Each year, annual enrollment is your chance to choose benefits or make benefit changes that will be effective the following Jan. 1. The annual enrollment period for state and higher education employees is Oct. 1 – Oct. 16. Even if you don’t make changes during annual enrollment, it’s good to review your enrollment selections each year.
Important for 2021
• Health premiums are changing for all plan members:
- State and higher education active employees – 2.8 percent premium increase
- Retirees – state and higher education – 3.6 percent premium increase
• Voluntary products premiums:
- No premium increases for vision, disability or life insurance plans.
- Prepaid dental premiums will increase by 3 percent. DPPO dental premiums will not increase.
• Health options and network options are not changing.
- Health insurance copays, coinsurance and deductibles are staying the same for all plans.
- During the annual enrollment period, state employees MUST choose their health savings account (HSA) amounts for 2021. All employees MUST choose flexible spending account (FSA) election amounts if they want to put money in them for 2021.
• 2021 Vendor (Insurance Carrier) Updates:
- Pharmacy vendor will remain CVS Caremark.
- Dental prepaid vendor will remain Cigna.
- Dental DPPO vendor will remain MetLife.
- HSA/FSA vendor will change to Optum Bank beginning Jan. 1, 2021. If you stay enrolled in the CDHP or Local CDHP, you will receive an Optum Bank HSA debit card in December, and your funds will be automatically moved from PayFlex to Optum Bank in mid-January and your HSA will be shut down for approximately two weeks while this occurs. If you anticipate a large medical expense in January, you may want to remove those funds from your HSA in December so that you will have them on hand.
- If you currently are enrolled in the CDHP or Local CDHP and switch to a PPO for 2021, then your HSA will remain with PayFlex and you will be responsible for the monthly account fee, which PayFlex will automatically deduct from your HSA each month.
Benefit Improvements
- Some osteoporosis medications will be added to the maintenance tier drug list. The maintenance tier allows you to receive a 90-day supply of these drugs from a Retail-90 or mail order pharmacy at a reduced cost.
- Go to the state’s Pharmacy page for details.
