Health care costs were expected to skyrocket
in 2014 with many companies receiving double digit increases. For Independent, our Plan’s experience is good and resulted
in an increase of 3.14%. This increase is only due to the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act (PPAC) fees.
There were several
changes to Independent’s health plan last
year – becoming compliant under the Affordable Care Act; and like most
companies, INI moved to establish the health plan as an employee benefit and
not necessarily a“family” benefit.
For the new Plan year, Independent will continue to subsidize
the employee premium at a significant percentage in all levels. The dependent
premium will be paid entirely by the employee. The smoker surcharge will also
increase to the maximum 30%.
There are no changes in the benefit design offered under the Low
Premium /Consumer Driven and High Premium EPO (Exclusive Provider Organization)
plans. These plans offer
in-network coverage only. There are no Out-of-Network
benefits. EPO members can access In-Network
PPO providers anywhere in the nation. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Association's website, bluecares.com,
provides online access to the most current listing of providers. EPO members
can also find network providers by calling a BlueCard customer service
representative at 800.810.BLUE (2583).
1. The Consumer Directed (Low premium Option) Plan is
an EPO plan with a $2,500 employee only deductible and a $5,000 family
deductible. This plan’s design is to foster better understanding of medical
costs and the value of discounts prior to making our health care choices.
Preventative care will continue to be covered at 100%, the deductible will not
apply.
COST for the Consumer Directed EPO plan:
Regular per pay period premium for
medical& prescription coverage will be $78 for Employee only: $304 for
Employee + Child(ren); $567 for Employee + Spouse; and, $755 for Family.
There is a 30% discount for
non-tobacco users (up 5% from the prior year). Those per pay period premiums
will be $60 for Employee only; $234 for Employee + Child(ren), $436 for
Employee Spouse; and, $581 for Family.
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2.
The Current EPO (high premium)
plan
has a deductible of $500 and $1,500 family deductible. Preventative care will continue to be covered
at 100%, the deductible will not apply.
Cost for the Current EPO plan will change to:
The regular per pay premium will be: $126 for
Employee only, $376 for Employee + Child (ren), $688 for Employee +spouse; $925
for Family.
The
tobacco-free discount (30% discount) per pay period will be: $97 for Employee
only, $289 for Employee + Child(ren), $529 for Employee + spouse, $711 for
Family.
To
help control your out-of-pocket costs, we encourage employees and
dependents to take advantage of the Plan’s preventive benefits. Your annual
physical, for example, is 100% covered --- with no co-pay or deductible cost to
you. Schedule your annual physical and follow the plan’s guidelines for staying
healthy. (See the plan documents for details).
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Dental: The Plan’s carrier is United Concordia, a subsidiary of HighmarkDE.
Coverage and premium rates remain the same.
The bi-weekly premium for the optional Dental
plan are: $13 - Employee only, $20 -
Employee+child (ren), $29 - Employee+spouse, $35 – Family
Life Insurance and Long Term Disability – There are no changes in the rates for life
and long term disability insurances. Any changes in your rate are as a result
of your age and salary change respectively.
Independent’s benefit brokers will be
conducting webinars during the week of June 23rd. We urge employees to
participate in a Webinar. The Webinar will allow employees to ask questions as
well as have a better understanding of the benefits offered.
Please review the webinar
schedule and click the session that best fits your schedule:
Webinar
Schedule:
DATES
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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June 24th
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June 25th
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Eastern Time
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Eastern Time
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Thursday
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Friday
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June
26th
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June 27th
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Eastern Time
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Eastern Time
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You
only need to re-enroll, if you wish to make a
change to your current selections. The Self Service Open Enrollment site will
be available from June 29 – July 13, 2014.
[ClickHERE to log onto
Ceridian Self Service for open enrollment. The ENROLLMENT flag that appears at
the top will continue to display until open enrollment ends.]
