2010 Benefits Enrollment

It's time to enroll for benefits again! This year the enrollment period is October 5-30, 2009. Your new elections will go into effect on January 1, 2010.

To help you enroll, be sure to read:

• This Web page or the bulletin in your enrollment package, to find out what's new or changed for 2010
• The NCFlex 2010 Enrollment Booklet

Now is the time to review the benefit elections you made for 2009 and to consider the benefit choices that will best suit you and your family in 2010. There are several points to consider:

• The State Health Plan benefit period runs from July 1 through June 30, so your deductibles started over on July 1, 2009. You cannot make any changes to your health coverage during this enrollment period. Annual enrollment for the SmartChoice PPO plans will take place in the spring of 2010. You can only make changes to your State Health Plan coverage when you notify Benefits Services within 30 days of a change in family status or other qualifying event.
• The State Health Plan is eliminating the annual vision exam benefit under the SmartChoice PPO Basic (70/30) and Standard (80/20) plans effective January 1, 2010, so you may want to review your options for vision coverage during this enrollment period.
• The Health Care Flexible Spending Account annual limit is increasing from $4,200 to $5,000 for 2010. This plan requires re-enrollment every year.
• The Dependent Day Care Flexible Spending Account plan requires re-enrollment every year.
• Assurant Dental, the University's after-tax dental plan, is being eliminated effective January 1, 2010. The decision to eliminate this plan was based on increased costs and declining enrollment over the past several years. All employees enrolled in this plan have received advance notification that they will automatically be enrolled in the NCFlex High Option. The University has contracted with United Concordia, the plan administer of the NCFlex dental plans, to make this transition as seamless as possible for employees and to offer domestic partner coverage under this plan effective January 1, 2010.
• NCFlex has approved a $10,000 core Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) benefit for eligible employees at no cost, effective January 1, 2010. Employees must elect the core benefit during NCFlex annual enrollment Oct. 5-30 by logging onto the NCFlex Online site and selecting this benefit.

Dental Plans
United Concordia is the dental carrier for the NCFlex program. Rates are increasing for this plan by an average of 9 percent for 2010 and are guaranteed through December 31, 2011. If you are enrolled in either the high or low option and want to keep your coverage, you do not need to reenroll. If you are switching options, please read the information on Benefit Waiting Periods in the NCFlex enrollment booklet, page 17.

Group Term Life
ING is the insurance carrier for the NCFlex program. If you enroll in this plan during annual enrollment, you may purchase $20,000 of coverage on a guaranteed issue basis -- if you were not previously denied coverage. If you are currently enrolled in the plan, you may add $10,000 of additional coverage at each annual enrollment, up to the guaranteed issue amount ($100,000), without providing Evidence of Insurability (EOI). For detailed information about this plan please refer to the NCFlex enrollment booklet, pages 33-34.

When you  purchase Group Term Life Insurance on a "pre-tax" basis and your coverage exceeds $50,000, the IRS takes back those savings on amounts in excess of $50,000. You see a small premium charge that is added back to your income only for tax purposes -- this is how the IRS is repaid. For detailed information about this plan, please refer to the NCFlex enrollment booklet, pages 33-34.

MetLife is the insurance carrier for the University's benefit program. You can elect coverage up to five times your salary, with a maximum of $500,000. You can increase coverage levels from one to three times your salary without providing EOI. If you want to increase to four or five times your salary, you must provide EOI. The University's program currently provides coverage for spouse/domestic partner and dependent children. For information about MetLife visit the OHR Web site.

Note for ING and MetLife: Group Term Life insurance is age-based and adjusted annually. Your rate for ING changes based on your age as of January 1, 2010, and your rate for MetLife changes based on your age as of December 31, 2009. If you move up in an age bracket, you will see the new rates appear in your January 2010 paycheck.

Accidental Death & Dismemberment
AC Newman and Company, on behalf of Gerber Life Insurance Company, is the insurance carrier for the NCFlex program. Please refer to the NCFlex enrollment booklet, pages 29-32, for instructions on enrolling or increasing your coverage.

Reliance Standard is the insurance carrier for the University's benefit program. There are no changes to this plan for 2010. The University's program currently provides coverage for spouse/domestic partner and dependent children. For information about Reliance Standard, please visit the OHR Web site.

Critical Illness
MetLife is the insurance carrier for this NCFlex program. This insurance complements medical coverage, but does not replace it. The coverage pays a lump-sum payment when a covered person experiences a medical condition outlined in the plan. You can find detailed information on the critical illness plan in the NCFlex enrollment booklet on pages 22-24.

Flexible Spending Accounts
Aon Consulting is the third-party administrator of the flexible spending accounts for the NCFlex program. If you elected either a Health Care Flexible Spending Account or a Dependent Day Care Flexible Spending Account in 2009 you must re-enroll and designate annual contribution amounts for 2010. The plan continues to have minimum monthly amounts required to participate, but has removed the monthly maximums. You can find detailed information about flexible spending accounts in the NCFlex enrollment booklet on pages 6-13.
 
Vision
Superior Vision Services provides vision benefits under the NCFlex program. You can find detailed information about vision coverage in the NCFlex enrollment booklet on pages 18-21.

Cancer Insurance
Allstate Workplace Division (American Heritage Life Insurance Company) provides cancer insurance under the NCFlex program. You can find detailed information about the cancer plan in the NCFlex Enrollment Booklet on pages 25-28.

• Remember -- if you do not make your elections during the enrollment period, your current elections will apply during 2010, unless you have a change in family status of other qualifying event. 
• Health Care and Dependent Day Care Flexible Spending Accounts require re-enrollment every year.
• The enrollment deadline is October 30, 2009.

You do not need to enroll if you want to keep your 2009 benefits and coverage levels the same for 2010 and do not want to enroll in a flexible spending account.

You do need to enroll if you want to participate in the flexible apending accounts, or if you want to elect coverage, cancel coverage or make changes to your benefit and/or coverage levels.

NCFlex benefit program

For NCFlex benefits and coverage, select the link to the NCFlex Online Enrollment site. The online enrollment tool is available from any computer with Internet access. 

In addition to the online enrollment tool, telephone enrollment is also available. Please call 888-860-6118 (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. -- 8 p.m.). Interpreters are also available via phone for more than 30 languages, including Spanish and Burmese.

Paper enrollments will not be accepted for the NCFlex benefit program for 2010.

University benefit program

For University benefits (MetLife and Reliance Standard) and coverage, go to the Related Forms section below and print out the form for the plan you want to enroll in, and send it to Benefits Services by October 30, 2009. Forms can be sent via interoffice mail to Campus Box 1045 or by mail to 104 Airport Drive, Chapel Hill NC 27599. For your convenience a green drop box marked "Benefit Administration" is located at the front doors of the Administrative Office Building so forms can be dropped off after business hours during the enrollment period.

Domestic Partner Coverage

The University provides dental, group term life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment insurance for domestic partners of faculty and staff.

To elect domestic partner coverage during annual enrollment, employees must complete an "Affidavit of Domestic Partnership" and the corresponding enrollment form. Go to the Related Forms section below and print out the form for the plan you want to enroll in, and send it to Benefits Services by Oct. 30. Forms can be sent via interoffice mail to Campus Box 1045 or by mail to 104 Airport Drive, CB#1045, Chapel Hill NC 27599-1045. For your convenience a green drop box marked "Benefits Administration" is located at the front doors of the Administrative Office Building so forms can be dropped off after business hours during the enrollment period.

Enrollment Assistance

Benefits specialists in the Office of Human Resources will be available to provide enrollment assistance and to answer questions you may have about any of these benefit plans during the enrollment period. If you have any questions, please call the Benefits Office main line at 919-962-3071.

Related forms for University benefits programs:

• MetLife Enrollment Form
• MetLife Statement of Health Form
• Reliance Standard Enrollment Form
• Affidavit of Domestic Partnership
• United Concordia Domestic Partner Enrollment Form

Tools

• Rate Charts