Open Enrollment for 2017 Health Plans, Benefits Runs Through Nov. 22

Open Enrollment is that time of the year when University of California employees have the opportunity to review and make changes to their benefits. It’s a good time to consider any potential changes to your personal situation and plan ahead for significant medical needs.

Open enrollment begins on Oct. 27 at 8 a.m. and goes until Nov. 22 at 5 p.m.

For 2017, employees will see small increases, or even decreases, in their contributions toward medical premiums. More than 90 percent of employees will see increases in premiums under $10 a month, and no increases are over $12 a month. (Premiums depend on specific health plan selections and employee salary bands.) Members of UC Care will see their monthly contributions decrease. Employee medical plan premiums can be found here.

New Health Network Offering

The new Canopy Health network has expanded the opportunities for University of California employees and their dependents enrolled in the Health Net Blue & Gold plan to receive health care across the Bay Area.

Employees with the Blue & Gold plan will have the opportunity to select an option so that they can have access both to UCSF specialists and to primary care or other providers – such as physical therapists – close to their home communities.

Canopy Health was launched in 2015 as a partnership between UCSF Health and John Muir Health. This year, Canopy added new physician groups, bringing the provider base to more than 4,000 physicians throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

The participating physician groups include Hill Physicians Medical Group, representing physicians throughout Northern California; Muir Medical Group IPA, participating as part of the John Muir Physician Network, in Contra Costa, southern Solano and eastern Alameda counties; and Meritage Medical Network, with physicians in Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties.

Any UC employee and their family members enrolled in the Blue & Gold health care plan who selects a primary care provider in a participating physician group will have access to the entire Canopy Health network.

The access extends to the hospitals in the Canopy Network, which are UCSF Health, John Muir Health, San Ramon Regional Medical Center (a John Muir Health partner); Alameda Health System’s Alameda, Highland and San Leandro hospitals; Washington Hospital Healthcare System; Marin General Hospital and Sonoma Valley Hospital.

Canopy Health aims to provide a continuum of care, with easier access to providers, at an affordable price. The network will offer care in settings across the Bay Area, enabling employees to visit their primary care and other providers near their homes or offices and still see specialists at UCSF Health or elsewhere across the Bay Area.

Expanded Voluntary Disability Insurance Offerings

UC has expanded eligibility for Voluntary Disability Insurance during Open Enrollment, and this is your one-time opportunity to change or add coverage with no statement of health required. Disability coverage can help protect your income if you miss work because of a pregnancy, illness or injury.

You may want to consider Voluntary Disability Insurance since time away from work for a pregnancy, illness or unexpected injury could mean months without a paycheck. While UC’s basic employer-paid disability insurance offers some protection – a benefit capped at $800 per month for six months – it probably won’t be enough to cover your expenses.

UC does not participate in California SDI (although employees who have worked for UC for less than 18 months may have some residual SDI benefits). If you carry only the UC Paid Basic Disability Insurance you will receive only up to $800 a month for up to six months. The UC Retirement Plan (UCRP; which includes Pension Choice participants) offers disability income only to fully vested members who are disabled for a year or more — with a maximum income replacement of 25 percent to 40 percent, depending on your retirement tier. (Those who elect Savings Choice do not have UCRP Disability Income.)

UC is changing its disability insurance offerings to give all benefits-eligible employees (full, mid-level or core) new options for protecting their finances. During Open Enrollment, you’ll have a one-time opportunity to enroll in Voluntary Short-Term Disability (benefits up to six months), Long-Term Disability (benefits after six months, up to your Social Security retirement age) or both. The plan provides up to 60 percent of your eligible earnings, to a maximum of $15,000 per month.

. You can attend a 30-minute webinar to get an overview of the new Voluntary Disability options.

Changes to Health Plans for 2017

For 2017, UC’s PPO plans (Core, UC Care and UC Health Savings Plan, are changing administrators.

• Medical: Anthem Blue Cross replaces Blue Shield as the administrator of medical benefits for UC’s PPO plans. HealthEquity will continue as the health savings account custodian.
• Behavioral health: Anthem Blue Cross replaces Optum as the administrator of behavioral health benefits for UC Care and UC Health Savings Plan and replaces  Blue Shield as the administrator of behavioral health benefits for Core.
• Prescription drugs: OptumRx replaces Blue Shield as the administrator of prescription drug benefits for UC’s PPO plans.

**Remember, you must re-enroll annually in both the Health FSA and the Dependent Care FSA to participate.**

Open Enrollment Resources

Read more at the UCSF Open Enrollment website, or visit the UCNet Open Enrollment website. In addition, you can visit a UCSF Open Enrollment Help Desks set up at various locations during the Open Enrollment period.

Make benefits changes beginning Oct. 27, log into https://atyourserviceonline.ucop.edu/ayso/ and click on the Open Enrollment box.

Postdoctoral scholars should visit the Garnett-Powers & Associates website for information on Open Enrollment. This Open Enrollment does not apply to residents and clinical fellows.

For more campus news and resources, visit Pulse of UCSF.