News
You Can Use!News
You Can Use!
Important Information for Employees of
Oklahoma State UniversitySeptember 2004
Dates and Rates Announced for State Insurance Health, Dental, Vision Enrollment
New Out-of-State Plan: HealthChoice USA
Vision Plan--Requires New Election Each Year
Premium Conversion for Employees Who Decline Health Care Coverage
Attention New Hires: Retirement Elections Due
Let Your Fingers Do the Walking!
2005 Option Enrollment Information on the Web
Dates and Rates Announced for State Insurance Health, Dental, Vision Enrollment
The State Insurance Board option enrollment period for health, dental, and vision coverage begins Tuesday, September 14, and ends Friday, October 29, 2004. Changes will become effective January 1, 2005.
Watch for two separate mailings from the State Insurance Board, which will be
mailed to your home address in mid-September. You should receive: (1) the 2005
Option Period Guide; and (2) a personalized 2005 Option Enrollment Form. The
Option Enrollment Form lists your current benefits—you may use it to make your
new elections.
OSU provides an amount equal to the cost of HealthChoice High ($313.86) for
eligible employees. Employees are able to select any plan of their choice. If
you choose a plan that costs more than HealthChoice High, you will pay the
difference. If you choose a plan that costs less, you will receive the
differential in pay automatically. It will be listed on your payroll advice as
PREM CONV.
Several premium categories have changed from last year so be sure to review the
2005 Option Period Guide carefully. You can find the amount that you are
currently paying on your Payroll Advice.
Enrollment forms must be received in OSU Human Resources, 106 Whitehurst, no
later than 5:00 pm, Friday, October 29, 2004. Branch campuses may establish
earlier deadlines to ensure timely arrival in Stillwater.
Two separate benefit enrollment periods occur each year. In addition to the
Option Enrollment Period for State Insurance coverage (health care, dental, and
vision) described earlier, annual enrollment in Flexible Benefits, Life Plan,
and other benefit programs, occur later in the year. Watch campus mail for the
October issue of News You Can Use and information about enrollment opportunities
for these benefit programs. A cancer and/or critical illness insurance policy
may also be offered.
New Out-of-State Plan: HealthChoice USA
Good news! Employees who live and work outside the states of Oklahoma and
Arkansas for three months or longer will be eligible for a national network
plan, HealthChoice USA. Retirees who live outside Oklahoma and Arkansas are also
eligible to participate.
HealthChoice will mail literature to the home address of employees and retirees
with an out-of-state address giving them the option to enroll. Provider listings
for the national network are available through the 1-800 number listed in the
HealthChoice USA materials.
If you have an Oklahoma address, but live and work out-of-state and are
interested in this new option, contact Employee Services, 106 Whitehurst, (405)
744-5449, for assistance. This is a new plan and very little information is
available at this time.
Vision Plan—Requires New Election Each Year
As a reminder, employees must make a new vision plan election each year. This
rule, enacted last year by the Legislature, requires re-enrollment each year for
vision coverage.
If you are currently enrolled in the vision plan and wish to continue coverage,
you must complete the State Insurance Board election form, even if no change is
desired. If you do not re-enroll, your coverage will terminate.
There will be five plans to choose from this year. We have been informed that
Vision Service Plan (VSP) is the only plan with providers in Stillwater.
HealthChoice offers a link to the providers of all plans at
www.healthchoiceok.com.
• PacificCare will no longer be available in 2005. Employees who are currently
participating in PacifiCare will need to choose a different plan during Option
Enrollment.
• CommunityCare (HMO serving the Stillwater area) will be available in the Tulsa
and Oklahoma City areas again.
• Both CommunityCare High and CommunityCare Low have premium increases. A new
option, CommunityCare Alternative, has been added.
• GlobalHealth is a new HMO this year and serves the Oklahoma City area.
Comparison charts are available on the web at
www.okstate.edu/osu_per/empinform.htm.
There will be six dental plans to choose from this year. You may want to check
the provider listing to determine if your dentist is in a plan before enrolling.
Websites for provider listings will be in the Option Period Guide. Alternately,
you could inquire about the plans at your dentist’s office.
HealthChoice Dental continues to be available. A change in January 2004
eliminated the previous late entrant provision which limited coverage to $250
during the first year of coverage for members who enrolled after the first 31
days of eligibility (late enrollees). Instead, HealthChoice imposed an
orthodontia coverage restriction. There is no orthodontia coverage for the first
12 months of coverage if you did not enroll when first eligible unless you can
provide evidence that you were covered by another group dental plan.
HealthChoice providers are listed at
www.healthchoiceok.com.
Premium Conversion for Employees Who Decline Health Care Coverage
Employees who have other health care group coverage may qualify for a premium
conversion option in which one-half of the premium normally paid by OSU is
converted into pay for the employee. In 2004, this option was available if the
employee declined insurance coverage because the employee had coverage through a
prior employer, through a spouse’s employer, or because of religious
convictions.
Effective January 1, 2005, the list of qualified plans has been expaned to
follow the guidelines established by the State Insurance Board. The list now
includes:
• Group coverage through prior employer
• Group coverage through spouse’s employer
• Military coverage
• Indian Health
• Medicare or Medicaid (Sooner Care)
• Social Security Assistance
• Veteran’s Administration
• Wheat Farmers Association
OSU Graduate Student Insurance and Socialized Medicine from another country do
not qualify as other group insurance by the State Insurance Board.
If you decline health care coverage and qualify for a premium conversion during
2005, you may complete a Request for Premium Conversion form during the 2005
Option Period. The premium conversion for this situation is not automatic--this
form is required to document your qualification for the premium conversion. The
form is on the web at www.okstate.edu/osu_per/benefits/benefits.html. You may
e-mail Employee Services at osu-es@okstate.edu, or call (405) 744-5449 for
assistance.
State Plan Representatives will conduct presentations on the Stillwater campus
to explain the 2005 insurance changes and answer questions as follows—you do not
need an appointment to attend. E-mail Employee Services at es@okstate.edu if you
have questions, or call (405) 744-5449.
The Human Resources staff at each branch campus will announce enrollment sessions for the branch campuses.
The overall premium increase for HealthChoice medical coverage is approximately
9.6%. Each premium category may be more or less than 9.6% since premiums are
based on the loss experience of each group. This may not seem like good news,
but compared with the trend, we are better off than most. Several neighboring
states are increasing rates by nearly 12% and the national trend is 12% to 15%
increase. The State Insurance Plan Board has subsidized HealthChoice with $10
million dollars to keep the rates as low as possible.
To view charts for the premium changes by premium category, go to
www.okstate.edu/osu_per/empinform.htm.
Attention New Hires: Retirement Elections Due
As a reminder, employees hired on or after July 1, 2004, have 90 days from their
hire date to make an irrevocable lifetime election concerning whether to
participate in the Alternate Retirement Plan (TIAA-CREF), or the Oklahoma
Teachers’ Retirement System (OTRS).
If you were hired on or after July 1, 2004, and have not yet made this important
decision, please make sure that your form (the yellow form received during your
benefits enrollment meeting) arrives at 106 Whitehurst, Employee Services, prior
to the end of your first 90 days. If you fail to make your election timely, OSU
is required to enroll you in OTRS. This decision, whether made by choice or
default, is an irrevocable decision.
Monitor your payroll advice and contact Employee Services, (405) 744-5449,
immediately if you turned in an election and the appropriate contributions are
not reflected on your next payroll advice.
Let Your Fingers Do the Walking!
Premium comparison charts, links to insurance providers, and other important
2005 Option Enrollment information will be added to the Human Resources website
at www.okstate.edu/osu_per/empinform.htm as it becomes available. Check often
during Option Enrollment.
If you do not have access to the internet, you may use a computer in 106
Whitehurst, located on the west side of the Staffing Services window. Assistance
is available if needed.
You may call (405) 744-5449 to request information to be sent to you in campus
mail.
2005 Option Enrollment Information on the Web
www.okstate.edu/osu_per/empinform.htm
• Important 2005 Option Enrollment information
• Premium comparison charts
• Links to insurance providers
Wed Sep 15 Financial
Reporting System (FRS) & Purchasing Fixed Assets
Thu Sep 16 Branch Campus Visit –Center for Health Sciences (Exclusive to ALP)
Tu Sep 21 Fish! Sticks
Wed Sep 22 Disbursements
Fri Sep 24 HRS
Tue Sep 28 Giving & Receiving Feedback
Wed Sep 29 Purchasing Policies & Procedures
Tue Oct 5 EA Forms & Payroll Sign-Up
Wed Oct 6 Purchasing Card Training
Thu Oct 7 New Employee Orientation
Tue Oct 12 The University Culture
Wed Oct 13 Planning, Organizing & Delegating
Thu Oct 14 EA Forms & Payroll Sign-Up
For more information, or to register, refer to your 2004 Faculty and Staff Development Opportunities brochure, or go to www.okstate.edu/osu_per/hr/staff_dvpt04.htm, or call Training Services, (405) 744-5374.
OSU Human Resources developed this information for the convenience of OSU employees. It is a brief interpretation of more detailed and complex materials. If further clarification is needed, the actual law, policy and contract should be consulted as the authoritative source. OSU continually monitors benefits, policy and procedures and reserves the right to change, modify, amend, or terminate benefit programs at any time.