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2013 Health Insurance Rates and Option Transfer Period
2013 Health insurance rates have been
established and are now available. Employees who wish to change their
health insurance plan for the coming year have until
Monday, December 31, 2012.
We encourage you to complete and return the
Option Transfer Form to Cleveland Hall 410 as soon as possible. This
will avoid retroactive premium adjustments and should allow you to receive
new health plan identification cards closer to the coverage effective date,
January 3, 2013.
"Choices”, a summary of health insurance plans, is now available online.
There are two versions:
settled
contracts OR
unsettled
contracts. You may want to review this before you decide to change
insurance carriers or to remain with your current carrier for your health
insurance coverage.
Representatives from BlueCross Blue Shield of WNY (Blue Cross Blue Shield of WNY (Community Blue)),
Independent Health, and the Empire Plan will be at the Health Benefits Fair
on campus Thursday, December 6 in E. H. Butler Library 210, 11:30 a.m. until
1:30 p.m., to answer questions about current health insurance plans and
anticipated changes in coverage for 2013.
No action is required if you wish to keep your current health insurance
option. Please call Human Resource Management at
ext. 4821 with questions or for additional information.
Special Option Transfer Period for PBANYS
Employees: March 1 - 30, 2012
In compliance with the PBANYS Collective Bargaining Agreement ratified on
January 31, 2012, there will be a NYSHIP rate change effective April 1. As a
result of the rate change, there will be a Special Option Transfer Period
March 1 through March 30, 2012.
Health insurance rates effective April 1, 2012, are listed below:
| Health
Plan |
Individual |
Family |
| Empire Plan |
$43.90 |
$158.19 |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of WNY (Community Blue) |
$42.94 |
$194.23 |
| Independent Health |
$55.04 |
$190.43 |
Current health insurance rates are available at:
www.buffalostate.edu/offices/hr/benefits.asp#health.
Employees who wish to change their health insurance plan during the
Special Option Transfer Period have until Friday, March 30, 2012. We
encourage you to complete and return the
NYS Health
Insurance Transaction Form Cleveland Hall 410 as soon as possible. This will avoid retroactive
premium adjustments and should allow you to receive new health plan
identification cards closer to the coverage effective date, April 1, 2012.
"Choices," a summary
of health insurance plans, is available and you may want to review this
before you decide to change insurance carriers or to remain with your
current carrier for your health insurance coverage.
No action is required if you wish to keep your current health insurance
option.
Please Note: The regular annual Option Transfer Period held at the end of
the calendar year, will be available and you will have the opportunity to
review health insurance plan options and rates for 2013 as you normally do.
Changes to your Biweekly Premium
Contribution Rate
New York State helps pay for your health insurance coverage. After the
State’s contribution, you are responsible for paying the balance of your
premium through biweekly deductions from your paycheck. Effective October 1,
2011, your share of the cost changed, as shown below:
|
Individual Coverage |
Dependent Coverage |
| State Share |
Employee Share |
State Share |
Employee Share |
| 84% |
16% |
69% |
31% |
Since premium deductions for your NYSHIP coverage after October 1, 2011,
have already been taken, the increase in your biweekly cost for NYSHIP
coverage from October 2011 through March 2012 will be calculated to
determine your retroactive health insurance special adjustment. This special
adjustment will be applied to your paycheck dated March 28, 2012, the same
paycheck in which you will receive your retroactive payments, in accordance
with the 2011-2016 agreement between the State and PBANYS for APSU
employees.
Health Insurance Opt-Out Program for PBANYS represented employees
Effective April 1, 2012, NYSHIP will offer the Opt-Out Program to PBANYS
represented employees. This program will allow eligible employees who have
other employer-sponsored group health insurance to opt out of their NYSHIP
coverage in exchange for an incentive payment. The other coverage cannot be
NYSHIP coverage provided through employment with the State of New York. The
annual incentive payment is $1,000 for waiving Individual coverage or $3,000
for waiving Family coverage. For the period of April 1, 2012 – December 31,
2012, the incentive payment will be $38.47 per paycheck for Individual
coverage and $115.39 per paycheck for Family coverage. The incentive
payments will be prorated and reimbursed in your biweekly paycheck
throughout the current year. The payments will be taxable income.
To be eligible for the program, you must have been enrolled in NYSHIP by
April 1, 2011 and remain enrolled through March 31, 2012, unless you became
newly eligible for NYSHIP benefits after April 1, 2011.
If you are currently enrolled in NYSHIP and wish to participate in the
Opt-Out Program, you must elect to opt out during the Special Option
Transfer period which ends on March 30, 2012 and attest to having other
employer-sponsored group health insurance. You must complete and return the
NYS Health
Insurance Transaction Form and the 2012
Opt-Out
Attestation Form to Cleveland Hall 410 by Friday, March 30, 2012. If you
enroll in the program and you are eligible for dental and vision coverage
under the state plan, your eligibility for dental and vision coverage will
not be affected.
The complete Opt-Out Program description, including eligibility requirements and
enrollment forms, is available
online and in Cleveland Hall 410.
2012 Health Insurance Rates and Option Transfer Period CSEA and M/C Classified
UUP, NYSCOPBA, PBANYS
Management Confidential
PEF: 1/1/2012 - 3/31/2012 |
4/1/2012 - 12/31/2012
Employees who wish to change their health insurance plan for the coming
year have until Friday, December 30, 2011. We encourage you to complete the
option transfer forms as soon as possible. This will avoid retroactive
premium adjustments and should allow you to receive new health plan
identification cards closer to the coverage effective date, January 5, 2012.
"Choices," a summary of health insurance plans, is now available:
2012 Settled OR
2012 Unsettled. You
may want to review this before you decide to change insurance carriers or to
remain with your current carrier for your health insurance coverage in 2012.
Changes in Health Coverage and Voluntary Cancellation of Coverage for 2012
Employees may now voluntarily cancel their health insurance coverage,
voluntarily decline coverage for their dependents, or change their pretax
contribution status for 2012. A form is required to make these changes.
Note: Unless there is a qualifying event, the 10-week waiting period still
applies to enroll for health insurance for the first time, or to add
previously eligible dependents to existing coverage.
NYSHIP's Young Adult Option
During the Option Transfer Period, eligible young adult children of
NYSHIP enrollees can enroll in the Young Adult Option and current Young
Adult Option enrollees will be able to switch plans. This option allows
unmarried, young adult children up to age 30 to purchase their own NYSHIP
coverage. The premium is the full cost for Individual coverage for the
NYSHIP option selected. For more information on the Young Adult Option, go
to www.cs.ny.gov/yao and choose your
group.
Please Note: Young adult children of NYSHIP enrollees are eligible to
continue coverage as a dependent under the enrollee's family coverage up to
age 26.
2011 Health Insurance Rates and Option Transfer
Period
Health insurance rates for 2011 have been
established. Employees who wish to change their health insurance
plan for the coming year have until Friday, December 31, 2010. We encourage
you to complete the option transfer forms as soon as possible. This will
avoid retroactive premium adjustments and should allow you to receive new
health plan identification cards closer to the coverage effective date,
January 6, 2011.
Health Insurance Choices for
2011, a summary of health insurance plans, is available. You may
want to review this before you decide to change insurance carriers or to
remain with your current carrier for your health insurance coverage in 2011.
Special Health
Insurance Option Transfer Period (August 2-31, 2010)
Legislation passed on June 7, 2010, will result in a NYSHIP rate change
effective October 1, 2010. As a result of these rate changes, there will be
a Special Option Transfer Period August 2 through August 31, 2010.
Health insurance rates effective October 1, 2010, are listed below:
If your premium cost is increasing, you may change to a lower cost option.
Also, regardless of the change in the cost of your current option, you may
change into an option for which the premium has decreased.
Employees who wish to change their health insurance plan during the Special
Option Transfer Period have until Tuesday, August 31, 2010. We encourage you
to complete and return the option transfer form
to Cleveland Hall 410 as soon as possible. This will avoid retroactive
premium adjustments and should allow you to receive new health plan
identification cards closer to the coverage effective date, October 1, 2010.
You may want to review
"Choices," a summary of health insurance plans, before you decide to change insurance carriers or to remain with your
current carrier for your health insurance coverage.
No action is required if you wish to keep your current health insurance
option.
Please Note: The regular annual Option Transfer Period held at the end of
the calendar year, will be available and you will have the opportunity to
review health insurance plan options and rates for 2011 as you normally do.
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