The 2006 premium rates for endowed health care and prescription drug co-pays have been approved, and staff and faculty can expect an Open Enrollment packet to arrive at their homes in early November describing these and other benefit plans.

As always, the news is mixed. Cornell's endowed health rates and deductibles have increased for those in the most expensive health care plan, the Aetna 80/20 plan, and for out-of-network care in the Aetna Open Choice Plan (see chart below). Physician office co-pays will rise to $12 in the HealthNow and Aetna Open Choice plans, the first such increase since 1999.

Similarly, the co-pays for prescription drugs have risen according to whether the drug is an expensive brand-name drug that is not listed in Medco's formulary (greatest increases in co-pays) or is a brand-name drug included in the formulary listing of most-effective drugs. There will be no increase in co-pays for generic drugs, which Cornell participants use to a greater extent than most health plan groups.

University administrators acknowledge that the increases are greater than they have been in recent years. "We are especially sensitive to the hardships that our staff and faculty may have this next year as a result of cost trends nationwide, not only in health care but in other expense areas as well," said Mary George Opperman, vice president for human resources.

 

Paul Bursic, director of benefit services, noted: "We have been working for a number of years to find ways to hold down the increases in the costs of health care and prescription drugs in order to mitigate the effects of nationwide trends and our own plan experiences, and we will continue to explore any options that will let us offer quality health care and prescription drug programs at the lowest prices possible, while still meeting the needs of our very diverse staff and faculty population."

Bursic pointed particularly to the Preferred University Rx Purchasing Coalition, which has increased Cornell's bargaining power when it comes to negotiating the cost of prescription drugs: "Along with other members of the coalition, Cornell is now purchasing pharmaceuticals using discounts that only groups exceeding 75,000 participants normally enjoy with Medco, our pharmacy benefit management firm." Bursic added that the premiums for endowed dental and eyesight-care insurance have remained steady since the programs first were implemented.

Staff in the Office of Human Resources also are continuing to investigate programs and policies that will help Cornell faculty and staff meet a broad range of challenges in both their personal as well as their professional responsibilities, to try to help with life transitions.

The Adoption Assistance Program, the revised Leaves for Professors and Academic Staff policy and the new Family Leaves for Staff policy, the Child Care Grant Assistance program, the Catastrophic Leave Donation policy, the Cornell University Employee Assembly Emergency Grant Fund and the most recent Energy Information Fair are all designed to address specific areas of need.

Cornell's Open Enrollment period begins Nov. 7. At that time, both endowed and contract college employees should consider enrolling in Cornell's Select Benefits Medical Care and Dependent Care programs (all employees who are receiving a child-care grant need to enroll in the Dependent Care Program). Anyone interested in participating in Select Benefits must enroll each year, and, effective this coming year, the Internal Revenue Service has extended the time in which a person can incur and submit expenses (to 14 months from 12 months).

Endowed faculty and staff who are satisfied with their current health-care plan do not need to do anything to remain in their current plan for 2006. Changes in health plans, or discontinuing health plans, need to occur during the Open Enrollment period, which ends Dec. 9 for the endowed health plan.

As has been true for several years, endowed employees can sign up for Select Benefits and make changes to their health-care plans either by filling out paper forms or electronically through eOpenEnroll at http://eessentials.ohr.cornell.edu.

Benefit Services, at (607) 255-3936, e-mail: benefits@cornell.edu, can be contacted with any questions or concerns. Benefit Services staff and Cornell's benefits vendors will also be available to answer questions during the annual Benefair on Thursday, Nov. 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in G10 Biotechnology Building.