Benefits update
Open enrollment gives employees opportunity to evaluate coverage
Open enrollment packets, including this booklet, were mailed to faculty and staff at their homes by Oct. 5.
Princeton NJ — The annual benefits open enrollment period for the University’s health and welfare plans will run from Monday, Oct. 8, through Friday, Oct 26. Open enrollment offers faculty and staff an opportunity to review their current benefits and consider changes to their coverage that will become effective Jan. 1, 2008.
Open enrollment also is the time when employees can enroll or re-enroll in the expense account plans (Health Benefit Expense Account and/or Dependent Care Expense Account) for 2008. Elections in the expense account plans do not carry forward from the previous year. Faculty and staff must re-enroll if they want to participate in these plans in 2008.
Open enrollment packets were mailed to benefits-eligible faculty and staff at their homes by Oct. 5. Employees should carefully review their current coverage and the open enrollment packet for detailed information.
Faculty and staff members may access eBenefits, the online benefits system, to review their current benefit elections as well as to make their 2008 benefit elections online. Faculty and staff will not be receiving a personalized paper benefits enrollment form, but one may be requested.
All benefit enrollment changes must be submitted online by midnight Friday, Oct. 26; however, there will be no human resources assistance after 5 p.m. If employees do not make any changes to their current medical/dental coverage, they will continue with the coverage they had in 2007.
Key changes for 2008
• The design for both Aetna and UnitedHealthcare plans are being modified to improve the outpatient mental health benefits. For the PPO and POS plans, a deductible no longer will be required for out-of-network outpatient mental health visits. In addition, for these plans, the in-network reimbursement for outpatient mental health visits is increasing from 50 percent to 80 percent, and the out-of-network outpatient reimbursement is increasing from 50 percent to 70 percent. Under the UnitedHealthcare EPO (HMO) and Aetna HMO plans, the co-payment for outpatient mental health visits is decreasing from $25 to $20.
• The number of covered therapy visits (physical, speech, occupational, pulmonary and cardio rehabilitation) in a calendar year is increasing from 30 to 50 per type of therapy for all medical plans.
• Faculty and staff may continue to access eBenefits, the online enrollment system. They will not receive a personalized paper benefits enrollment form in their open enrollment packets, but a paper form may be requested.
Health plans cover breast reconstruction
The Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 requires all group health plans that provide medical and surgical benefits with respect to mastectomy to provide coverage:
• for reconstruction of the breast on which the mastectomy was performed;
• reconstructive surgery of the other breast to produce a symmetrical appearance; and
• prostheses and treatment of physical complications of all stages of mastectomy, including lymph edema (swelling associated with removal of the lymph nodes).
These services must be provided in a manner determined in consultation with the attending physician and the patient. This coverage may be subject to annual deductibles and co-insurance provisions applicable to other such medical and surgical benefits provided under the plan.
Faculty and staff members should refer to their summary plan description for deductibles and co-insurance information applicable to the plan in which they choose to enroll.
Questions regarding these plans may be directed to the human resources benefits team at 258-3302 or benefits@princeton.edu.
Benefits Fairs set for Oct. 16-17
Have questions about your benefits? Come to a Benefits Fair sponsored by the Office of Human Resources.
The events will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, at the Frist Campus Center Multipurpose Rooms and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, in the Spitzer Building at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.
Representatives from the various health, welfare and retirement vendors will be available.
Participants will be able to:
• Learn what benefit options are available by speaking with representatives from the Office of Human Resources, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Crosby Benefit Systems, Medco, Carebridge, VSP, CNA and Prudential Life Insurance.
• Get questions about retirement accounts answered by representatives from TIAA-CREF and Vanguard.
• Learn about the upcoming mammography screening program from staff members of University Medical Center at Princeton (see story above).
• Get information about programs on ridesharing, walking or biking and the use of mass transit to commute to and from work from representatives from the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association.
• Receive assistance with online enrollment.
Reservations are not required to attend the Benefits Fairs.
Mammography screening program offered to employees Oct. 22-26
The University again is offering a mammography screening program for female faculty and staff members who are age 35 or older. The screening will be offered Monday through Friday, Oct. 22-26.
Screening will be done Oct. 22-24 at the University Medical Center at Princeton’s new Breast Health Center, located at 300B Princeton-Hightstown Road in East Windsor. The Breast Health Center is equipped with digital mammography equipment and will provide same-day results when the screening is completed by 3 p.m.
Screening also will be offered Oct. 25 and 26 at the University Medical Center’s Princeton facility, 253 Witherspoon St.
Employees must register at least one week in advance by calling the East Windsor facility at 688-2700 (select prompt #1 for scheduling) or the Princeton facility at 497-4310 (select prompt #2 for scheduling). They should indicate that they are members of the University faculty or staff and are calling to schedule for the Prince-ton University Screening Program.
On the day of the appointment, participants should bring their Princeton University faculty/staff ID card, their medical plan ID card, their appropriate co-pay, if applicable, and their physician’s name and address. Participants will not need a referral from their primary physician if they are covered under a Princeton University medical plan.
Contact Michelle Kalayjian with questions at 258-8960.
Need more information? Check out these sources
There are a number of sources of information that can assist employees in selecting the health care plan or coverage that meets their personal and family needs. Information is available electronically, in print and in person.
Online
Use the online benefits system. Employees can access the eBenefits online to review current benefit elections, covered dependents and beneficiaries, plan rates for 2008 and enroll online. Employees can access eBenefits at www.princeton.edu/selfservice. After logging on to the Human Resources Self Service website, choose HR Self Service > eBenefits > Home > Benefits Home from the menus.
Visit the open enrollment website. The site, at www.princeton.edu/hr/oe, provides descriptions of the different plan features, rates for 2008 and links to the various health care providers, which include directories of health care professionals and facilities that participate in the particular health care or dental care plan. Faculty and staff members who do not have access to a computer can view the open enrollment website on kiosks set up in the Office of Human Resources in 1 New South. The office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In print
Review the open enrollment materials. The benefits open enrollment packet provides comprehensive information on the different plan features, as well as plan rate changes effective Jan. 1, 2008. You may also contact the human resources benefits team at 258-3302 to request a personalized paper benefits enrollment form.
In person
Attend a Benefits Fair. The fairs are scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, in the Frist Campus Center Multipurpose Rooms and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, in the Spitzer Building at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Representatives from the health, welfare and retirement vendors will be present to answer questions.
Visit a site. Employees can visit one of the following locations at any time to pick up informational materials:
• 1 New South
• Engineering Quadrangle
• Firestone Library
• Helm Building
• MacMillan Building
• 87 Prospect Ave.
• Jadwin Gymnasium
• Robertson Hall
• Lewis Thomas Laboratory
• PPPL Office of Human Resources, Spitzer Building.
