At a joint meeting of the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee held this morning, OGB announced major changes to the proposed health care plans going into effect March 1. The Open Enrollment period has been extended to December 7, 2014 and you should be receiving information from OGB about these changes in the mail sometime next week. Testimony provided to the committee by OGB indicated the mailings will be next Wednesday, and the updated information will be available on their website November 12. The announcement about the extended open enrollment period has already been posted. Some highlights of the changes include: • The proposed increases in the deductibles and the out-of-pocket maximums will not be implemented. They will remain at current levels. Retirees who are currently in the HMO, and who are considering the Magnolia Local Plus plan, will not have to meet a deductible, as was originally proposed. • The concerns expressed about many of you regarding a $3,000 deductible for a covered OGB member and spouse has been eliminated. • The changes in the pharmaceutical program implemented October 1 will remain in effect, as will the proposed co-pays. These changes will apply to all current retirees and to those individuals who retire before March 1, 2015. There will be a cost to implement these changes, and as a result, OGB is considering a rate increase of 10.8% beginning July 1, 2015. The premium increase will not be decided until sometime next year. You will be able to view the new plan provisions at annualenrollment.groupbenefits.org next Wednesday, if not before. Thanks to all of you who expressed your concerns to members of your legislative delegation about the OGB changes and the impact those changes would have on you as a retired educator.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 21:44:54 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015