Open Enrollment—Contribution Memo for the University of Oregon
For Unclassified (.50 FTE or more) and Full-Time Classified Employees
 

It’s open enrollment time again.  This year, the Public Employees’ Benefit Board (PEBB) has made changes in the medical, vision, dental, life, disability and flexible spending account plans for 2008.  In addition, premiums have been reduced for life and disability plans.  Unless you wish to make changes as described below, no action is necessary.

You can find detailed information about all of the benefit plans in the “2008 Benefit Booklet,” which you will find enclosed.  If you need to contact PEBB or any of the insurance companies, the phone numbers and the web sites are listed on page 86 of the booklet.  You can find links to the provider directories on the Human Resources web site at http://hr.uoregon.edu/benefits/oe08 or on the PEBB web site at http://pebb.das.state.or.us/.  You can request a list of preferred providers by calling Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield directly at 1-800-826-9813.

Although medical costs increased, the UO will continue to fully pay the premiums for medical and dental insurance for full-time classified employees (SEIU) and .50 FTE or more unclassified employees (officers of instruction, administration and research) and their eligible family members.  Please refer to pages 25 and 27 of the 2008 PEBB Benefit Handbook for the premiums the UO will be paying for you in 2008.  The required $5,000 Basic Life insurance costs $1.10/month and is also paid for you.     

Employees who have other group medical coverage can opt-out of the medical plan and receive cash for 2008.  The monthly opt-out provides $233 per month to cover mandatory dental and basic life insurance premiums.  The remainder will be added to your monthly pay and is taxable income.  You can calculate your opt-out cash on page 26 of the “2008 Benefits Handbook.”  

You will continue to pay the premiums for optional insurance coverage such as life, accidental death and dismemberment, short and long term disability.

This is your chance to change plans, change the amount of your coverage and add or delete eligible dependents.

The Open Enrollment period ends October 31, 2007 and changes are effective January 1, 2008, except life insurance elections requiring approval from Standard Insurance.  Life insurance changes are effective the first of the month after approval is granted (January 1 or later.)

If you want to add or delete dependents because of a qualified status change occurring before January 1, 2008, contact Human Resources at 346-2956 or 346-3086 to obtain a mid year update form, instead of an open enrollment form, or access the forms on the web at:  http://hr.uoregon.edu/benefits/forms.html

PEBB sent you a copy of your Benefit Statement prior to Open Enrollment.  You can refer to your statement for a list of all your PEBB benefits as of September 30, 2007.  You can also login to pebb.benefits to see a copy of your current benefit statement online, or you can refer to your UO monthly earnings statement.

If you cover a dependent age 19 through age 23, you need to follow a new process to certify the dependent is eligible. If you don’t provide this certification, your dependent will lose coverage on Dec. 31, 2007.
 
During Open Enrollment, you can certify your dependent’s eligibility online at, http://pebb.das.state.or.us. If you cover a dependent in this age range, you’ll see a screen asking you to certify that you expect the depen­dent will continue to meet PEBB eligibility rules through 2008. To request a hard copy of the certification letter, please contact the benefit section of Human Resources at extension 346-2956 or 346-3086.
 
If you do not certify your dependent’s eligibility by the end of Open Enrollment, you will receive a letter and form during November. You will have until Dec. 9, 2007, to return the form to PEBB.

Definition of "Dependent Child"
 
Following is the text of the definition of Dependent Child, from OAR 101-010-0005 Definitions, currently filed as a temporary rule with the Oregon Secretary of State. "Dependent child" means any child who meets the criteria in this section. In defining dependent child, PEBB follows Internal Revenue Code (IRC) 152 as revised by the Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004:

(a) The child is not married and does not have a domestic partner; and
(A) Is under the age of 19 at the end of the calendar year; or
 
(B) Meets the IRC 152(f)(2) definition of a dependent child between the ages of 19 and up to age 24 attending school full time, excluding foreign students; or
 
(C) Is between the ages of 19 and up to age 24, living in the home of the eligible employee over six months of the calendar year, and the eligible employee provides over half the yearly support; or
 
(D) Is between the ages of 19 and up to age 24, and is incapable of self-sustaining employment because of a developmental disability, mental illness, or physical disability. The attending physician must submit documentation of the disability to the insurance plan for approval. Once certified, the insurance plan may review dependent certification to determine continued eligibility; or
 
(E) Is a child age 24 or older, and is incapable of self-sustaining employment because of a developmental disability, mental illness, or physical disability. Except in the case of a child who previously qualified under (a)(D) of this section, the attending physician must submit documentation of the disability to the insurance plan for approval. The insurance plan may review dependent certification to determine continued eligibility. If the child is terminated from PEBB insurance coverage after age 24 for any reason, the eligible employee cannot re-enroll the child. A disabled dependent child, age 24 or older, must also meet the following criteria:
(i) The disability must have existed prior to attaining age 24.
 
(ii) The child must have had continuous medical insurance coverage, group or individual, prior to attaining age 24 and until the time of the PEBB insurance effective date.
(b) The child must not qualify as any other person's dependent child, except that a child of divorced or separated parents meeting conditions under IRC 152(e) can be treated as a dependent of both parents.
 
(c) A dependent child must also meet one of the following criteria:
(A) Is a biological child of, an adopted child of, or a child placed for adoption with the eligible employee, spouse, or domestic partner; or
 
(B) Is a legal ward by court decree, a dependent by Affidavit of Dependency, or is under legal guardianship of the eligible employee, spouse or domestic partner, and is living in the home of the eligible employee.
(d) A child of a domestic partner meeting the definition of a dependent child is eligible to receive insurance coverage subject to imputed value tax. A valid Affidavit of Domestic Partnership must be on file with the agency for a domestic partner’s child meeting the qualifications of a dependent child.

Participation in a Health Care or Dependent Care FSA for 2008 requires enrollment. This includes current participants!  If you are enrolled in a Health Care or Dependent Care FSA for 2007 and wish to continue participation in 2008, YOU MUST ACTIVELY RE-ENROLL DURING OPEN ENROLLMENT, even if you do not want your deduction amount to change in 2008.

Effective January 1, 2008, ASIFlex will be the new administrator of the FSA program.  ASIFlex offers next-business-day claims processing, payments by direct deposit into your bank account and a new Health Care FSA debit card.

Medical Plans - 
Hearing aids will be covered at $4,000, with a 10 percent member coinsurance.  The benefit is renewed every four years.

Materials (glasses and contacts) allowance for the routine vision care benefit will increase to $200

Dental Plans –  Please view the Dental Plan Comparison chart on page 46 of the 2008 Pebb Benefits Handbook

Kaiser Permanente offers a Traditional Dental Plan Design. Members pay a percentage coinsurance rather than set co-payment for services that requires payment.
 
Kaiser Permanente also offers a new Part-time and Retiree Traditional Dental Plan design, like the ODS Part-time and Retiree Traditional Plan.
 
Routine dental cleaningis covered once per year. You may qualify for cleanings more frequently if your dentist determines they are indicated and you meet plan-specific criteria.
 
X-rays are covered on an age-based schedule.
 
Replacement crowns and similar attachments are covered every seven years.
 
Dental implants are coveredat a member coinsurance rate of 50 percent in the Kaiser and ODS plans and 75 percent in the Willamette Dental plan.
 
Benefit for crowns increases to 75 percent from 50 percent in the Kaiser and ODS plans.
 
The maximum annual benefit increases from $1,500 to $1,750 per person in the Kaiser and ODS full time plans.
 
The maximum annual benefit increases from $1,000 to $1,250 per person in the Part-time and Retiree Plans.
 
The lifetime orthodontia benefit increases from $1,000 to $1,500 per person in the Kaiser and ODS plans.

Optional Benefits –
Premium rates have decreased for optional life insurance, please see page 56 of the 2008 Pebb Benefits Handbook.

Benefits are enhanced in the short and long term disability plans, with no premium increase, for eligible employees. Please see page 63 of the 2008 Pebb Benefits Handbook.

All employees covered by the employer’s $5,000 basic life insurance have a new travel benefit from Medex  TravelAssist.  If you or a dependent becomes ill while traveling 100 miles or more from home, Medex offers a range of assistance at no cost.  Please see the information enclosed in your packet.

If you would like to make changes to your current benefits please log into PEBB.benefits at http://hr.uoregon.edu/benefits or complete the forms enclosed.  Forms must be received by Human Resources by October 31, 2007.  If you do not wish to change any of your insurance coverage for 2008, no action is required.   

• If, however, you want a healthcare or dependent care flexible spending account for 2008, you must enroll or re-enroll online at pebb.benefits, or submit the enclosed new enrollment forms for 2008.  Enrollment is required each year.  Your first deduction will be taken out of your paycheck on January 31, 2008 and your last deduction on December 31, 2008.  

 Remember, benefit changes are allowed only during Open Enrollment or because of, and consistent with, a qualified status change.  Qualified status changes are described on pages 17 and 18 of the 2008 Benefits Handbook enclosed.

Those of us in the benefits section of Human Resources are available to answer your questions and provide assistance.  Call or email:
Cindi Peterson at 346-2956, cindip@uoregon.edu;
Lynn Petersen at 346-3086, lynnp@uoregon.edu; or
contact me, Ernie Pressman, at 346-2967, pressman@uoregon.edu.

If you want to contact the insurance companies to clarify coverage or want to contact PEBB, use the telephone numbers listed on pages 86 and 87 of the 2008 Benefits Handbook.