UC Berkeley’s CARE Services, Employee Assistance
Program (EAP), and Health*Matters Programs, as well as from
our Lab’s Health Services – Environmental Health
& Safety (EH&S) department and Employee Activity Association
(EAA) clubs. A couple of our Berkeley downtown merchants will
also be present – special club membership rates for
our Lab employees will be offered during the fair.
Vendor Fair for Retirees
The East Bay Retiree Open Enrollment Fair will be held on
Tuesday, November 16, from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m., in the Oakland
Convention Center/Marriott Hotel. For more information, go
to: http://atyourservice.ucop.edu
Questions
Contact the Lab’s Benefits Department at 486-6403,
or e-mail at [email protected].
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