The University of Idaho Argonaut

With open enrollment coming up fast, University of Idaho employees may have some re-thinking to do.
A letter was released by Vice President of Finance and Administration Lloyd Mues in September describing several changes employees should be aware of.
Changes include primarily plan H, the high deductible coverage plan. Individuals meeting the deductible for a family plan will now pay $2,300 before co-pay kicks in, $800 more than the previous year. A regular family plan will also need to meet this number.

UI Benefits Service Specialist Margaret Eldrich said the change was made not only to comply with Internal Revenue Service requirements, but to make the process easier for plan H users to understand. It does not matter if an individual or a family is working to meet the deductible on the plan, the cost is the same.
Mark McGuire, chair of the Benefits Advisory Committee, said of the people he has contacted, most understand why the change had to be made.

“It was not a choice of the committee, it was a choice by law,” he said. “Really plan H changed some, but it’s a pretty small amount.”
McGuire said he is unaware how many employees were affected by the change, but about 68 percent of UI employees are covered by plan H.
Individuals seeking coverage on plan H had to meet a deductible of $1,500 this year. In 2009, their deductible will decrease to $1,150, the minimum requirement by the IRS.

Plan H is the only plan to include an attached savings account used to accumulate money needed to meet the high deductible, should the need arise. Individuals covered by the plan will continue to receive $.75 for every dollar they contribute to the fund, with a $500 cap. Families covered by plan H will receive $.75 on the dollar with a $1,000 cap.
The plan H savings account will also be housed under a different bank, First HSA Bank, based in Pennsylvania. Eldrich said this change would affect certain administrative aspects including a new check card to replace their debit card.

“With any change you get some features and lose some features,” Eldrich said. “This will be interesting.”
Eldrich said she will be traveling around the state to educate employees from all extensions on these changes in a series of workshops. She said she expects the workshop to run smoothly, as employees are already experienced with the cafeteria plan.
“The learning curve isn’t as steep,” Eldrich said.

Eight workshops will be held on campus from Nov. 6 – Nov. 25. The exact locations of these workshops have not yet been determined.
Along with the workshops, UI offers several health fairs to bring medical professionals and employees together. Eldrich said the fair is designed to give employees a look at where they fall on certain health aspects at no charge. The first health fair will be held in Moscow tomorrow before moving across the state.

Employees will begin receiving their enrollment kits Nov. 3. Open enrollment starts Nov. 10 and ends Nov. 28. Those who do not wish to change their plan do not have to re-register. However, the health savings account information and flex spending account, an attached account for plans A and B, must be renewed. All choices become effective Jan. 1.