How to prepare for open enrollment 2017

1. How to prepare for open enrollment 2017 October 1-31, 2017 Changes effective January 1, 2018

2. Benefit administrator’s role • Provide employees with tools/materials necessary to make educated decisions about their insurance benefits. • Encourage all employees to check their current benefits regardless if they plan to make open enrollment changes. • Approve all transactions in EBS that were initiated by the employee in MyBenefits, assuming supporting documentation was uploaded and legible. • Open enrollment transactions will be in red on the EBS console.

3. Benefit administrator’s role • Confirm transactions approved in EBS have resulted in the proper deduction being withheld from the employee’s paycheck in 2018. • Comply with federal guidelines by mailing required initial COBRA notices based on certain open enrollment changes. • File all open enrollment changes in the appropriate personnel file for documentation purposes.

4. What’s new for 2018? • Employees required to cover a former spouse must drop former spouse during open enrollment. • Former spouse will be covered under his own policy. • Employee can add a current spouse as a dependent. • If the former spouse isn’t dropped during open enrollment, PEBA will administratively term his coverage effective January 1, 2018. • Employees have 30 days, instead of 31 days, to make initial enrollment decisions or changes during a special eligibility situation.

5. What’s new for 2018? • The eyeglass frame benefit will change from every 24 months to every 12 months. • MetLife is the new life insurance vendor. • Dependent Life-Spouse premiums are based on the spouse’s age and no longer based on the employee’s age. • State Health Plan employer premiums will increase 3.3 percent.

6. Newly eligible employees • Based upon ACA guidelines, newly eligible employees may enroll in: • Health insurance; • Dental insurance; • Vision care; • Supplemental long term disability; • Optional Life; • Eligible for coverage without medical evidence up to three times salary rounded down to the nearest $10,000. • Dependent Life-Spouse/Child; and • MoneyPlus.

7. Open enrollment tools • EBS. • https://ebs.eip.sc.gov • MyBenefits. • https://mybenefits.sc.gov • New Insurance Summary. • Benefits Advantage newsletter. • Insurance Benefits Guide. • Navigating Your Benefits. • www.peba.sc.gov/nyb.html