SUPPLIES
All forms are on our website. For
health plan, Long Term Disability, Dental/Vision and Life Insurance materials, please refer to the following instructions:
Fallon Community Health Plan: Contact the plan for supplies: Jason Fortin 508-368-9853;
or Jennifer Lavigne (508) 368-9422.
Harvard Pilgrim Independence Plan: Supplies can be ordered through Elise Milliken
617-509-3229.
Health New England: Contact Yvonne Diaz for supplies 413-233-3395.
Navigator by Tufts Health Plan: Supplies can be ordered through Jesse Kline 617-923-5406 ext. 8499
Neighborhood Health Plan: Contact Edward Weiss for supplies 617-478-7115.
UNICARE: Supplies can be ordered through Caroline
LeBlanc 978-474-6814 or Debbie
Fraser 978-474-5147.
The Hartford (Life Insurance): Contact Anne Brogan 617-378-4610.
MetLife (dental portion of manager dental/vision plan): Contact Adreanne Singleton 1-866-221-6291
Davis Vision (manager dental/vision plan): Contact Teresa Mandarini 781-729-8590.
Unum (Long Term Disability): Contact Erin Gilmartin 1-800-343-7808 ext. 83445
Personalized
Benefit Statement
State Employee and Retiree Benefit Statements
Mailed in Late January
Commonwealth of Massachusetts employees were mailed a personalized annual benefit statement at the end of January. This statement gives an overview of the employee's benefits elections and who is covered under their policies. Employees should review the statement carefully to see if there are any errors. Forms and instructions to make changes will be enclosed with the mailing. If everything is correct, the employee does not need to do anything. They should file their statement with important papers; it’s the only statement emplolyees will receive in 2008.
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Coordinator News
On Friday, February 15, 2008, our Commission voted to re-contract with all of the GIC’s current health plans. Additionally, they voted to re-contract with United Behavioral Health as the mental health benefits manager for the UniCare State Indemnity plans and Navigator by Tufts Health Plan. (Please note the plan name change: all Commonwealth Indemnity Plans will be renamed to UniCare State Indemnity Plan/Basic, Community Choice or PLUS.) In addition, the Commission has voted to make the following benefit changes effective July 1, 2008:
- Three-tier physician office visit co-pays: Massachusetts physicians will be tiered based on quality and cost-efficiency. Members will pay lower office visit co-pays when they see Tier 1 (excellent) or Tier 2 (good) physicians.
- Outpatient surgery co-pay: The outpatient surgery co-pay will increase to $100 across all employee health plans. There will also be some minor adjustment in inpatient hospital admission co-pays, such as Navigator by Tufts Health Plan will change from three to two tiers.
- Vision benefits: Vision screening benefits will be enhanced with a standard vision screening benefit of once every 24 months across all employee health plans.
- Optional life insurance for state employees (this doesn’t apply to municipalities) In the fall of 2008, employees will have the new option of being able to enroll in or increase their optional life insurance coverage of up to four times salary without proof of good health within 31 days of certain family status changes: marriage, birth or adoption of a child, divorce, or death of a spouse.
Please display the health fair posters in your offices; additional posters will be available at the training sessions.
Late Enrollment for health insurance
Change in Imputed Income for Non-IRS Dependents Age 19-26
HIRD Form - HR/CMS Agencies and UMass
HIRD Form - Offline Agencies
As you know, all Massachusetts residents must have health coverage according to the Health Care Reform Act. Residents who did not meet this requirement by December 31, 2007 lost their personal exemption when filing their 2007 state personal income taxes. In 2008, the penalties will increase.
Despite the extra communications and outreach the GIC and your agency have done to ensure that employees have health coverage, it is possible that you will have employees come to you at the end of the year who don’t have health coverage and who will want to pick it up. However, because of Section 125 rules that allow GIC and Connector Authority (for non-GIC eligible employees in HR/CMS Agencies - Offline agencies have their own 125 plan for non-GIC eligible employees) benefits to be available on a pre-tax basis, employees cannot pick up coverage during the year unless one of the following circumstances is met:
- The employee is a new hire
- It’s the GIC’s (GIC eligible employee only) annual enrollment or Connector Authority’s open enrollment (non-GIC eligible employee only in HR/CMS Agencies) period
- The employee has lost health coverage elsewhere and can document this
Please instruct employees looking for health coverage who have missed the enrollment periods:
They can go directly to health plans offered by the Connector Authority to get coverage. Let them know that they will need to pay for the coverage on a post tax basis.
Advise them that they can enroll in GIC benefits if GIC eligible during our annual enrollment period or for HR/CMS agencies and UMass, the Connector Authority if not GIC-eligible (Offline Agencies, refer non-GIC eligible employees to your own Section 125 plan) during the Connector’s open enrollment period. Coverage for these benefits will be effective July 1, 2008.
Change in Imputed Income for Non-IRS Dependents
Under federal income tax law, extending employer-provided health insurance coverage to an employee’s child up until age 26 creates imputed income for the employee if he/she is covering a Non-IRS Dependent. A non-cash fringe benefit that is included in gross income is sometimes referred to as “imputed income.”
On November 29, 2007, the Legislature made several technical corrections to the Health Care Reform Law. This legislation provides an exemption for imputed income for Massachusetts state personal income tax purposes where health care coverage is required by the state. As a result, Massachusetts will not follow federal law in the area of imputed income resulting from employer-provided health care fringe benefits.
Retroactive to January 1, 2007, there is no Massachusetts state imputed income for Non-IRS dependents. Therefore, none of your employees have to pay state taxes on the value of the health insurance. HR/CMS Agencies and UMass Coordinators - see the Comptroller's website for information on how the withholdings will change for your employees with Non-IRS Depedents. Offine Agencies, if your payroll department or your payroll company has been withholding state tax for the imputed income associated with Non-IRS Dependents, please modify your employees’ withholdings to only deduct for federal imputed income.
The Dependent Age 19 and Over Application for Coverage and the Dependent Age 19 and Over Q&A section of our website have been updated to reflect this change.
Additional Health Care Reform Act Information for HR/CMS agencies
See the HR/CMS Agencies and UMASS sections of this site for Open Enrollment Information for Non-GIC eligible employees, Health Connector Plans -  Frequently Asked Questions for Departments, and the New HIRD form and Procedures.
Additional Health Care Reform Act Information for Offline Agencies
See the Health Care Reform Act section for Offline Agencies of this site for the new HIRD form and procedures.
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Comprehensive
FY09 Rate Charts for State Agencies
Effective July 1, 2008
Items
marked as require Acrobat Reader
Charts
are mailed to Offline Agencies; Other Coordinators who are unable
to access the pdf, contact Winnie Yee
(ext. 7061) at the GIC for a hard copy Chart
1 - Employee Basic Life and Health Non-Medicare Plans
Chart
2 - Retiree Basic Life and Health Non-Medicare Plans
Chart
3 - Survivor Basic Life and Health Non-Medicare Plans
Chart
4 - Retiree Basic Life and Health Indemnity Medicare Extension (OME)
Chart
5 - Retiree Basic Life and Health - Indemnity PLUS and Community Choice
Chart
6 - Retiree Basic Life and Health - HMO Medicare Plans
Chart
7 - Survivor Basic Life and Health - Medicare Extension (OME) and HMO Medicare Plans
Chart
8 - Active LTD
Chart
9 - COBRA
Chart 10 - Optional Life Insurance
Chart
11-1, Chart 11-2, Chart 11-3 - Optional
Life Insurance Active
Chart 12-1 , Chart 12-2, Chart 12-3 - Optional
Life Retiree Under Age 90
Chart
13-1, Chart 13-2, Chart 13-3 - Optional
Life Retiree Age 90+ |
