September 29, 2016

2017 Insurance Rates
open enrollment

Dear Employee:

 

Open Enrollment for 2017 begins October 3 and ends October 28, 2016. Open Enrollment is the time of year all employees have the opportunity to make health plan changes without a qualifying event. For 2017, there will be some significant changes to the High Deductible Health Plans for all three carriers.  We are adding a brand new Voluntary Dependent Spouse and Child Life Insurance benefit, which will open up an opportunity to enroll in Voluntary Life at 1 times your annual salary with no medical underwriting if you have not been declined in the past.  Finally, as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), we must implement annual recertification of those employees who receive any cash payment when waiving County medical coverage.

 

We encourage you to read the enclosed information, and the information sent you by the county in a separate mailing, thoroughly to provide enough time for you to ask questions and select the coverage you prefer for 2017.

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR 2017

 

 

• As a result of California law, we will have two significant changes the High Deductible (HD) Health Plans for all three carriers.

o  First, the annual deductibles will be lowered for both Single and Family HD coverage starting January 2017. Single deductibles will decrease from $1,500 annually to $1,300 annually, and Family deductibles will decrease from $3,000 annually to $2,600 annually.

o  Second, there will now be co-pays on Prescription drugs for Single covered participants only (not on family coverage) who have reached the $1,300 deductible, and the Rx copays will apply until $2,600 in combined deductible and copay costs have been met.

 

A specific email address has been established just for your High Deductible plan questions. Please email: MyHDPlan@saccounty.net (Note: this email address will only be active during this year’s Open Enrollment).

 

• Medical carriers are unchanged for 2017. Kaiser, Sutter Health Plus and Western Health Advantage will be available in both Traditional $15 HMO co-pay plans and High Deductible HMO plans. High Deductible and Waiver participants may still elect Optional Vision coverage under VSP.

 

• New this year is a Voluntary Dependent Life Insurance coverage option offered by Prudential. This coverage would pay you tax free money in the event of the loss of a dependent. You may purchase coverage for your Spouse/Domestic Partner in increments up to 100% of your Optional Life coverage rounded down to the nearest $10,000, with a maximum of $250,000. The Voluntary Child Life Insurance coverage amount is a flat $15,000. There are no medical underwriting questions for this year’s enrollment opportunity. You must have Employee Optional Life to be able to purchase either of the Voluntary Dependent Life coverages, and Prudential is allowing employees without current Employee Optional Life an opportunity to enroll in 1 times your annual salary without medical underwriting to allow for the purchase of the Voluntary Dependent Life coverage(s) if you have not been declined in the past. Review the My Benefits Summary for cost and more information.

 

• If you are not making any changes to your plans or your coverage levels, you do not need to take any action during Open Enrollment.  All other coverage continues into 2017 if you do not make any elections.

 

• Due to IRS regulations as a result of the Affordable Care Act, we must begin annual recertification if you are currently receiving any Cashback while waiving County provided medical coverage. This recertification does not require you to show proof of other group sponsored coverage which would still apply during a Qualified Life Event or at Open Enrollment. However, you will have to attest to having other group sponsored coverage for yourself, as well as your tax dependents. This annual certification will be required every Open Enrollment, and applies to those waiving County medical coverage and receiving Cashback. Failure to submit an affidavit may lead to a loss of Cashback. The affidavit can be found at http://www.personnel.saccounty.net/Benefits (Starting October 3, 2016 online or in the Human Resources Office) and the affidavit must be returned to the Human Resources Office.

 

Note: An individual plan or one purchased on the Exchange is not considered group coverage for purposes of waiving the County sponsored medical benefit and receiving a cash payment.

 

THINGS TO KNOW

 

• The deadline to make Open Enrollment changes is October 28 at 5:00 pm and all supporting documentation must be in The Human Resources office by October 28, at 5:00 PM.

 

• The 2017 Special Districts Summary is a valuable resource and can answer many of your benefits questions ahead of time. The 2017 Special District Summary can also be found online at http://www.personnel.saccounty.net/Benefits/Pages/Documents.aspx

 

• If you are adding a dependent to your coverage, the enrollment is not complete until you submit the required dependent documentation (birth certificate, marriage certificate. etc.).  Your dependent documentation must be submitted by October 28 at 5:00pm. Failure to submit the required documentation by the deadline will result in your dependent not being enrolled, and your enrollment request may be denied.

 

• If you are currently enrolled in a County medical plan and are waiving your medical coverage for 2017, you must submit proof of your other group coverage by October 28th at 5:00 pm. An affidavit will not be acceptable. Other group coverage generally means coverage from another employer group or retiree plan. Purchasing coverage through an individual plan or on the Exchange is not considered group coverage for purposes of waiving the County sponsored medical benefit.

 

HOW TO GET HELP

 

 

There are several resources available to assist you during Open Enrollment:

 

ü  Employee Benefits Office website—http://www.personnel.saccounty.net/Benefits. Review the FAQ’s and plan information on the Open Enrollment page

 

ü  Carrier Resources—Contact the carrier directly to get your questions answered; phone numbers and websites are in the back of the Special District Summary book.

 

ü  Contact Human Resources for with any questions you may have:

 

o   Deanna Dykes, Payroll Operations Supervisor, 916-263-3906, deanna.dykes@seta.net

o   Allison Noren, Human Resources Manager, 916-263-3658, allison.noren@seta.net

o   John Allen, Human Resources Chief, 916-263-3841 @ john.allen@seta.net

 

ü  Feel free to visit the Human Resources office at any time or come to one of the following Benefits Open Enrollment Office Hours:

 

o   October 7: 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM in the Olympus Room at 925 Del Paso Blvd.

o   October 14: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM in the Hillsdale Career Center, 5655 Hillsdale Blvd Suite 8, Sacramento, CA 95842

o   October 21: 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM in the Galt Career Center, 1000 C Street Suite 100, Galt, CA 95632

o   October 28: 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM in the Franklin Career Center, 7000 Franklin Blvd Suite 540, Sacramento CA 95823

 

Respectfully,

 

John Allen

Human Resources Chief

T: 916-263-3841

F: 588-9176

 

DISCLAIMER

Information contained in this mailing is confirmed as of the date of print. We strive to provide you accurate information as timely as possible. Benefits are subject to the schedule of covered services and exclusions as prescribed in the applicable Evidence of Coverage (EOC) from the applicable carriers.