It's time to report your SEBB optional benefits offerings to HCA

Washington State Health Care Authority sent this bulletin at 11/20/2019 01:06 PM PST

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It's time to report your SEBB optional benefits offerings to HCA

As you may know, the legislation that established the School Employees Benefits (SEBB) program requires districts to provide an annual report to the Health Care Authority (HCA) on the types of optional benefits that are offered by your district to your employees. As required by law RCW 28A.400.280(2), the deadline for reporting is December 1. However, because of the heavy workload related to the initial open enrollment this year, HCA will consider reports that are received by December 20, 2019 as timely.

What optional benefits am I required to report?

We are asking you to report only those optional benefits that are available to your employees as of January 1, 2020. You do not need to submit information on any benefits that you will no longer offer to your employees once SEBB coverage begins. For a refresher on optional benefits, Please see our FAQs for school administrators (and select "Optional benefits" from the FAQ topic list).

How do I report my district's optional benefits?

To simplify the process, please use this survey to report your optional benefits to HCA. It covers the following information:

Type of benefit

If the benefit type is not listed, including any product related to health or wellness or other insured products, please include that information under “Other.”
Options listed are not meant to imply that districts have the authority to offer those optional benefits.

Carrier/insurer/vendor

If the carrier/insurer/vendor is not listed, please include that information under “Other."

Contract period

If the contract period runs longer than a year, please choose the closest annual period from the list, and include when the contract ends under “Other.”

Premium payment method

If there is a premium payment method that is not listed, please provide an explanation under “Other.”

Number of employees enrolled in the benefit

If the exact number is unknown, please provide a best estimate of the number of enrolled employees.

Whether the benefit is the same for all bargaining units

In other words, indicate whether the same employer/employee premiums, different level of benefit, etc., applies to all bargaining units, and provide a brief explanation if it is not the same for all bargaining units.

Links to the following (in order of priority):

If available, please include links to the insurance policy, vendor marketing materials, and employer/employee premium rate information. If links aren't available, you can email the information in PDF format separately to Cade Walker.

Note: HCA is not collecting information on professional liability because of the requirement of RCW 28A.400.370 regarding mandatory insurance protection for employees.

Deadline to submit survey

Please complete this survey and email any necessary supporting PDF documents by December 20, 2019.

Next steps

HCA/SEBB will review your district’s optional benefits and provide a written response noting whether any of the optional benefits conflict with SEBB benefit authority. Please email Cade Walker if you have any questions or concerns about completing this reporting process.

About the Health Care Authority (HCA)

The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) is committed to whole-person care, integrating physical health and behavioral health services for better results and healthier residents.

HCA purchases health care for more than two million Washington residents through Apple Health (Medicaid), the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) Program, and, beginning in 2020, the School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB) Program. As the largest health care purchaser in the state, we lead the effort to transform health care, helping ensure Washington residents have access to better health and better care at a lower cost.

Please do not reply directly to this message. For more information, visit the HCA website, where you'll also find contact information.

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Nondiscrimination

The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) complies with all applicable federal and Washington state civil rights laws and is committed to providing equal access to our services. Visit HCA’s website to view complete nondiscrimination statements.