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What is happening to benefits next year?. Administrator’s Form March 9, 2010. Change!. Things do not change; we change. Henry David Thoreau , Walden (1970) Okay, well sometimes things do change, but we need to change with them!. No paper. No benefits open enrollment packets
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What is happening to benefits next year? Administrator’s Form March 9, 2010
Change! Things do not change; we change. Henry David Thoreau, Walden (1970) Okay, well sometimes things do change, but we need to change with them!
No paper • No benefits open enrollment packets • No fancy booklets • No Esther IDs and PINs distributed • We will be mailing a postcard reminder to your home address • Open enrollment is April 12 – April 30, 2010 • Don’t procrastinate! • Rice Fest is Tuesday, April 20th in the RMC/Ley Student Center
No paper • Please be sure you know your Esther ID and PIN (or use the “Forgot PIN?” button before contacting HR) • We will send a basic booklet to employees who are not typically at a desk all day (FE&P, H&D, Delivery Services, RUPD, and Transportation) • More will be available in HR • More information online and new, updated web content coming soon
Medical plan • Rates are going up! • We’re still trying to figure out by how much • Hopefully, in the increase will only be in the single digits • Plan designs are probably changing • Our plans have been the same for 7+ years • Given the increasing costs, the copayments will need to change slightly to keep premium rates lower and reflect the increasing cost of health care • More information coming soon…
Why are health costs increasing? • We negotiated a two year rate guarantee for Aetna’s administrative rates last year • Our own medical claims expense is driving the cost up • Prescription drugs • Medical plan usage • High-tech treatments • Use of the emergency room
Other changes? • Most of the other health and welfare plans will remain the same. • Look for changes with short-term disability plan • Retirement plans remain the same
What can you do to help? • Spread the word about benefits open enrollment “going green” • What about medical plan costs? • Monitor your use of the medical plan • See if you can use get a generic prescription drug • See if you can use mail order services for your regular medications • Think about your use of the emergency room • Can it wait until tomorrow? • Can I be seen in an urgent care clinic? • Take care of yourself (and participate in wellness programs) • Use the web (http://benefits.rice.edu) for open enrollment information and tell us what you think! • Coming soon (once the changes are finalized)