Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Open Enrollment, your annual opportunity to review and change your flexible benefits – health insurance, life insurance, and flexible spending accounts – is coming November 2. Any changes you might make will take effect on January 1, 2016.
Four Things To Be Aware Of
- This year, we are launching a health care benefits survey in conjunction with Open Enrollment. Your input will help us shape the future of Lehigh’s medical insurance plans, so it’s vital that you complete the survey. More information will be available in our forthcoming Open Enrollment materials.
- Based on claims experienced in the past three years, there will be an increase in the cost of supplemental life insurance. Final prices will be included in our Open Enrollment materials.
- While we were able to keep medical insurance premiums stable for the past two years, there will be an increase in all medical insurance plan premiums in the 2016 plan year. The new monthly prices will also be shared in the Open Enrollment materials, both online and in print.
- If you have a spouse/partner enrolled on your Lehigh medical insurance plan, you must complete the Spouse/Partner Surcharge Survey. Failure to complete the survey will result in your being charged the $100 monthly spousal surcharge beginning January 1, 2016. If your spouse/partner has access to medical insurance through an employer or former employer but you choose to cover them on your Lehigh insurance, you will be assessed the monthly spousal surcharge.
Where To Find Information
- Open Enrollment Central, the online source for everything you need to know about your flexible benefits, will go live with information updated for the 2016 plan year on Monday, November 2. There, you’ll find complete information about all of the benefits included in our flexible benefits package. You’ll also find links to all of the forms you will need to complete as well as instructions for completing online open enrollment.
- The Open Enrollment Quick Reference Guide will be hitting campus mail boxes on Friday October 30. This printed guide includes key information such as monthly premium costs, plan comparison charts, changes to plans and coverage, vendor visit details, and certain information required by the federal government.
- The Flexible Benefits Enrollment and Reference Guide will be available on Open Enrollment Central and additional pages in the Benefits section of the HR website. This document is the most comprehensive document and includes the most detailed information about our plans and policies.