OEBB Mandatory Open Enrollment Fall 2018
OEBB will end all current medical, vision, and dental plans effective September 30, 2018. Therefore, members who wish to have medical, vision, and dental coverage for the October 1, 2018 – September 30, 2019, plan year will be required to log into the MyOEBB system during open enrollment in order to register for that coverage. The mandatory OEBB open enrollment period will begin August 15, 2018, and will remain open through September 15, 2018.
You will receive updated and detailed information as it is available – watch for updates in this newsletter, on the 4J website, in your e-mail inbox, and via US Mail over the summer. As always, OEBB will send information about plan designs and offerings, but rate information and other details specific to 4J employees will come from 4J.
2018-19 Medical Plans
Kaiser Medical Plan new this year: In an effort to offer more access to care and affordable coverage options at a time when healthcare costs are rising, the Classified Joint Benefits Committee (JBC) has opted to add Kaiser Permanente Plan 2 for the plan year set to begin October 1, 2018. Be assured that we will offer plenty of opportunities to learn how this plan choice can reduce your deductible, save you money, and provide evidence-based care in a care delivery model that is centered on improving your health.
In addition to the Kaiser Permanente plan choice, 4J classified employees and retirees will continue to have two (2) Moda medical plans to choose from: the Cedar plan ($1,200 deductible) and the Dogwood plan ($1,600 deductible).
Members must still opt for either the OEBB Moda Connexus PPO Network or the Synergy CCM Network. The Synergy Network plans operate under a coordinated care model (CCM) and the Connexus Network plans are preferred provider organization (PPO). Members who enroll in a Synergy CCM Network plan agree to participate in a system of care where you choose one primary care physician (PCP) or medical home and work with a closed network of professionals that coordinate all your care. Members who enroll in a Connexus PPO Network plan
have a broader range of providers, may see any in-network provider at any time, and typically pay more.Please watch for additional plan details and differences, which will be included in the information coming from OEBB prior to open enrollment. A wealth of information is also available on the OEBB website: http://www.oregon.gov/oha/oebb/Pages/Plan-Docs.aspx
2018-19 Vision Plan
Benefits eligible employees will continue to have vision coverage through VSP Choice Plus vision plan featuring vision exams, frames, and lenses available every 12 months. Vison plan enhancements for 2018-2019 are enhanced coverage of standard progressive lenses and higher allowance for select brand frames (not applicable at Costco or Walmart)
Don’t need prescription glasses? The VSP plan offers the Suncare benefit. With a $20.00 copay, members can receive a $300 allowance for ready-made non-prescription sunglasses instead of prescription glasses or contacts
2018-19 Dental Plans
Dental plan choices remain the same for the plan year that begins October 1, 2018: Delta Dental Premier Plan 5, Delta Dental Premier Plan 6, and the Willamette Dental Plan.
Delta Dental Premier Plan 5 has an annual maximum of $1700; an incentive plan design (70% – 100%) for preventive, basic restorative and periodontal services; and includes orthodontia. Members enrolling in Delta Dental Premier Plan 5 for the first time will start at the 70% incentive level, regardless of prior dental coverage.
Delta Dental Premier Plan 6 has an annual maximum of $1200, does not have an incentive plan design, and does not include orthodontia. Both Delta Dental plans use the Delta Dental Premier network of providers.
Plan design changes for both Delta Dental Plans are composite restorations on posterior teeth will now be covered based on the total allowable amount for the composite restorations, and night guards that are covered at 50% after deductible will have an increased max from $150 to $250.
Effective October 1, 2018, the Willamette Dental Group orthodontia copayment will increase to $2500. The copayment for crowns and bridges will be $250, for root canals $50, and for dentures $100. The office visit copayment will remain at $20.
Optional Employee Life
This is a great year to elect optional employee life if you haven’t in the past or if you are increasing your current level of coverage. The Standard is offering a $200,000 Guarantee Issuance. This means no medical evidence is required for employee coverage $200,000 or below.
Additional Benefits
4J employees and retirees will continue to have the Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) and 4J Wellness Clinic as part of the benefits package. Active classified employees will also have Long Term Disability insurance, basic life insurance ($50,000), and basic accidental death and dismemberment ($50,000) coverage as part of the total benefit package.
All benefits-eligible active employees will be enrolled in these additional benefits. All retirees who opt to enroll in medical coverage will have access to the EAP and the Wellness Clinic.
Professional Education Program (PEP)
2018-2018 Annual Report
Our collective bargaining agreement between OSEA Chapter 1 and Eugene School District 4J provides $15,000 each fiscal year for employee-initiated professional development for members. The program includes job-related training activities, tuition reimbursement, registration or materials costs, and conferences and workshops. Reimbursements for the 2017-18 year totaled $11,127.00.
Classified Sick Leave Bank – 2018-19 Annual Report
For the fiscal year July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018, the Classified Sick Leave Bank assisted 16 members of the bank for a total of 2,902 hours of Sick Leave Bank time. These were employees who encountered long-term serious personal illness or injury, and who had exhausted all their own accumulated leaves.
4J Wellness Clinic Open All Summer
The 4J Wellness Clinic continues regular hours through the summer to meet the health care needs of you and your eligible family members. This is a great time to get those yearly physicals taken care of. Regular hours are Monday – Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The clinic is closed for lunch from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. You can schedule an appointment by calling 541-686-1427.
Myths about Travel Health
Myth: Drinking alcohol with meals helps prevent traveler’s diarrhea.
Fact: Don’t count on it. Several lab studies have found that wine can reduce levels of bacteria that cause food-borne illnesses (including Salmonella, Shigella, E.coli, and Bacillus cereus), possibly related to the organic acids in wine in synergy with the alcohol. But none of the lab studies prove that drinking alcohol is a good strategy for avoiding traveler’s diarrhea-and you won’t find it recommended on any of the travel pages of the CDC’s website.
Myth: You can’t get rabies from a street dog if it just licks you.
Fact: Actually you could. Many people think the only way to get rabies is to be bitten by an infected dog. Though rabies is usually transmitted by such a bite (through the dog’s saliva), it’s possible, though rare, to be infected through licks from the animal if your skin has an open wound or abrasions. And it’s not just dogs that can spread rabies, but also other infected animals, such as raccoons, foxes, and bats. In fact, if you awaken to find a bat in your room, short of having the bat tested for rabies (an unlikely scenario), you should seek medical attention to discuss if you should get the rabies vaccine, since the bat bite can be hard to see and is easily overlooked.
Myth: You have to worry about mosquito-transmitted diseases only if you’re visiting jungles, not urban areas.
Fact: Not true. For example, the virus that causes yellow fever can be present in both urban and jungle environments. (How it is transmitted varies, though: In the jungle, mosquitoes spread the disease to humans after biting infected monkeys, while in urban areas, mosquitoes spread it after biting infected people.) As another example, the mosquito-transmitted Japanese encephalitis virus, which causes a serious infection in the brain, can occur in rural environments with watery rice paddies (where mosquitoes multiply) but also around urban areas, where people may be in contact with pigs or wild birds that are hosts for the mosquitoes.
Then there’s malaria, which is prevalent, to a greater or lesser extent, in all types of areas-jungle, rural, and urban. In countries where malaria is endemic, the only places where you are at no risk are where there are no mosquitoes, such as at very high altitudes and in the desert, or during colder seasons in some areas.
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This newsletter is reviewed and edited each month by the District 4J and OSEA representatives of the Classified Joint Benefits Committee (JBC).The information in this newsletter is summarized, and is not intended as advice or counsel.
