嘿嘿视频

Open Enrollment Just Over A Week Away

AT A GLANCE

  • WHAT: Open enrollment for 2018
  • WHEN: 8 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, until 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 21 (two days before Thanksgiving)
  • WHERE: If you need assistance or don鈥檛 have access to a computer, contact your benefits office:

Shared Services Center, 260 Cousteau Place, Suite 150, Davis 鈥 Call 530-752-1774 or drop in, 8:30 a.m.-noon and 1-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Ticon III, 2730 Stockton Blvd., Suite 2300, Sacramento 鈥 Call 916-734-8099 or drop in, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Our first open enrollment announcement brings good news about premium costs and the option to keep your current plan 鈥 including Western Health Advantage, or WHA 鈥 if it鈥檚 working well for you. 

Although 嘿嘿视频 Health has ended its ownership and commercial network participation in the Sacramento-based WHA health maintenance organization, UC and WHA have come to a special arrangement for UC employees. Through this arrangement, WHA members can continue to see their 嘿嘿视频 Health PCPs or select new 嘿嘿视频 Health PCPs, other employees can switch to WHA and new employees can sign up for WHA.

There is one change in WHA coverage:  Members will no longer have access to the plan鈥檚 Advantage Referral program, under which members can self-refer to specialists within the WHA network. Instead, starting in 2018, your PCP will refer you to appropriate providers if you require specialty care. 

Open enrollment booklets are due to arrive at home addresses next week. UC Human Resources advises: As soon as your booklet arrives, take time to review your choices so you鈥檒l have the right benefits for you and your family in 2018.

鈥淲e are pleased that we have been able to keep premium costs exceptionally low for the overwhelming majority of our people,鈥 said Dwaine B. Duckett, vice president of systemwide HR. 鈥淓mployees still have an array of choices of high value, high quality plans at low rates 鈥 allowing them to improve or maintain their health and the health of their families.鈥

PRESENTATIONS AND HELP DESKS

The will hold four overview presentations about medical plans. No reservations required; first-come, first-seated. Feel free to bring your spouse or domestic partner.

Davis campus

  • Tuesday, Oct. 31 鈥 8-10 a.m., ballroom,
  • Tuesday, Oct. 31 鈥 1-3 p.m., ballroom, Activities and Recreation Center

Sacramento campus

  • Wednesday, Nov. 1 鈥 2-4 p.m., auditorium,
  • Thursday, Nov. 2 鈥 1-3 p.m., auditorium, Comprehensive Cancer Center

Narrated presentations will be posted on the Health Care Facilitator Program website shortly after the live presentations.

鈥⑩赌⑩赌

嘿嘿视频 Human Resources has scheduled open enrollment help desks, for assistance on open enrollment in general, including dental, vision and legal plans, and flexible spending accounts.

Davis campus

  • Tuesday, Oct. 31 鈥 10 a.m.-noon, AGR Hall,
  • Tuesday, Oct. 31 鈥 3-4 p.m., AGR Hall, Buehler Alumni Center

Sacramento campus

  • Thursday, Nov. 2 鈥 3-5 p.m., auditorium,
  • Tuesday, Nov. 7 鈥 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., 2510

Highlights for 2018

  • Continued low costs 鈥 Most faculty and staff will see medical plan premium increases of less than $10 a month across all salary and coverage levels. Premium increases for UC Care will be a bit higher, ranging from $17 to $53 a month. UC will continue to adjust premiums by pay level to ensure costs are distributed fairly, and to offer dental and vision plans for you and your family at no cost to faculty and staff. 
  • Explore UC鈥檚 diverse options or stay in current plan 鈥 UC will continue to offer the same choice of quality medical plans next year. Health care needs can change over time, so take a moment to review UC鈥檚 full range of plan choices to make sure you have the best fit for you and your family.

Change in Rx benefits administrators

For 2018, Anthem Blue Cross will replace OptumRx in administering pharmacy benefits for all of UC鈥檚 preferred provider organization (PPO) medical plans. Anthem currently administers medical and behavioral health benefits for UC鈥檚 PPO plans, and will continue in that role in 2018. This change will affect faculty, staff and retirees enrolled in the following PPO plans: Core, UC Care, UC Health Savings Plan, UC High Option Supplement to Medicare, and UC Medicare PPO with Rx. UC is working to minimize disruption for members, but you should expect changes to the formulary, to processes and to pharmacy, mail order and specialty networks.

Ways to manage your costs

You don鈥檛 have to sacrifice the quality of your care to keep your costs down. Here are a few suggestions:

  • If your medical need is not an emergency, save time and money by skipping the emergency room and getting the care you need from your plan鈥檚 advice nurse, telemedicine provider or urgent care center.
  • Consider enrolling in UC鈥檚 Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Plan with a Health Savings Account to lower your tax bill, by paying for health care costs with pretax dollars.
  • To help you make informed health care choices, take advantage of tools like Castlight (available with UC鈥檚 PPO plans) to compare doctors and medical services for cost, quality and convenience.

Benefits to help you stay well

Seeing your doctor regularly for check-ups helps you prevent problems later on, and check-ups (and other preventive care) are free with every UC plan. You should also check your plan鈥檚 website for information about free wellness and health management tools. For example, your plan may offer fitness and nutrition classes, health coaching programs, discounts on gym memberships, and apps or online tools to help you manage your care.

Media Resources

Dateline Staff, 530-752-6556, dateline@ucdavis.edu

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