From State Personnel Director Dan Hackler:
The open enrollment period for 2013 benefits is just around the
corner. We want to help you make the
best choices for your health needs and those of your family. We also want to
tell you about an exciting new tool that will help you make better consumer
decisions.
Even though the cost of healthcare continues to rise all across
the country, I am pleased to report to
you that the participation of our members in the Consumer Driven Health Plans (CDHP)
has had a positive impact on our experience. We expect our healthcare costs to increase $28.5 million for 2013. This is $5 million less than last year which
can be attributed to the smarter choices our members are making. The state will contribute $14.5M, more than
50%, to help offset this increase.
Some of the expected increase can be attributed to the Affordable
Care Act (ACA), which adds more than $1M of costs to our plan for 2013. Health service providers and employers have
been preparing for the impact of the ACA, and our plans have already absorbed more
than $2M annually implementing the new requirements. Even with these increases, by being better
consumers and making healthier choices, our savings are evident and can only
improve. How can we improve, you ask?
The Benefits Team spent the past year working with our partners
to develop better tools for transparency which will allow our members to shop
wisely for health services. Making good
consumer choices means better health outcomes and lower costs. Whether it be a
surgical procedure such as a knee replacement, outpatient MRI or a lab
test, our new toolset will enable you to find the best price and the quality
rating for a provider and facility…all this while simultaneously showing you
up-to-date deductible spending incurred during your benefit plan year. We will profile this exciting new tool for
you during open enrollment. Look for the
launch of our brand new tool in the first quarter of 2013.
In addition to shopping for health care, we want to encourage
you to continue to actively have a plan for your overall health. Our lifestyle choices have the greatest
correlation to our well-being. When we
shop for healthy foods and seek out ways to increase our physical activity, we
reduce our risks for a number of diseases including diabetes and heart
disease. Anthem’s website offers a
variety of services including a wellness tool kit, tips for improving your
health and discounts on fitness centers and treatments. Register as a member on www.Anthem.com to access these resources and don’t
forget to check out the Employee Assistance Program’s website at www.AnthemEAP.com
On a final note, I would like to remind everyone that hasn’t
already, to consider moving to one of the CDHPs. After closely reviewing the
cost chart on page 2, you can begin to see why 94% of our employees have
already chosen a CDHP option. In
addition to the lower cost, CDHP participants are reaping the benefits of health
savings accounts (HSA). Since 2006, when
the state initiated CDHPs, the state has deposited $170 million into employee
accounts. As of August, 2012, state employees had a healthy balance of $55
million in their HSAs. Explore this opportunity during the 2013 open enrollment
to maximize the state’s contribution to your healthcare savings.
Open enrollment begins October 29 and ends at noon
(EST), November 19, 2012.
Take the time to read the open enrollment
communications, study the options, discuss the decisions with your spouse if
you carry family coverage and take advantage of the resources available to you.
The decisions you make during open enrollment will impact you and your family
for the next year.
The highlights of the 2013 benefits
include:
- Three
healthcare plans (two CDHPs and one Traditional PPO)
- Non-tobacco
use incentive increases from $25 per pay period to $35 per pay period
- Preventive
care still covered at 100%
- Dental
and vision plans and rates will remain the same
- The
Medical Flexible Spending Account contribution limit will be reduced to
$2,500 as required by the Affordable Care Act
- For
CDHP participants with an HSA, the state will continue to contribute 45%
of the CDHP deductible into the HSAs. Once again, the state will front load the
accounts by depositing one-half of its contribution into each open HSA on
the first pay of 2013. The remaining contributions by the state will be
divided into equal payments and spread out over the first 26 pay periods
of the year.
Total contributions by the state will be:
- HSA1 -- $1,123.20 (single); $2,249.52 (family)
- HSA2 -- $673.92 (single); $1,347.84 (family)
Maximum personal costs calculations*
* Examples assume employee is
participating in the non-tobacco use incentive, using in-network providers and
has an open HSA account. These
comparisons represent the worst case scenario, which would include the premium
costs, deductible and maximum out-of-pocket expenses for 2013.
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