Annual Enrollment FAQs

Transcription

1 Annual Enrollment FAQs The following are frequently asked questions and answers regarding the 2014/2015 annual enrollment. EXPAT

2 General Q. When is annual enrollment? A. Annual enrollment begins February 3, 2014 and ends February 28, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. Central time. Both online and phone enrollment options will be available. Directions for enrolling are below. Q. Who needs to enroll? A. You need to enroll if you are making changes to your medical plan coverage or wish to enroll in the Health Care and/or Dependent Care Spending Account. Even if you are not making changes to your coverage this year, we recommend that you review your current benefit selections online. Q. What happens if I don t enroll? A. If you don t enroll, and if your current plans and coverage amounts are available, you will be assigned coverage under the new expatriate medical plan. If you wish to participate in the Health Care and/or Dependent Care Spending Account, you must enroll each year. Q. How do I enroll? A. Online enrollment: Beginning Monday, February 3 Friday, February 28, 2014, visit LifeBenefits at bp.com/lifebenefits and log on. Then, click the BP Benefits Center link. Under Your Action Needed, select the option to complete your annual enrollment. Phone enrollment: Call the BP Benefits Center toll-free at or (international), Monday Friday, 8 a.m. 8 p.m. Central time. You ll need your BP Benefits Center password. 1

3 Changes for 2014/2015 Q. What s changing for 2014/2015? A. BP will make the following changes for the 2014/2015 plan year: Medical plan changes (applies to coverage provided by Aetna under the HealthPlus Option) In accordance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), all medical copays paid by you under the HealthPlus Option in the BP Medical Plan will apply toward your annual out-of-pocket maximum. As a reminder, prescription drug copays do not count toward the out-of-pocket maximum for this plan. Eligible expenses for charges incurred at out-of-network hospitals, stand-alone surgery centers and other facilities for non-emergency treatment will be based on 150% of the Medicare Fee Schedule for that area. This means that the plan will pay benefits based on a lower allowed amount, which can substantially increase your out-of-pocket expenses. Since these providers do not participate in the Aetna network, they may bill you for the difference in the billed and allowed amounts, in addition to your deductible and coinsurance responsibility. Medical premiums are increasing for 2014 across all plans. Your rate of increase will vary depending on which plan you elect. To see a complete list of your coverage contributions, log on to the BP Benefits Center via LifeBenefits at bp.com/lifebenefits during the enrollment period. Prescription drug program changes (applies to coverage provided by Aetna under the HealthPlus Option) Express Scripts has an updated formulary. For the first time, some drugs will be excluded from coverage. As part of the formulary change, Express Scripts will launch the Generic Preferred Program, which is designed to encourage the use of generic medications to lower prescription drug costs. Under the new program, when you fill a prescription, the pharmacy will determine whether a generic equivalent is available. If a generic is available and you choose the brand-name medication rather than the generic option, you will pay the brand-name copay plus the difference between the cost of the brand-name medication and the equivalent generic medication. The additional cost applies regardless of whether your doctor prescribes a brand-name drug. Also, beginning April 1, 2014, the supply limit will be reduced from a 365-day supply to a 90-day supply. Once abroad, you can obtain additional medications as needed under the direction and monitoring of a treating provider. Group Universal Life (GUL) insurance Participants will see a 7% decrease in premiums. BP also now offers expanded spousal coverage. For 2014, you can elect to purchase spousal GUL insurance in increments of $25,000 up to a maximum of $300,000. Qualified Status Change (QSC) The time period to change your existing coverage elections due to a Qualified Status Change is being reduced from 45 days to 30 days. Additional work-life benefits When in the U.S., work-life benefits for auto and home insurance and child care are enhanced for

4 Legislative updates Affordable Care Act Effective January 1, 2014, the Affordable Care Act (also known as health care reform ) requires most Americans to have minimal essential health insurance. Those without health insurance by January 1 will be subject to an IRS tax penalty of $95 or 1% of taxable income (whichever is greater). The BP Medical Plan meets government standards for providing minimum, affordable coverage. Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) New IRS guidance requires employee benefit plans to interpret plan references to spouse or marriage as including same-sex spouses and marriage. The IRS has also adopted a state of celebration rule, meaning that same-sex couples married in a state or country that permits same-sex marriage will be treated as married even if that couple resides in a state that does not recognize same-sex marriage. Elimination of gross-up Effective April 1, 2014, BP will no longer offer same-sex domestic partners the option to accept a gross-up of base pay to offset the taxes applied for covering a federal non-tax dependent. The implementation of IRS guidelines that recognize same-sex marriage eliminates the need for equalization of tax treatment, as same-sex couples can now marry and claim their spouse as a tax dependent for federal tax purposes. Update your beneficiaries If your marital status has changed and you have not updated your beneficiaries to reflect this change, review your information and make any necessary updates. BP s benefit plans cannot implement the recent changes required by the IRS unless you notify us that you have a same-sex spouse or that your marital status has changed. It is your obligation to keep the BP benefit plans informed about your marital status. Wellness points The Points Summary Mailed to you in December and posted on LifeBenefits at bp.com/lifebenefits, the Points Summary shows the wellness points opportunities available to you for the 2014/2015 plan year. The programs are voluntary for you and your covered spouse/domestic partner. Changes to list of formulary prescription medications Q. Why is Express Scripts making changes to its list of formulary prescription medications? A. Express Scripts (ESI) regularly reviews and updates its list of formulary medications. The medications are tiered as preferred, non-preferred and excluded based on efficacy and cost. Because ESI manages and maintains a robust formulary list, BP is confident that the prescription drug offering will continue to meet the needs of our employees. If your drug is removed from the formulary category, there will be an effective alternative. And you will receive more information from ESI if you are affected by the change. 3

5 Q. Will I be notified if my medication is being excluded by Express Scripts? A. Yes, if you are taking a medication that is being removed from ESI s formulary, you will receive a letter in the mail in February. You will also receive a reminder in March. Please also know that health care providers will also receive notification of the changes to ESI s formulary list. Q. What if I don t want to participate in the Generic Preferred Program and prefer to use my current brand name medication? A. If a generic is available and you choose the brand name medication rather than the generic option, you will pay the brand name copay or coinsurance, whichever is applicable to your plan, plus the difference between the cost of the brand name medication and the equivalent generic medication. The additional cost applies even if your doctor prescribes that brand name drug. Q. For the Generic Preferred Program, if there is no generic alternative, do you pay the brand copay or the generic copay? Similarly, if your doctor requires that you take the brand name, do you pay the brand copay, but not the difference between the generic and brand? A. The Generic Program was implemented to encourage people to take the generic equivalent when available. If there is no generic available, you pay applicable brand copays/coinsurance, or you may have to satisfy your deductible. There is an exception process for participants with a qualified medical necessity. Contact ESI for details regarding the exception process. Q. Can I request an exception for excluded or brand name drugs? If so, what is the process for requesting an exception? A. Yes, there is an exception process for participants with a qualified medical necessity. Contact ESI for details regarding the exception process. 4

6 Q. Where can I go to find the new list of formulary medications? A. You can also access the new formulary on the ESI website, accessible via the LifeBenefits website at bp.com/lifebenefits. You can also call ESI. Medical Premiums Q. I thought that BP wellness program was supposed to reduce our costs, so why are premiums going up? A. The BP wellness program continues to have a positive impact to our costs. The increases would have been much higher without the successes we ve seen through the program. Remember, before we had the BP wellness program, we had experienced a trend of significantly higher premium increases. Medical costs continue to rise nationally. These costs as well as the requirements from the Affordable Care Act (also known as Health Care Reform) and increased catastrophic claims to our plans have contributed to the premium increases. HealthPlus Eligibility Q. Do I need to complete the Annual Enrollment (AE) Health Questionnaire? A. Although not required, we encourage you and your covered spouse/domestic partner to take the questionnaire. It s a great way to learn about your current risks and help you set wellness goals for the year ahead. Access the AE Health Questionnaire via LifeBenefits at bp.com/lifebenefits. Note: The AE Health Questionnaire is separate from the comprehensive Health Questionnaire available through the BP wellness program. 5

7 Changes to Work-Life benefits Q. My child currently attends the BP on-site CCLC center. Does the 10% tuition discount expanded to infants, toddlers and twos also apply to me? A. No this benefit is already provided at a discounted rate to you and your family therefore the tuition discount applies only to child care facilities that are not on-site. Additional Resources Q. Where can I get more information about the changes for 2014/2015? A. You can learn more about the changes by reading the interactive annual enrollment guide, available on LifeBenefits at bp.com/lifebenefits, and attending one of the live or webinar presentations. Sign up for a presentation at bpaemeetings.com. About the New Expatriate Medical Plan Q. Will unaccompanied family members who remain in the U.S. receive Aetna coverage and Cigna coverage? A. Yes, all enrolled dependents will receive both Aetna and Cigna coverage. Q. Is dental included in the coverage provided by Cigna? A. Yes, dental benefits are available through Cigna both inside and outside the U.S. 6

8 Q. Do I need to be enrolled in the HealthPlus Option (coverage provided through Aetna when inside the U.S.) in order to receive Cigna Expat Medical? A. Yes, there is only one Expatriate Medical Plan for 2014/2015 annual enrolment. The plan includes coverage inside the U.S. administered by Aetna, and coverage outside the U.S. administered by Cigna. Q. I am a U.S. employee covered by my spouse s non-bp plan. If I go on assignment, am I required to enroll in the BP Expatriate Medical Plan? A. While you are not required to enroll in the BP Expatriate Medical Plan, you will only receive coverage from BP while outside of the U.S. if you enroll in the plan. Q. Can I decline coverage through Aetna? A. The two options available to you under the new plan during annual enrollment are the new Expatriate Medical Plan, which provides coverage inside the U.S. through Aetna and outside the U.S. through Cigna, or No Coverage. Because you cannot elect Cigna or Aetna coverage independently, your only option for declining coverage through Aetna is to elect No Coverage, in which case you decline all medical coverage for the 2014/2015 plan year. Q. If I don t enroll in the new expatriate medical plan, will I have Cigna coverage when outside of the U.S.? A. No. You have only one option for coverage this plan year the New Expatriate Medical Plan, which includes both Aetna (in the U.S) or Cigna (outside the U.S.). You cannot enroll for Cigna or Aetna coverage independently of the other. Q. Will there be an automatic canceling of Cigna if I cancel Aetna? A. Employees going on assignment cannot cancel Cigna or Aetna independently. They can only elect to enroll in the Expatriate Medical Plan which includes both Aetna and Cigna coverage or no coverage.

9 Q. My family is currently covered under my non-bp spouse s medical plan. If I enroll in You Only coverage under the new expatriate medical plan, will my family receive Cigna coverage when outside of the U.S.? A. No. You must enroll in the new expatriate medical plant at the You + Family or You + Child(ren) coverage level in order for your family to receive Cigna coverage when outside the U.S. Remember, the Expatriate Medical Plan includes both Aetna (in the U.S) and Cigna (outside of the U.S.) coverage; you cannot receive coverage from one provider independently of the other. * Employees hired on or after January 1, 2014, as well as employees on international assignment, are encouraged but not required to take the Annual Enrollment Health Questionnaire in If you participated in the HealthPlus or Health+Savings Option in the 2013/2014 plan year, both you and your covered spouse/domestic partner (if applicable) must each have earned 1,000 points in the BP wellness program by December 31, 2013 and complete the Annual Enrollment Health Questionnaire during annual enrollment to maintain eligibility for those options in 2014/2015. For new enrollees to the plan in the 2013/2014 plan year, you and your covered spouse/domestic partner (if applicable) are only required to complete the Annual Enrollment Health Questionnaire during annual enrollment, after which you and your covered spouse/domestic partner must each earn 1,000 points during the 2014/2015 plan year to continue to be eligible for the HealthPlus and Health+Savings Options in 2015/2016. This document is presented as a matter of information, and is not intended to constitute a promise or contractual commitment by the company. The company reserves the right to unilaterally change or terminate any or all of the programs discussed herein, as well as all of its benefit plans and programs, at any time and without prior notice. Also, modifications may be necessary to comply with applicable legal requirements. In the event of any inconsistency between a statement contained in this document and the relevant plan document or summary plan description, the plan document or summary plan description will control over this document. Employees covered by collective bargaining agreements will be subject to these benefit plan provisions to the extent consistent with the terms of BP s policy and benefit programs, the applicable collective bargaining agreement and any applicable legal guidelines. REVISED FEB13/EXPATFAQ