The information included in
this email does not apply to conservation officers, excise officers, Indiana
State Police plan participants, part-time employees or contract
employees.
The open enrollment period for 2014 benefits is just a few weeks
away. We are pleased to report that the
participation of our members in the Consumer Driven Health Plans (CDHP) and the
introduction of various Invest in Your Health sponsored programs has had a
positive impact on our experience. While healthcare costs across the country
continue to rise, the state’s projected health plan costs are 40 percent lower than in
the previous year and below the national average.
Our healthcare costs are expected to increase $17 million in
2014, $11 million less than last year. A large portion of this
increase can be attributed to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which adds more
than $4 million of costs and fees to our plan in 2014. Health service providers
and employers have been preparing for the impact of the ACA, and our plans have
already absorbed more than $2 million in meeting the new requirements. The
state will once again contribute 50 percent of the increase in plan costs, or $8.5
million. Even with these increases, by being better consumers and making
healthier choices, our savings are evident and can only improve.
Last year at open enrollment, we previewed Castlight, our new
cost and quality transparency tool to allow our member to be better consumers. Making
good consumer choices means better health outcomes and lower costs for you. Since the implementation of Castlight on June
3, nearly 20 percent of households have registered.
Castlight has allowed our
employees to find the best price and the quality rating for that provider and
facility…all this while simultaneously providing up-to-date deductible spending
incurred during your benefit plan year.
If you haven’t signed up for Castlight now, visit www.mycastlight.com/soi to start shopping for the best
options in health care.
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In addition to shopping for health care, we want to encourage
you to continue to be an advocate of your 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. This Spring, the State
implemented Healthy Lifestyles, an online health tracking tool, to help
employees identify and manage health concerns.
Visit www.myhealthylifestyles.com to sign up. Another resource is Anthem’s
website, which 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 .
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We know that keeping track of so many different programs can be
a challenge. To make it easier, we have created InvestinYourHealthIndiana.com to be your one-stop-shop destination for health and wellness
questions. This site is updated year-round with blog posts, articles and
information to assist you in your healthcare journey. Links to each Invest in
Your Health program are also included in an easy to find format. Our benefits/wellness team continues to
research tools and programs to help improve the health and wellbeing of all
employees. Stay tuned for additional information in
2014.
On a final note, we would like to remind everyone that hasn’t
already, to consider moving to one of the CDHPs. CDHP participant medical
claims, including those incurred by the member, are 67 percent lower than the claims
for Traditional PPO participants on a per member, per month basis. 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 $222 million into employee accounts. As of August 2013, state
employees had a healthy balance of $61 million in their HSAs. Explore this
opportunity during the 2014 open enrollment to maximize the state’s
contribution to your healthcare savings.
Open enrollment begins Wednesday, October 30 and ends
at noon (EST), Wednesday, November 20, 2013.
Carefully read the open enrollment
communication, 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 impact you and your family for the
next year.
The highlights of the 2014 benefits
include:
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- Three
healthcare plans (two CDHPs and one Traditional PPO) - View All Plan Rates
- Non-tobacco
use incentive is $35 per pay period.
- Dental
and vision plans and rates remain the same.
- The
Medical Flexible Spending Account contribution limit remains at $2,500 as
required by the Affordable Care Act.
- For
CDHP participants with an HSA, the state continues to contribute 45
percent of the CDHP deductible into the HSAs. Once again, the state front loads the
accounts by depositing one-half of its contribution into each open HSA on
the first pay of 2014. The remaining contributions by the state are
divided into equal payments and spread out over the first 26 pay dates in
the year. Total contributions by the state are: HSA1 -- $1,123.20 (single); $2,249.52 (family) | HSA2 -- $673.92 (single); $1,347.84 (family).
*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 2014.
What is next?
Start now, before open
enrollment launches, to learn all you can about the options and your needs.
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Review your health expenses from this year and begin
projecting next year’s expenses. Log onto www.anthem.com and review your up-to-date medical
claims. If you have not registered with Anthem online, you will need to do
that before you have access. Participants can also log on to Castlight to view a
summary of year-to-date spending.
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Log onto Express Script’s website and look at your
pharmaceutical claims (www.expressscripts.com). From there,
you will have a fairly good idea of what your expenses have been and
should be able to make an estimate for 2014.
- Read and analyze all the information available to you and
attend webinars, carrier fairs, and information sessions – in order to become
a well-informed healthcare consumer. If you plan to take advantage of the
meetings or webinars, make sure you first get your supervisor’s approval.
These events are usually allowed on state time.
- Ask questions if you don’t understand. Call or email the
Benefits Hotline to talk with a benefits specialist.
SPD Benefits
hotline/contact info
More detailed
information is available on the 2014 open enrollment website: www.in.gov/spd/openenrollment
Or, contact
the Benefits Hotline toll-free at 1-877-248-0007 outside of Indianapolis or
317-232-1167 within the Indianapolis area. Benefit specialists are available
from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Eastern Standard Time.
You may also
email your questions to SPDBenefits@spd.in.gov.
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