| From Human Resources |
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March 25, 2008, Volume 54, No. 26 |
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Open Enrollment, your annual opportunity to make changes to your healthcare elections, is nearly here! Even if you’re satisfied with your current healthcare coverage, it’s important to understand what changes are being made for the upcoming plan year. Plus, don’t miss the opportunity to find out what Penn’s other plans have to offer! Open Enrollment begins on Monday, April 7 and runs through Friday, April 18. You will receive a personalized enrollment packet at your home address in early April.
Open Enrollment 2008-2009
Monday, April 7 – Friday, April 18
Making Enrollment Changes during Open Enrollment
You can make changes to your benefits coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week online at www.upenn.edu/u@penn (click on “Open Enrollment” in the Announcements section on the top-left of the page). Once you provide your PennKey and password, the online system will walk you through the enrollment process step-by-step.
If you don’t have online access, or are having problems enrolling online, please contact the Penn Benefits Center at 1-888-PENN-BEN (1-888-736-6236), Monday–Friday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
What Can I Change during Open Enrollment?
From April 7–18, you can make any changes you’d like to your benefits coverage, such as:
• Enroll in a healthcare plan for the first time, or drop an existing plan
• Switch to a new or different medical or dental plan
• Increase or decrease your life insurance coverage
• Change how much you contribute to a Pre-Tax Expense Account
• Add or drop a dependent from your benefits coverage*
Outside of Open Enrollment, you may only make these changes when you experience a life event change—such as marriage or the birth of a child—and even then, the IRS limits the types of changes you are allowed to make.
*This year, Open Enrollment also serves as an amnesty period to make sure you are only covering eligible dependents. Please see the article on the upcoming dependent eligibility audit (below) or visit the Human Resources website at www.hr.upenn.edu for details.
What if I Do Nothing during Open Enrollment?
• If you don’t make changes to your benefits coverage by April 18, your current coverage will be continued into the new plan year (July 1, 2008– June 30, 2009).
• New rates for your existing medical, dental and vision plans will be reflected in your June paycheck.
• Plan changes will take effect on July 1, 2008 (see “What’s New for 2008-2009” for more details on plan changes).
• If you have dependent children age 19–23 who are full-time college students, their coverage will end as of July 1 unless you actively recertify their student status during Open Enrollment.
Open Enrollment and Health Fair
Tuesday, April 8, from 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Houston Hall (Hall of Flags)
Ask questions about your coverage and gather information at the Open Enrollment and Health Fair, where representatives from Penn’s healthcare providers and administrators will be onsite. Learn about medical plans (Independence Blue Cross, Aetna), prescription drug coverage (Caremark), dental plans (Penn Faculty Practice, MetLife), vision coverage (Davis Vision), pre-tax expense accounts (ADP) and the Penn Benefits Center (ADP).
While there, take advantage of free health screenings and wellness information on several topics, including blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, glaucoma, Body Mass Index, recreation and fitness, women’s health, environmental health and ergonomics, the Employee Assistance Program, occupational and physical therapy, vaccinations, diabetes and heart health, oral and dental care, smoking cessation and more.
Pre-registration will be required for the cholesterol and blood glucose tests. To pre-register, visit Human Resources’ online course catalog at www.hr.upenn.edu (click on “Course Catalog” at the top of the screen, then select “Health Promotions” from the “Browse by Category” menu).
New Bolton Center Open Enrollment Fair
Representatives from Penn’s healthcare providers and administrators will also be available to answer your questions at the New Bolton Center Open Enrollment Fair on Thursday, April 10, from 10 a.m–2 p.m., at Alumni Hall.
What’s New for 2008-2009 |
Preparing for Penn’s dependent eligibility audit |
Later this year, all faculty and staff with covered dependents will be asked to provide documentation verifying the eligibility of their dependents. During this year’s Open Enrollment period, you have the opportunity to drop coverage for any ineligible dependents with no questions asked and no penalties. For more information about the dependent eligibility audit, including full details about eligible dependents and a list of acceptable documents to verify claimed dependents, please visit www.hr.upenn.edu or call the Penn Benefits Center at 1-888-PENN-BEN (1-888-736-6236). |
Therapy and chiropractic coverage enhancement for Keystone/AmeriHealth HMO and UPHS POS medical plans |
As of July 1, 2008, participants in these two plans will see a change in the coverage for physical, speech and occupational therapy as well as chiropractic services. The new coverage will allow for 60 visits per plan year rather than 60 consecutive visits. This will provide more realistic coverage, as many patients haven’t completed their treatment plan within 60 consecutive days. All relevant services must be pre-certified, and there will be a $15 copay per visit. |
Benefits of completing a health risk assessment |
If you’re currently enrolled in a Penn medical plan, you can learn more about your health—and possibly win a year of free medical premiums! Complete an online health risk assessment by April 30, 2008, and you’ll not only receive a personalized report about your health, you’ll also be entered into a drawing to win one full year of free medical premiums. For more information and instructions on how to complete your confidential health risk assessment, please visit www.hr.upenn.edu. |
Behavioral health coverage changes for UPHS POS and PENNCare/Personal Choice PPO medical plans |
Effective July 1, 2008, behavioral health coverage for these two plans will undergo some major changes. The new plan design is intended to bring coverage for behavioral health needs closer to parity with medical health coverage. Highlights of the new plan design include:
• Many changes are intended to provide a higher level of coverage for patients diagnosed with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or anorexia nervosa.
• You can still utilize any provider you choose, and you will still receive a higher level of coverage when using an in-network provider.
• Many out-of-pocket costs have changed—in some cases, you’ll be paying less; in others, you may pay more.
• There are now three provider tiers: 1) with Penn Behavioral Health (PBH) staff, you pay the least out of your pocket; 2) with PBH regional network providers, you pay slightly more out of your pocket; and 3) with out-of-network providers, you pay the most out of your pocket.
More details about the behavioral health coverage changes will be included in the Open Enrollment packet you will receive at your home address in early April. |
Healthcare Rates for 2008-2009
Healthcare costs have been consistently going up for so long that their continued rise this year comes as no surprise. To combat these persistently increasing costs, Penn continues to actively seek out ways to control healthcare expenses for both the University and you.
One such initiative is the upcoming dependent eligibility audit, recommended by our external auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers. These types of audits, which ensure that all dependents receiving benefits coverage are eligible for that coverage, can create significant savings for large institutions. This helps keep health insurance affordable and accessible to those who should be receiving it.
You can also do your part to help control future healthcare rates by participating in programs such as health risk assessments, the Penn Walking Program, and more. These programs can aid you in creating a healthier lifestyle, which in turn means fewer trips to the doctor, pharmacist or hospital—and lower costs for everyone.
The new premium rates shown below will take effect with your first June paycheck (rates shown are for full-time faculty and staff). Keep in mind that both the University and you pre-pay healthcare premiums a month in advance, so your June deductions pay for your July healthcare coverage.
How Do I Find Out More about Open Enrollment?
• Attend an Open Enrollment Fair.
• Look for your personalized Open Enrollment packet at your home address in early April.
• Visit the Human Resources website at www.hr.upenn.edu.
• Call the Penn Benefits Center at 1-888-PENNBEN (1-888-736-6236), Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.
Preparing for Penn’s Dependent Eligibility Audit
As part of Penn’s continuing efforts to control rising healthcare costs—as well as to ensure good governance and compliance with legal standards—Penn will conduct a dependent eligibility audit beginning on May 1, 2008. If you will be covering dependents under Penn’s health plans for the coming plan year (July 1, 2008–June 30, 2009), then this audit affects you. You’ll need to provide documentation verifying your dependent(s)’ eligibility for coverage under Penn’s plan rules. If you can’t provide that documentation when Penn requests it, any unverified dependents will be dropped from your coverage. There may also be additional consequences.
Open Enrollment (April 7–18, 2008) has been designated as an amnesty period, during which faculty and staff may remove ineligible dependents from their coverage with no penalties, and no questions asked. If you are unsure about the eligibility status of a dependent, now is the time to verify their eligibility and decide whether to cover them for the upcoming plan year.
For more information about the dependent eligibility audit, including details about eligible dependents and a list of acceptable documents to verify dependent eligibility, please visit www.hr.upenn.edu or call the Penn Benefits Center at 1-888-PENNBEN (1-888-736-6236).
Health Risk Assessments and the Free Medical Premiums Drawing
With Open Enrollment approaching, healthcare premiums are on everyone’s mind. But did you know that Penn faculty and staff who receive their medical coverage through the University are currently eligible for a free online health risk assessment? Even better, filling out your health risk assessment will automatically enter you into a drawing to win a year of free medical premiums! That’s a full plan year when Penn will pay your medical premiums for you (out-of-pocket expenses such as copays and deductibles are not included).
Health risk assessments are confidential online surveys that ask you basic questions about your health habits and family history, and in return provide you with a detailed picture of your current health. You can use this information to make positive changes that head off future health risks, and even share it with a physician to ensure that he or she has a solid understanding of your health status.
Complete your health risk assessment before April 30 to automatically enter the free medical premiums drawing. Three entrants will be selected at random to receive free medical premiums; winners will be announced in May.
For more details about health risk assessments and the free medical coverage drawing, including instructions on how to fill out your health risk assessment, please visit www.hr.upenn.edu or contact Human Resources at suzsmith@exchange.upenn.edu or (215) 898-5116.
|
WEEKLY PAID (per pay period) |
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MONTHLY PAID (per pay period) |
|
Employee |
Employee + 1 |
Employee + 2 or more |
|
Employee |
Employee + 1 |
Employee + 2 or more |
Medical |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PENNCare/Personal Choice |
$34.62 |
$79.56 |
$100.33 |
|
$150.00 |
$344.75 |
$434.75 |
UPHS POS |
$17.60 |
$40.50 |
$51.06 |
|
$76.25 |
$175.50 |
$221.25 |
Aetna HMO |
$9.81 |
$22.50 |
$28.38 |
|
$42.50 |
$97.50 |
$123.00 |
Keystone/AmeriHealth HMO |
$10.21 |
$23.48 |
$29.60 |
|
$44.25 |
$101.75 |
$128.25 |
Dental |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Penn Faculty Practice Plan |
$7.21 |
$14.42 |
$21.63 |
|
$31.25 |
$62.50 |
$93.75 |
MetLife Dental |
$5.54 |
$11.08 |
$16.62 |
|
$24.00 |
$48.00 |
$72.00 |
Vision |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Davis Vision |
$0.92 |
$1.72 |
$2.51 |
|
$3.99 |
$7.46 |
$10.89 |
Campus Locations for Online Enrollment
If you don’t have internet access at home or at work, don’t worry—you can log on to manage your benefits at one of these convenient locations:
Human Resources
3401 Walnut Street, 5th Floor
Monday–Friday: 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Goldstein Undergraduate Study Center
3420 Walnut Street
Ground level of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library
Monday–Thursday: 24 hours daily
Friday: 8:30 a.m.–midnight
Saturday: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Sunday: open 10 a.m.
Unique Advantage
3624 Market Street, Suite 1SD
Monday–Friday: 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
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