Benefits Office enewsletter

Transcription

1 Diocese of Gary Vol. 1 Issue 1 July 2013 Benefits Office enewsletter Chancery/Pastoral Center Welcome to the Benefits Office enewsletter! Benefits Office Cheryl Grandys Benefits Coordinator cgrandys@dcgary.org Extension 277 Terri Crockett Benefits Clerk tcrockett@dcgary.org Extension Broadway Merrillville, IN Inside this issue: We are excited to introduce the first publication of the Benefits Office enewsletter. The purpose of this quarterly electronic newsletter is to provide you with a variety of benefit and health related information. Information regarding our plan benefits as well as current health and financial related topics. It is very important that you are familiar with your benefit plans and that you are actively involved in your own healthcare. Your involvement can lead to greater health care savings as well as an increase in your overall health. The Benefits Office hopes that you find this enewsletter helpful. Each issue will be posted on under the Office of Benefits area at the beginning of every quarter. If there is a topic of interest to you, please feel free to your suggestions. Cheryl Grandys Benefits Coordinator Financial Wellness Terri s Corner Emergency Room Savings Maintenance Medications EAP Perspectives Wellness Fair Laughter is Good Medicine 5 Wellness Observances 6 Staying Healthy in Summer 7 Benefit Plan Contacts DIOCESE OF GARY WEBSITE BENEFITS OFFICE Did you know that you have access to benefit plan information 24 hours a day on the Diocese of Gary website? The Benefits Office section includes vendor contact information, Q&A, and forms and resources. Dropdown topic selection makes navigation user friendly just by clicking on the topic you wish to explore. The dropdown topics you will find are: - Medical and Prescription - Life Insurance - Dental and Vision - Retirement - EAP - enewsletter For example, if you want the website addresses for our benefit plans, they will all be located at the top of each benefit topic drop down page. Access the website at: Go to Directory of Offices, scroll over Office of Benefits, and select the benefit topic you wish to access.

2 Page 2 Financial Wellness Diocese of Gary 403(b) Thrift Plan Employer Matching Contributions Life Events If you have a change of status (marriage, birth/adoption, loss of other coverage) and wish to add you a n d / o r y o u r Are you taking advantage of the 403(b) Thrift Plan s employer matching contributions? For those of you who have completed at least one year of service, have worked at least 1,200 hours of service within that twelve-month period, and are currently working 30 or more hours each week and 40 weeks or more each year, you are eligible to receive employer matching contributions. Matching contributions will be made on your behalf equal to: (a) 100% of the salary reduction contributions you are contributing during the plan year, not in excess of the first 3% of your contribution; plus (b) 50% of the salary reduction contributions you are contributing during the plan year that exceeds 3% of your compensation but not to exceed 6% of your compensation for the plan year. To access additional information, please go to under the Office of Benefits area or contact Mutual of America at To enroll or change your contribution amount, please see your payroll department. dependant to the Benefit Plans, you have 31 days from the change of status date to report your life event to the Benefits Office. Terri s Corner Terri Crockett Benefits Clerk Q. If I am enrolled in either Anthem, Express-Scripts, Guardian, and United Healthcare, should I register on their websites? A. Yes, by registering on the provider s website, you become more pro-active in your healthcare. Once you register, you are able to access a lot of useful information. For example, you can request ID cards; access and print your Explanation of Benefits (EOB); review your claim history; order prescriptions; find providers; and more. A list of providers along with their telephone numbers and website addresses can be found on the last page of this enewsletter and at under the Office of Benefits Section.

3 Page 3 Emergency Room Savings Using the ER for non-emergencies may end up costing you more especially if you or your loved one isn t admitted to the hospital. If the illness or injury isn t a true emergency, you can save money and usually a lot of time by going to places other than the ER. These places usually cost you about the same as a visit to your doctor s office and most are open on weeknights and weekends. Retail Health Clinic Walk-in Doctor s Office Urgent Care Center A clinic staffed by health care experts who give basic health care services to walk-in patients. Usually found in a major pharmacy or retail store. A doctor s office where you don t have to be a patient to get care and you don t have to have an appointment. Can handle routine care and common illnesses. A group of doctors who treat conditions that should be looked at right away but aren t as severe as emergencies. Can often do X-rays and lab tests. A Healthy You is Worth a Shot Our benefit plan requires that maintenance medications are supplied through Express-Scripts Medco mail order prescription service instead of a retailer such as Walgreen s or CVS. Maintenance medications are those that are needed for more than three months. The mail order service is a great way to reduce your Here are some examples of conditions that could be treated some place other than the ER: Cold Eye Irritation Flu Mild Asthma prescription costs and save you from having to make trips to the pharmacy. You will receive up to a 90-day supply at the same cost as compared to a typical 30-day supply at retail. Your physician may submit your prescription to Express- S c r i p t s Medco Pharmacy by mail Rash Sore Throat Sprains Stitches BENEFIT TOPIC Maintenance Medications or fax. The mail-in form is located on the Diocese of Gary website under the Benefits Office section. If you have any questions regarding the mail order process, contact Express- Scripts Medco Pharmacy at: or scripts.com Immunizations aren t just for kids. Adults need them too. They protect you from things like chicken pox and the flu. Preventative care exams are also very important. They help you stay well, catch problems early on, and may save your life.

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5 Page WELLNESS FAIR The annual wellness event is getting a makeover! We are happy to be partnering with Franciscan Working Well for our upcoming 2013 Wellness Fair to be held at the end of September. In addition to the standard lab testing and flu shots, you will have the opportunity to receive a variety of benefit and wellness information provided by the Benefits Team, our benefit plan providers, and area wellness organizations. Those participating will receive an Employee Goody Bag filled with fun items and also have the opportunity to win raffle prizes. We look forward to seeing you at the Wellness Fair. Watch your mail for additional information along with the locations, dates and times! How Well Do You Know Your Benefits? What does an EOB stand for and what is it? A) Exclamation of Benefits B) Explanation of Benefits C) Examination of Benefits An Explanation of Benefits (EOB) is a form or document that is sent to you by insurance companies after you had a healthcare service that was paid by the insurance company. They normally include your annual year-to-date deductible and out-of-pocket amounts. It is important to review your EOB s to make sure they are accurate. If you have any questions, please contact the applicable benefit insurance company. ~Laughter is Good Medicine~ "A joyful heart is the health of the body, but a depressed spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22

6 Health and Wellness Observances Page 6 2 JULY Eye Injury Prevention Federal Occupational Health Fireworks Safety National Council on Fireworks Safety fireworksafety.com (no UV Safety American Academy of Ophthalmology Cataract Awareness American Academy of Ophthalmology Children s Eye Health and Safety Prevent Blindness America National Immunization Awareness Center for Disease Control & Prevention AUGUST SEPTEMBER Alzheimer s Association Memory Walk September 22 (Hidden Lake Park) International Day of Peace September 21 United Nations Leukemia & Lymphoma Awareness Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America National Childhood Obesity Awareness President s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition National Ovarian Cancer Awareness National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, Inc. Prostate Health National Prostate Cancer Coalition *To access all observances, go to

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8 Benefit Plan Contact Information Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO Express-Scripts Rx (Formerly Medco) Guardian Dental (PPO) (HMO) United Healthcare Vision (Formerly Spectera) Mutual of America 403(b) Thrift Plan Perspectives Employee Assistance Program User Name: CAT502 Password: perspectives *The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only. In the event of a discrepancy between the newsletter and a Plan s Summary Plan Document, the Plan Document will always rule.