Benefits open enrollment for endowed faculty and staff will be held Nov. 1-20 for coverage effective Jan. 1, 2016.

During the open enrollment period, endowed employees can make changes to their health or dental plans or sign up for flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and legal insurance for 2016. Contribution limits to Cornell’s Tax Deferred Annuity Plan (TDA) will increase for 2016, and employees can increase their contributions accordingly.

Visit the Benefits Enrollment site for plan options and rates, and use Workday to enroll or make changes. Your 2015 plan selections will automatically carry over to 2016 unless you take action to enroll in another option (except for the FSAs, which require you to enroll each year to be covered).

There are some changes in enrollment options for 2016:

Medical FSA rollover

•  In 2016, FSA medical reimbursement accounts can now roll over up to $500 to be used during the entire year of 2017. Previously, larger amounts could be rolled over into the following year, but they had to be used up by March 15.
• In 2016, FSA medical care accounts can roll over up to $500 of unused funds into a 2017 account.

Prescription drug vendor change

• A new prescription drug vendor, OptumRX, replaces Express Scripts Pharmacy Services. Copays by tier will not change, but certain medications could be listed under a different tier than before, requiring higher copays or prior authorization by your physician, or be excluded altogether.

Health plan changes

• Premium rates for Aetna’s Health Savings Account (HSA) plan will not change. The HSA family maximum amount is changing from $6,650 to $6,750 for 2016 (includes Cornell’s $1,000 contribution). To change the amount of your personal HSA contribution to the increased maximum amount for 2016, you need to fill out an HSA enrollment form.
• Premium rates for the Cornell Program for Healthy Living (CPHL) and the Aetna Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan are increasing slightly from 2015. The CPHL and Aetna PPO medical and prescription drug copays now apply to the out-of-pocket maximums for 2016, decreasing the overall out-of-pocket costs.
• Preventive care coverage has expanded: Aetna HSA and Aetna PPO now cover preventive care benefits at 100 percent in-network, just like the CPHL Plan. All endowed plans are compliant with the Affordable Care Act. 

Social Security and other documentation required

• To enroll or add a dependent to your health or dental plan, you are required to provide documentation such as a Social Security card and – for your spouse, domestic partner or child – birth or marriage certificate or Statement of Domestic Partnership Form.
• Recent health care reform regulations require Cornell to report health coverage information to the IRS for 2016. All employees must provide the university with their dependents’ Social Security numbers to verify that you and your family are participating in a health plan, or you can be subject to a tax penalty from the IRS.

Attend BeneFair, Nov. 5 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in G10 Biotechnology Building, or check out the Benefits Enrollment web page for details on all your benefits plans.