The Health Science Center’s annual benefits enrollment period will be held July 1-31, 2006. Any changes you make to your current plans will be effective Sept. 1, 2006. Brett L. Morris, assistant vice president for human resources, said that this time period is critical for all benefits-eligible employees.
“I cannot underestimate the importance of the annual enrollment period each year for our employees,” Morris said. “This represents the only time during the year that our employees can review their benefits and make the changes necessary for their well-being and that of their families.”
Please read all information you receive from The University of Texas System very carefully. There are some major changes in the HMO Blue medical plan. For details on this and other changes, visit:
www.utsystem.edu/benefits/newsletter/OVERVIEW OF HMO CHANGES1. The cost for HMO Blue will increase.
2. For the first time, employees will have a premium to pay for employee-only coverage. Until now, that coverage has always been free to employees. (UT SELECT employee-only coverage will still be free.)
3. Because of this increased cost, the default medical insurance this year will be UT SELECT.
4. If you choose HMO Blue for the next fiscal year, make the selection in UT TOUCH.
You must do so even if you are already enrolled in HMO Blue.5. At the start of fiscal year 2007-2008, HMO Blue will not be an option at all.
BENEFITS FAIR TO BE HELD JULY 11The office of human resources will hold its annual Benefits Fair on July 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Central Campus Auditorium foyer. You will have a chance to ask questions directly to people who work for our insurance companies. Speakers will present the same programs at two different times: 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
PIN NUMBER NEEDED TO PROCESS YOUR SELECTIONSAll benefits changes are handled online. You will need to have your PIN number handy when you log on to make your selections. This number is sent every year by the UT System.
UT TOUCH You will receive a link to UT TOUCH. This program registers the options you have chosen. This year, you can also complete and print out Evidence of Insurability forms for most insurance options using UT TOUCH.
The only exception is CNA Long Term Care. To learn more about this, visit:
www.ltcbenefits.com (password: utsguest)
EVIDENCE OF INSURABILITY (EOI) You might need to provide EOI if you want to:
• Add dependents to your MEDICAL UTSELECT BCBS PPO coverage.
• Change the coverage level of your life insurance.
• Add dependent life insurance for your spouse for coverage exceeding $10,000.
• Enroll in short term and/or long term disability coverage.
• Enroll in long-term care.
The choice to approve or deny your changes is up to the insurance company. If you do need to use the EOI form, please complete and mail it early in July. The forms are processed by insurance companies, not by the Health Science Center. If the forms have not been approved by Sept. 1, your changes will go into effect the month after your application has been approved by the insurance company.
UT FLEX: You Must Re-Enroll Every Year UT FLEX allows you to take pre-tax money to set up medical and/or day care accounts. That increases your take-home pay. Please remember that you need to re-enroll in these programs every year if you want to continue them.
If you don’t participate in these programs now, you can enroll now. You can set up medical expense and dependent day care accounts. For more information, check the following links:
www.utsystem.edu/benefits/utflex www.payflex.com/utflex/www.uthscsa.edu/hr/ut_flex.ppt
