Open enrollment for employee health insurance and the health insurance buy-out option begins Monday, April 9, and continues through May 7.
Open enrollment for employee health insurance and the health insurance buy-out option begins Monday, April 9, and continues through May 7, for changes effective July 1. There is no mandatory health insurance re-enrollment requirement this year, so only employees who wish to change their health insurance plan need to contact the Benefits Office.
The health insurance buyout option allows state employees to buy out their GIC health insurance. If an employee has been covered by a GIC plan on Jan. 1 and continues to be covered through June 30, he or she may enroll in other insurance (for example, a spouse’s plan) effective July 1 and receive 25 percent of the full-cost monthly premium in lieu of health insurance benefits. The plan must be comparable in coverage to the GIC plan. Employees can take the buyout during annual enrollment in the spring for a buyout effective July 1 and in the fall for a buyout effective Jan. 1.
Enrollment is also open for the MetLaw benefit, which provides employees with access to a network of attorneys, and the UMass Sick Leave Bank (for non-unit, SHARE and NAGE employees).
