Taxes might be top of mind these days, but it’s also time for Rice employees to start thinking about their health, welfare and retirement benefits for the upcoming fiscal year.
Rice’s annual open enrollment period is April 15-29. All benefits offerings for 2022-23 are unchanged from the current fiscal year. Medical plan rates are rising by an average of 4%. Detailed information regarding plan offerings can be found here, and details on rates are available here.
Open enrollment will take place in the iO system. A new feature — Journeys — will help guide users through the process and their options, which will include making changes to beneficiary designations in addition to selecting benefit plans. The benefits team has created a voluntary Journey featuring a curated selection of important details to consider before enrollment, and a separate Journey for enrolling.
To access the Journeys, which will be available throughout the enrollment period:
- Log into iO and click the Me tab.
- Click Journeys.
- Select a Journey and complete the assigned tasks.
Employees are encouraged to review all benefit information to determine the best choices for their individual situations.
Employees who do not make changes to their benefits will be automatically reenrolled in their current plans. However, renewing contributions to a flexible spending or a health savings account is not automatic. Employees must reenroll each year to set their medical, dependent-care and health savings account contributions.
The benefits team will offer in-person, one-on-one consultations and Zoom meetings to provide enrollment assistance. The schedule of in-person consultations is as follows; all will be held on the first floor of the Cambridge Office Building:
- April 19, 10 a.m.-noon
- April 20, 1-3 p.m.
- April 22, 9-11 a.m.
- April 25, 10 a.m.-noon
- April 26, 1-3 p.m.
- April 27, 9-11 a.m.
- April 29, 1-3 p.m.
The Zoom schedule is as follows:
- April 18, 10 a.m.-noon
- April 19, 1-2:30 p.m.
- April 22, 2-4 p.m.
- April 25, 10 a.m.-noon
- April 26, 10 a.m.-noon
- April 27, 1-3 p.m.
- April 28, 1-3 p.m.
To attend any of the Zoom meetings, click here.
In addition, the benefits team is available to answer questions at 713-348-BENE (2363), or employees can create a service request in iO by following these instructions:
- Log into iO and click the Me tab.
- From your home page, click the HR/Finance Help Desk tab.
- Click HR/Finance Service Requests.
- Click Create Service Request.
- Under Category, select Annual Enrollment.
- Under Summary, describe the issue.
- Complete all other required selections, then describe the issue in detail in the Service Request Details box.
- Click Save and Close; the service request will be routed to the benefits team.
For more information, visit Rice Human Resources’ KnOWLedge Café at https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits/annual-enrollment-2022-2023.
Medical
Medical plan options for the 2022-23 fiscal year are as follows:
Accountable Care Organization (ACO)
This is a plan with a specific network of doctors and hospitals affiliated with Memorial Hermann, with a primary care physician, or PCP, guiding each patient’s care with assistance from a specified team of professionals dedicated to that patient’s overall care.
Memorial Hermann ACO
Employee only $93
Employee plus spouse/partner $357
Employee plus child(ren) $312
Employee plus family $607
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)
In this plan, an employee selects a PCP who serves as a “gatekeeper” for all medical services. Under this plan, patients must consult with their PCP before receiving services from most specialist physicians and other service providers, who are all within the HMO network.
Aetna HMO
Employee only $111
Employee plus spouse/partner $419
Employee plus child(ren) $365
Employee plus family $711
Point-of-Service (POS II)
With this plan, patients pay a set amount for in-network care. However, this plan does not require a patient to get a referral from a PCP before seeing a specialist and has an out-of-network option.
Aetna Choice POS II
Employee only $195
Employee plus spouse/partner $688
Employee plus child(ren) $604
Employee plus family $1,160
Consumer-Directed Health Plan (CDHP)
This plan has a higher deductible and coinsurance rather than copayments for medical services. Participants pay the full cost for services and prescriptions up to the deductible and then the plan kicks in, paying coinsurance (except for pharmacy expenses, which have copays) for medical services until the out-of-pocket maximum is met. This plan allows for the benefits of a health savings account because it is a qualifying high-deductible health plan. Employees can get the triple tax benefit of pre-tax deductions, tax-free growth and tax-free use of the savings for qualified medical, dental and vision expenses.
Consumer-Directed Health Plan
Employee only $145
Employee plus spouse/partner $468
Employee plus child(ren) $430
Employee plus family $775
Vision
Rice offers a vision plan option available to all employees even if they are not enrolled in the medical plan. The vision plan, administered by Aetna, features the Aetna Vision Preferred networks of providers. To locate a provider, call 1-855-679-3815 or visit aetnavision.com.
Aetna Preferred Vision Plan
Employee only $4.87
Employee plus spouse/partner $9.25
Employee plus child(ren) $9.73
Employee plus family $14.31
Dental
Rice will offer two dental plan options, both administered by Aetna: the PPO and the DHMO.
In the PPO plan, participants may use any dentist of their choosing and the plan pays a percentage of the services. The monthly premium will be $48 for an employee only, $98 for an employee plus spouse, $102 for an employee plus children and $140 for family coverage. The DHMO requires participants to select a dentist from a list of providers and covers frequently performed procedures either in full or a specified copay, will cost $13.68 for an employee only, $24.64 for an employee plus spouse, $25.67 for an employee plus children and $35.42 for family coverage.
As in previous years, employees earning less than $40,000 annualized salary per year may be eligible for a 50% premium subsidy.
Flexible spending accounts (FSA)
Flexible medical spending accounts, or FSAs, allow participants to set aside pretax dollars to pay for eligible out-of-pocket medical and dependent-care expenses. FSAs are “use it or lose it” accounts; any money left in the account at the end of the grace period is forfeited. FSA elections made for the 2021-22 plan year must be used by Sept. 15 and filed for by Nov. 30 or the money will be forfeited. Medical FSAs can stand alone or accompany the ACO, HMO and POS plans only. Under FSAs, you should keep your receipts because you may be required to submit them to verify they are eligible charges.
You must reelect any FSA amounts each year even if you make no other changes. The amount will not roll over from 2021-22 to 2022-23. The medical limit for medical flexible account will be $2,850 and dependent care will remain at $5,000 for families filing jointly.