OPT
Benefits Changes Benefit You
The OPT flexible benefits program offers comprehensive, competitive benefits with
options you choose to ease some of the concern for protection against personal financial
loss. Your personalized enrollment form will soon be mailed to you. OPT kits are also
available upon request. Contact the Employee Benefits Office at 3-7858 or the HRDES office
at 5-1566.
The OPT kit reviews your benefit choices and includes plan summaries to help you make your
benefit selections.
Detailed descriptions of benefits changes will be provided to employees along with
their OPT benefits forms. Please study them carefully and choose benefit coverages that
best suit your needs and those of your family. Telephone numbers for each medical plan
will be available for specific questions .
When your 1999 OPT enrollment form arrives, you’ll notice the following changes in
your benefits:
- Health Insurance – JeffPLUS, which is part of JeffPLUS Keystone or
JeffPLUS Aetna US Healthcare, has added 700 more physicians to the JeffPLUS Network. All
Main Line Hospitals of Jefferson Health System will also be part of JeffPLUS for 1999.
Plan changes for this year include reducing the inpatient deductible from $500 to $250.
The $250 deductible applies for each hospital admission outside of the JeffPLUS network.
No deductible will be required for hospital admissions through an emergency room. The cost
to you for these plans will not increase in 1999. Jefferson subsidizes the other plans at
a rate equal to 90 percent of premium cost for all plans. So, it is to your advantage to
choose a JeffPLUS plan.
- Dental Insurance – Effective January 1, 1999, we are changing
dental insurance carriers from Blue Shield Dental Insurance to United Concordia Companies,
Inc. Your benefits under United Concordia will be identical to those you enjoy under the
Blue Shield Dental Program, but you will have a larger network of dentists from which to
choose. Most of the Blue Shield Dental plan dentists participate in United
Concordia’s plan. New identification cards will be mailed to all employees in the
dental plan.
- Short and Long-term Disability Insurance – Effective January 1,
1999, we are changing Short and Long-term Disability carriers from Liberty Mutual
Insurance Company to UNUM Insurance Company.
The Short-Term Disability Insurance premiums will not increase for 1999. The Long-term
Disability Insurance will increase for all options, due to high claims experience. The 50
percent Basic option will continue to be available at no cost. The 60 percent option will
be funded by Jefferson at 80 percent of the premium cost, and you will continue to pay 20
percent of the premium cost. For 1999, the 70 percent option will be funded by Jefferson
at 70 percent of the premium cost, and you will pay 30 percent of the premium cost. This
change is necessary due to the high cost of Long-term Disability Insurance and the fact
that Jefferson has experienced higher claims at the 70 percent option. Your election for
Long-term Disability must now remain in effect for a two-year period.
OPT Benefits Fair Set for Friday, November 6
OPT Calendar of Events |
