As you have
seen in the news, health care costs have been increasing substantially over the
years. Last year, Independent received a whopping 17.89% increase to the plan!
A plan design change was made to the base plan (low premium/high deductible) that brought the base plan in line
with high deductible plans associated with HSA (Health Savings Account).
This year, Independent’s medical plan expenses
are expected to be $1,213,430 for year-end July 2017. The good news is that the
increase for this year’s renewal is only 5.25%. In order to receive this
concession, the plan design did change slightly for
the High Premium/Low Deductible (Buy-Up)
Option. However, there is no change
for the tobacco-free employee only premium.
The plan
design for the Low Premium/High Deductible Plan (now called the Base Plan) will
have no changes. However, the High Premium/Low Deductible Plan (now
called the Buy-Up Plan) will have a slight change in the prescription copay from 15/30/60 to 15/75/100. The low premium/high deductible
already has a similar prescription copay in place. The growth in spending has been linked to the
rising use of prescription drugs, new medical innovations
and treatments.
Medical:
For the
2017-2018 Plan Year, Independent will continue to subsidize the employee only
premium at a significant percentage in all levels of 70%. The dependent premium
will be paid entirely by the employee. The smoker surcharge will continue to
remain at 30%.
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. Both options carry the ACA out of pocket maximum of $6,850
(single)/$13,200 (family). 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. Base Plan (Low premium/High
Deductible Option) is an EPO plan with a $3,000 employee only
deductible and a $6,000 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. Preventive care will continue to be covered
at 100%, the deductible will not apply. The costs are:
*Regular per pay period premium for medical & prescription
coverage will be $83 for Employee only:
$404 for Employee + Child(ren); $720 for Employee + Spouse; and, $946 for
Family.
*There is a 30% discount for non-tobacco users. Those
per pay period premiums will be $64 for Employee only; $311 for Employee +
Child(ren), $554 for Employee Spouse; and, $728 for Family.
2
Buy-Up Plan (High Premium/Low Deductible) : The
Buy-Up Plan is also an EPO which has a deductible of $500 for employee
only coverage and $1,500 for employees covering their dependents as well .
Preventive care will continue to be covered at 100%, the deductible will not
apply. The costs are:
*The
regular per pay premium will be: $150 for Employee only, $463 for Employee +
Child (ren), $828 for Employee +spouse; $1,088 for Family.
*There is a
30% discount for non-tobacco users. Those per pay period will be:
$115 for (no change from current) Employee only, $356 for Employee + Child(ren), $637 for Employee
+ spouse, $837 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. Please
also note that if you purchase Voluntary Accident Insurance, you will receive a
reimbursement of $50 for seeing your Physician for an Annual Physical!
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Dental: The Plan’s carrier is United Concordia, a subsidiary of
Highmark DE. Orthodontic care continues to be part of the dental
plan. There is a slight reduction in premium. The bi-weekly
premiums for the optional Dental plan are:
$12
(unchanged) - Employee only
$23 (from
$24) - Employee child (ren)
$28 (from
$29) - Employee spouse
$38 (from
$39) - Family
Voluntary
Accident Coverage – The Plan’s carrier
is Reliance Standard. This coverage is 100% employee paid. The
bi-weekly premium remains unchanged for the optional Accident Coverage plan: e:
Employee Only: $7.50, Employee + Spouse: $12.00, Employee +
Child(ren): $15.50, Family: $20.50
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.
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Health Advocate - Health Advocate services
continue to be available to you, your family and extended family. For
extended family members to utilize this service, they need only to reference
they are your relative who is employed by Independent Newsmedia. Health
Advocate can assist you and your family with issues ranging from understanding
an EOB, to assistance in finding daycare. Health Advocate can also assist
with matters related to claim denials/appeals, locating a Physician and can
even schedule the appointment for you. In the current landscape of
Healthcare, everyone can use a little help. Health Advocate is there for
you to do so, at no cost to you.
You only need to re-enroll if you wish to make a change to your
current selections. If you do not make
changes during Open Enrollment, the only other time you may do so is if you
experience a Qualifying Life Event (QLE). A QLE includes: Birth or
Adoption of a child, Death, Divorce, Court ordered coverage, or Marriage. The Self Service Open Enrollment site will be available from
July 17th– July 21th.
[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.]
