Open enrollment will close next Tuesday, Nov. 26, a week from today, so, if you have not done so already, take time for your once-a-year opportunity to make choices about your benefits. Need assistance? You can visit help desks and attend webinars this week, and watch videos about your medical plan options.

Here’s what open enrollment allows you to do (choices take effect Jan. 1):

• Enroll in or opt out of UC-sponsored medical, dental and/or vision plans.
• Switch health plans, or don’t. If you take no action on your health plan options during open enrollment, your plan next year will be the same one you have this year. Unless you are enrolled in the Western Health Advantage health maintenance organization, or HMO. It isn’t an option for us in 2020. If you are a Western Health Advantage member, you will be switched automatically to the UC Blue & Gold HMO — unless, during open enrollment, you choose a different plan.
• Transfer to a different dental plan, or don’t. If you take no action on your dental plan options during open enrollment, your plan next year will be the same one you have this year.
• Set up flexible spending accounts for health care and-or dependent care. If you have either or both of these tax-saving accounts this year, remember they do not renew automatically; so, if you wish to continue, you must take action during open enrollment.
• Enroll in legal insurance, that is, if you are enrolling for the first time. If you are already enrolled, sit tight, take no action, you’ll still be covered in 2020.
• Add or remove eligible family members to/from your medical, dental, vision and/or legal plans.
• Enroll in new supplemental health insurance plans that pay cash benefits if you experience a covered accident, illness or hospital stay.

Subsidized rates for Blue & Gold

If you are losing Western Health Advantage, you will find the same basic characteristics in UC Blue & Gold: an HMO that includes access to UC Davis Health.

And, thanks to a pilot subsidy program, UC Blue & Gold is among the lowest-priced 2020 health plan options for employees of UC Davis, UC Davis Health and Davis-based Agriculture and Natural Resources. In fact, Blue & Gold premiums in 2020 will be the same as those for Kaiser Permanente, the only other HMO in the health plan menu,

The premiums you see on the UC open enrollment website and in your UC open enrollment booklet do not apply to UC Davis, UC Davis Health and ANR; see our “local” rates here.

Learn more about choosing UC Davis Health.

Need assistance?

●︎ HELP DESKS — Drop-in, individual counseling with the Health Care Facilitator Program (specializing in health plans) and benefits representatives (who can discuss all health and welfare benefits). Counseling is on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to the size of the meeting rooms, confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.

• Tuesday (Nov. 19) — 11 a.m.-1 p.m., on campus in 182 Human Resources Administration Building
• Friday (Nov. 22) — 1-3 p.m., off campus in the HR offices, Suite 100, 260 Cousteau Place, Davis

●︎ WEBINARS — Interactive, hourlong sessions presented by the UCPath Center, covering eligibility and plan changes, premium contributions, how to use UCPath online and more. 

• Tuesday (Nov. 19) — 2:30 p.m.
  Thursday (Nov. 21) — 7:30 a.m.

To register, click on the date of the webinar you wish to attend. After registering, you will receive a registration confirmation with webinar log-in details. 

Questions? Send an email to UCPath.

●︎ MEDICAL PLAN OVERVIEW — The Health Care Facilitator Program has posted the following videos:

• Part 1 — Introduction, changing medical plans
• Part 2 — Prepaid medical plans, HMOS (health maintenance organizations)
• Part 3 — PPOs (preferred provider organizations), Anthem Blue Cross plans, conclusion

This medical plan overview PowerPoint presentation is also available.

●︎ WHICH MEDICAL PLAN IS RIGHT FOR YOU? — A quick reference guide, on the UC open enrollment website.

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