benefits FOCUS – Issue 3

benefits FOCUSIssue 3 – May 30, 2014

What’s the BIG news?

The annual Open Enrollment period will begin June 15th. It will  run June 15th through July 15th in order to provide you ample time to review changes to the plans and the employee premium rates that will become effective October 1st. We expect to finalize rates and plan design for next year shortly and will communicate with you as soon as this occurs.

What do I need to know?

Open Enrollment begins June 15th! Open Enrollment is your one opportunity of the year to make changes to your  benefits—add, drop or change!

Open Enrollment is MANDATORY for all benefits-eligible employees. WHY?

  • New mandates under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) make it necessary for us to document that we’ve offered health insurance coverage as specified in the Act.
  • Increased costs to the health plan due to the ACA require that ALL employees who participate in the health plan verify the eligibility of their dependents for the coverage.
  • This will help us maintain accurate employee data—you’ll verify your address, your tax withholding status, your plan elections (whether you’re making changes or not), and whether you and your spouse both work for the County.

For more detailed information about your employee benefits, our web pages are always available when you are.