Annual Open Enrollment
November 7 - 18
Once a year, full-time employees have the opportunity to make changes in medical, dental, and Personal Accident Insurance coverages and to enroll in Tax Saver Benefit (TSB) pre-tax reimbursement accounts.
If an employee does not make enrollment changes during Open Enrollment, participation in medical, dental, and Personal Accident Insurance will remain the same but at the 2012 contribution rates. If an employee does not enroll in the TSB reimbursement account, he/she will not be a participant in 2012.
The Open Enrollment period takes place during November of each year, with enrollment changes becoming effective on January 1. This is an opportunity to:
- Enroll in or drop medical and/or dental coverage.
- Add or drop dependents.
- Add, drop, or change Personal Accident Insurance.
- Allocate contributions for pre-tax reimbursement of health and/or dependent care expenses (TSB).
- Change contributions to the HDHP Health Savings Account.
An Open Enrollment packet with additional enrollment instructions will be sent to employees in the next week through campus mail. Employees are to use Benefits Self Service in OneStart to initiate or change enrollments. The deadline is November 18, 2011.
Eligibility rules for enrolling dependents in IU-sponsored medical and dental plans are available at hr.iu.edu/benefits/needknow.html.
Medco Replaces Express Scripts as Prescription Benefit Manager for 2012
Medco, Inc. will replace Express Scripts as the prescription benefit manager for all IU employee medical plans effective January 1, 2012, consistent with state legislation.
Since Medco has a broad network of retail prescription pharmacies, most members will be able to continue using the same retail pharmacies; however, mail order prescriptions will change to Medco's facility. The new pharmacy network includes most retail chain pharmacies, such as CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Target, and most supermarket pharmacy chains. Some independent pharmacies are included also.
Medco has a separate arrangement for specialty medications through Accredo. (Specialty medications are drugs that are used to treat complex conditions, such as cancer, growth hormone deficiency, hemophilia, hepatitis C, immune deficiency, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.)
- Most refills, both retail and mail, will be available without a new prescription.
- Many drugs will have the same copays, however some may be lower or higher depending on differences with Medco's preferred drug list.
- Members will need to get new prescriptions from a physician for controlled substances, specialty medications, and IU Health pharmacy mail order.
- Covered employees will receive a new ID card, separate from the medical ID card, prior to January 1.
- There may be some disruption in scripts that have been reviewed and authorized by Express Scripts and IU Health Pharmacies that Medco will need to re-authorize.
More information will be provided during Open Enrollment to help medical plan members obtain refills and place new prescription orders.
| Members are advised to refill existing prescriptions as necessary by December 31 to cover the first two weeks of January 2012. |
Employees can locate copays and drug costs and find network pharmacies by visiting the Medco Web site for Indiana University at www.medco.com/iu.
HDHP PPO & HSA Features and Enhancements
Three years ago, the University introduced a new medical plan called the High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) PPO and Health Savings Account. This plan includes a unique account with significant preferential treatment of taxes. Hundreds of IU employees and their families are now taking advantage of this plan and its unique features.
IU Contributions and Preventive Services with No Copay
Employees should consider this plan. Enhancements for 2012:
- IU's contribution to the Health Savings Account (HSA) will increase to be equal to the deductible—$1,200 for employee-only coverage and $2,400 for family.
Flexibility of Health Savings Account
The employee and IU both contribute to the HSA. IU's contribution is made to the employee's account in early January, so the funds can be used immediately if needed.
- HSA contributions can be used to pay the deductible, as well as other healthcare expenses.
- Employees can change HSA contributions at any time—even after Open Enrollment.
- When the account balance reaches $1,000, it can be invested it in a variety of mutual funds.
- The account balance carries over to future years, even into retirement.
- The account balance can be used by the spouse in the event of the employee's death.
Triple Tax Savings
The HSA offers these tax savings:
- The employee's and IU's contributions go into the HSA before taxes. This reduces the employee's taxable income.
- Money withdrawn is not subject to taxes as long as it is used to pay for eligible healthcare expenses.
- Interest earned on the HSA is tax-free.
About the Plan
The IU HDHP PPO and HSA:
- Uses Anthem/BCBS networks and covers the same services (office visits, hospitalization, emergency room) as other IU plans.
- Comes with a Health Savings Account where the employee and IU set aside dollars to pay healthcare expenses in 2012, or someday in the future. This account is the employee's to decide how and when to use it.
- Is convenient because it comes with a debit card to pay for healthcare services with funds from the HSA.
The HDHP PPO & HSA has a higher deductible than other plans. This is required by the IRS to obtain the preferential tax treatment of the HSA.
Tobacco Use and Health
What's in a Cigarette?
There are approximately 600 ingredients in cigarettes. When burned, they create more than 4,000 chemicals. At least 50 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, and many are poisonous.
Many of these chemicals are also found in consumer products, but these products have warning labels. While the public is warned about the danger of the poisons in these products, there is no such warning for the toxins in tobacco smoke.
Here are a few of the chemicals in tobacco smoke, and other places they are found:
- Acetone – found in nail polish remover
- Acetic Acid – an ingredient in hair dye
- Ammonia – a common household cleaner
- Arsenic – used in rat poison
- Benzene – found in rubber cement
- Butane – used in lighter fluid
- Cadmium – active component in battery acid
- Carbon Monoxide – released in car exhaust fumes
- Formaldehyde – embalming fluid
- Hexamine – found in barbecue lighter fluid
- Lead – used in batteries
- Napthalene – an ingredient in moth balls
- Methanol – a main component in rocket fuel
- Nicotine – used as insecticide
- Tar – material for paving roads
- Toluene - used to manufacture paint
Source: American Lung Association
