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As a UW employee who is eligible for Public Employee Benefits Board (PEBB) benefits, you are allowed to make changes to your medical and dental plan choices during the annual open enrollment period. The State's healthcare open enrollment period typically runs through the entire month of November with specific dates announced by the Health Care Authority in mid-summer.
During this time, you may also enroll or re-enroll in a flexible spending account (FSA)—unless you elect a consumer-directed health plan with a health savings account (CDHP-HSA). You can also enroll or re-enroll in the Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP). These are optional pre-tax savings programs available to you.
Medical and dental plan benefits and premiums change yearly. Open enrollment is a good time to evaluate your health insurance plans and decide whether to make a change.
Some life circumstances may be considered a "qualifying life event," which may trigger a Special Open Enrollment opportunity allowing you to make insurance plan changes outside of the fall open enrollment.
If you are satisfied with your current health plan and it will be offered next year, you do not need to do anything and your plan elections will remain the same. However, you must change your plan enrollment if any of the following circumstances apply to you:
Note: Per WAC 182-12-262, you are required to notify the UW of changes in dependent eligibility within 60 days of the date in which your dependent is no longer eligible.
At their July 25 meeting, the state's Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) voted to approve changes to state employees' monthly premiums and cost-sharing in 2013. Cost-sharing refers to the member's annual deductible, annual out-of-pocket limit, coinsurance, or copay. All changes take effect January 1, 2013.
Running concurrently with the PEBB open enrollment, are two programs that can save you pre-tax dollars—the Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and the Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP). You can save money on a pre-tax basis by participating in one or both of these programs!
Remember, whether you are a current or new participant, you must re-enroll each year if you wish to continue participating in either of these programs.
FSA allows you to take untaxed salary and place it in a health care savings account to pay for eligible unreimbursed medical and dental expenses such as co-pays, deductibles and approved services not covered by your insurance plan. Note: you cannot enroll in an FSA if you enroll in a consumer-directed health plan with a health savings account (CDHP-HSA). Learn more.
DCAP allows employees to take a deduction from pay for eligible dependent care expenses before taxes are calculated. Learn more.
Review your current enrollment in one of two ways:
Beginning on the first day of open enrollment, UW employees can use the E-Coverage site to change insurance plans or providers. E-Coverage has the following advantages:
To add or reinstate a dependent who is not currently enrolled on your insurance plan, you must submit a completed Employee Enrollment/Change form by midnight on the last day of open enrollment. Valid dependent verification documentation must be included with the form for the requested change to be processed.
While you cannot add a dependent online, but you may use one of these online options to review your current coverage:
Whether you are a first-time or returning participant of a PEBB flexible spending account, you must re-enroll each year if you wish to participate. Enter ASI Enrollment Portal.
Whether you are a first-time or returning participant of the Dependent Care Assistance Program, you must re-enroll each year if you wish to participate. Enter ASI Enrollment Portal.
Disclaimer: The information on this page does not substitute for official plan documents. If there is a conflict between the information on this site and an official plan document, the official plan document will govern. Refer to the Benefits Forms & Publications page.
Plan availability and eligibility may change depending on your employment status and/or actions of the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA), the agency that purchases and coordinates health insurance benefits for public employees, including employees of the University of Washington, through the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) program.
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It's Easy!
Verify your medical/dental insurance coverage and/or make plan changes during open enrollment, go to E-Coverage.