Benefits open enrollment set for Oct. 22 to Nov. 2

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Open enrollment provides an annual opportunity for faculty, staff and retirees to review and change their benefits for the following year. Open enrollment for 2019 benefits is set for Oct. 22 to Nov. 2.

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Eligible individuals may change their medical, dental, vision and legal plans. Faculty and staff may also enroll in a Flexible Spending Account. Benefits changes take effect Jan. 1.

No action is required to keep current benefits in 2019, with the exception of Flexible Spending Accounts. IRS regulations do not allow FSA enrollments to cross calendar years. Eligible faculty and staff who wish to participate in an FSA in 2019 will need to re-enroll.

Health plan rates unchanged for 2019, some dental rates lowered

Health plan rates for faculty, staff and retirees will remain unchanged for 2019. There will be a slight decrease in monthly rates for dental plan Option 2 and dental plan Option 3. This is due in part to the self-management of customized benefits plans by the Benefits Administration Office that has historically allowed the university health care cost trend to remain below national benchmarks. The 2019 benefit plan rates will be available on Wolverine Access beginning Aug. 22.

No major benefits plan changes for 2019

There are no major changes to the U-M benefits plans for 2019. For faculty and staff eligible to participate in an FSA, the annual contribution limit for a health care FSA will increase to $2,650.

Review benefits coverage and future needs

The Benefits Office encourages individuals to take the time before open enrollment begins to review their current benefits and coverage in anticipation of life events coming up in the next year.

For example, a young child who may go to the dentist for the first time in 2019 would need to be added to the employee’s dental plan during open enrollment. Employees planning to retire in 2019 should update their dependents during this year’s open enrollment. Retirees cannot add new dependents to their coverage.

Review beneficiary designations

It is important for employees and retirees to make sure beneficiary designations for life insurance and retirement savings plans are up to date. For details, visit hr.umich.edu/your-beneficiary.

The Benefits Office will send enrollment instruction

The Benefits Office will send open enrollment details to eligible faculty and staff by email, and will mail an open enrollment book to retirees at their home address in early October. Benefits plan information is available at hr.umich.edu/benefits-wellness.

For answers to questions about benefits or open enrollment, contact an HR Customer Care representative at the Shared Services Center. Call 734-615-2000 local, or 866-647-7657 toll-free, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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