Notices
Pregnancy and Employment Rights
Updates and Notices
Creditable Coverage Notice
You should be provided with a certificate of creditable coverage, free of charge, from your group health plan or health insurance issuer when you lose coverage under the plan, when you become entitled to COBRA, when COBRA coverage ceases, if you request it before you lose coverage, or if you request it up to 24 months after losing coverage.
Without evidence of creditable coverage from the plan, you may be subject to a pre-existing condition exclusion for 12 months (18 months for late enrollees) after your enrollment date in other coverage.
Important Notice from Teachers College, Columbia University About Your Prescription Drug Coverage and Medicare
Please read this notice carefully and keep it where you can find it. This notice has information about your current prescription drug coverage with Oxford and about your options under Medicare's prescription drug coverage. This information can help you decide whether or not you want to join a Medicare drug plan. If you are considering joining, you should compare your current coverage, including which drugs are covered at what cost, with the coverage and costs of the plans offering Medicare prescription drug coverage in your area. Information about where you can get help to make decisions about your prescription drug coverage is at the end of this notice.
There are two important things you need to know about your current coverage and Medicare's prescription drug coverage:
1. Medicare prescription drug coverage became available in 2006 to everyone with Medicare. You can get this coverage if you join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan or join a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO or PPO) that offers prescription drug coverage. All Medicare drug plans provide at least a standard level of coverage set by Medicare. Some plans may also offer more coverage for a higher monthly premium.
2. Teachers College, Columbia University has determined that the prescription drug coverage offered by the Oxford is, on average for all plan participants, expected to pay out as much as standard Medicare prescription drug coverage pays and is therefore considered Creditable Coverage. Because your existing coverage is Creditable Coverage, you can keep this coverage and not pay a higher premium (a penalty) if you later decide to join a Medicare drug plan.
________________________________________________________________________
When Can You Join A Medicare Drug Plan?
You can join a Medicare drug plan when you first become eligible for Medicare and each year from October 15th to December 7th. However, if you lose your current creditable prescription drug coverage, through no fault of your own, you will also be eligible for a two (2) month Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to join a Medicare drug plan.
What Happens To Your Current Coverage If You Decide to Join A Medicare Drug Plan?
If you decide to join a Medicare drug plan, your current Oxford coverage will be affected. Your Oxford coverage will be terminated if you join a Medicare drug plan.
If you do decide to join a Medicare drug plan and drop your current Oxford coverage, be aware that you and your dependents will be able to get this coverage back only after you drop your Medicare drug plan and during the annual open enrollment period for the following calendar year.
When Will You Pay A Higher Premium (Penalty) To Join A Medicare Drug Plan?
You should also know that if you drop or lose your current coverage with Oxford and don't join a Medicare drug plan within 63 continuous days after your current coverage ends, you may pay a higher premium (a penalty) to join a Medicare drug plan later.
If you go 63 continuous days or longer without creditable prescription drug coverage, your monthly premium may go up by at least 1% of the Medicare base beneficiary premium per month for every month that you did not have that coverage. For example, if you go nineteen months without creditable coverage, your premium may consistently be at least 19% higher than the Medicare base beneficiary premium. You may have to pay this higher premium (a penalty) as long as you have Medicare prescription drug coverage. In addition, you may have to wait until the following October to join.
For More Information About This Notice Or Your Current Prescription Drug Coverage-'
Contact Angela Lee (bai-lee@tc.edu, 212-678-8146) for further information. NOTE: You'll get this notice each year. You will also get it before the next period you can join a Medicare drug plan, and if this coverage through Oxford changes. You also may request a copy of this notice at any time.
For More Information About Your Options Under Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage-'
More detailed information about Medicare plans that offer prescription drug coverage is in the "Medicare & You" handbook. You'll get a copy of the handbook in the mail every year from Medicare. You may also be contacted directly by Medicare drug plans.
For more information about Medicare prescription drug coverage: Visit www.medicare.gov
Call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (see the inside back cover of your copy of the "Medicare & You" handbook for their telephone number) for personalized help
Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.
If you have limited income and resources, extra help paying for Medicare prescription drug coverage is available. For information about this extra help, visit Social Security on the web at www.socialsecurity.gov, or call them at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).
Remember: Keep this Creditable Coverage notice. If you decide to join one of the Medicare drug plans, you may be required to provide a copy of this notice when you join to show whether or not you have maintained creditable coverage and, therefore, whether or not you are required to pay a higher premium (a penalty).
Name of Entity/Sender: Teachers College, Columbia University/Randy Glazer
Contact - Position/Office: AVP, HR
Address: 525 W 120th Street, New York, NY 10027
Phone Number: (212) 678-3175
Group health plans and health insurance issuers generally may not, under Federal law, restrict benefits for any hospital length of stay in connection with childbirth for the mother or newborn child to less than 48 hours following a vaginal delivery, or less than 96 hours following a cesarean section. However, Federal law generally does not prohibit the mother's or newborn's attending provider, after consulting with the mother, from discharging the mother or her newborn earlier than 48 hours (or 96 hours as applicable). In any case, plans and issuers may not, under Federal law, require that a provider obtain authorization from the plan or the insurance issuer for prescribing a length of stay not in excess of 48 hours (or 96 hours).
If you are declining enrollment for yourself or your dependents (including your spouse) because of other health insurance or group health plan coverage, you may be able to enroll yourself and your dependents in this plan if you or your dependents lose eligibility for that other coverage (or if the employer stops contributing towards your or your dependents' other coverage). However, you must request enrollment within 30 days after your or your dependents' other coverage ends (or after the employer stops contributing toward the other coverage).
In addition, if you have a new dependent as a result of marriage, birth, adoption, or placement for adoption, you may be able to enroll yourself and your dependents. However, you must request enrollment within 30 days after the marriage, birth, adoption, or placement for adoption.
To request special enrollment or obtain more information, contact Randy Glazer, Human Resources Director, or your Human Resources Representative at 212-678-3175.
If you have had or are going to have a mastectomy, you may be entitled to certain benefits under the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 (WHCRA). For individuals receiving mastectomy-related benefits, coverage will be provided in a manner determined in consultation with the attending physician and the patient, for:
1. All states of reconstruction of the breast on which the mastectomy was performed;
2. Surgery and reconstruction of the other breast to produce a symmetrical appearance;
3. prostheses, and
4. Treatment of physical complications of the mastectomy, including lymphedemas.
These benefits will be provided subject to the same deductibles and coinsurance applicable to other medical and surgical benefits provided under this plan. Therefore, the respective in-network copayments (under the Oxford Access or Oxford Exclusive plans) or deductibles and coinsurance (under the Oxford Direct or GHI plans) apply, as detailed in the plan descriptions available through your Human Resources Office or your union.
If you would like more information on WHCRA benefits, call your Human Resources Representative or the general Human Resources phone number (212-678-3175).
Offer Free Or Low-Cost Health Coverage To Children And Families
If you are eligible for health coverage from your employer, but are unable to afford the premiums, some States have premium assistance programs that can help pay for coverage. These States use funds from their Medicaid or CHIP programs to help people who are eligible for employer-sponsored health coverage, but need assistance in paying their health premiums.
If you or your dependents are already enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP and you live in a State listed below, you can contact your State Medicaid or CHIP office to find out if premium assistance is available.
If you or your dependents are NOT currently enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP, and you think you or any of your dependents might be eligible for either of these programs, you can contact your State Medicaid or CHIP office or dial 1-877-KIDS NOW or www.insurekidsnow.gov to find out how to apply. If you qualify, you can ask the State if it has a program that might help you pay the premiums for an employer-sponsored plan.
Once it is determined that you or your dependents are eligible for premium assistance under Medicaid or CHIP, your employer’s health plan is required to permit you and your dependents to enroll in the plan – as long as you and your dependents are eligible, but not already enrolled in the employer’s plan. This is called a “special enrollment” opportunity, and you must request coverage within 60 days of being determined eligible for premium assistance.
If you live in one of the following States, you may be eligible for assistance paying your employer health plan premiums. The following list of States is current as of January 22, 2010. You should contact your State for further information on eligibility –
Information about Medical Insurance Plan Grandfathered Plan Status
Teachers College believes our group medical insurance plans provided via Oxford and Emblem (GHI) are “grandfathered health plans” under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the Affordable Care Act). As permitted by the Affordable Care Act, a grandfathered health plan can preserve certain basic health coverage that was already in effect when that law was enacted. Being a grandfathered health plan means that your Oxford or Emblem GHI) medical plan may not include certain consumer protections of the Affordable Care Act that apply to other plans, for example, the requirement for the provision of preventive health services without any cost sharing. However, grandfathered health plans must comply with certain other consumer protections in the Affordable Care Act, for example, the elimination of lifetime limits on benefits.
Questions regarding which protections apply and which protections do not apply to a grandfathered health plan and what might cause a plan to change from grandfathered health plan status can be directed to the plan administrator at 212-678-3175 or glazer@tc.edu. You may also contact the Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor at 1-866-444-3272 or www.dol.gov/ebsa/healthreform. This website has a table summarizing which protections do and do not apply to grandfathered health plans.
Michelle’s Law Notification:
If your child loses his or her status as a full-time student because medical reasons cause your child to take a leave of absence from school or change to part-time student status, your child will be eligible for continued group health plan coverage for up to one year from the date your child loses full-time student status, unless your child’s eligibility would end earlier for another reason (such as exceeding the plan’s age limit).
PART A: General Information
When key parts of the health care law take effect in 2014, there will be a new way to buy health insurance: the Health Insurance Marketplace. To assist you as you evaluate options for you and your family, this notice provides some basic information about the new Marketplace and employment-based health coverage offered by your employer.
What is the Health Insurance Marketplace?
The Marketplace is designed to help you find health insurance that meets your needs and fits your budget. The Marketplace offers "one-stop shopping" to find and compare private health insurance options. You may also be eligible for a new kind of tax credit that lowers your monthly premium right away. Open enrollment for health insurance coverage through the Marketplace begins in October 2013 for coverage starting as early as January 1, 2014.
Can I Save Money on my Health Insurance Premiums in the Marketplace?
You may qualify to save money and lower your monthly premium, but only if your employer does not offer coverage, or offers coverage that doesn't meet certain standards. The savings on your premium that you're eligible for depends on your household income.
Does Employer Health Coverage Affect Eligibility for Premium Savings through the Marketplace?
Yes. If you have an offer of health coverage from your employer that meets certain standards, you will not be eligible for a tax credit through the Marketplace and may wish to enroll in your employer's health plan. However, you may be eligible for a tax credit that lowers your monthly premium, or a reduction in certain cost-sharing if your employer does not offer coverage to you at all or does not offer coverage that meets certain standards. If the cost of a plan from your employer that would cover you (and not any other members of your family) is more than 9.5% of your household income for the year, or if the coverage your employer provides does not meet the "minimum value" standard set by the Affordable Care Act, you may be eligible for a tax credit.1
Note: If you purchase a health plan through the Marketplace instead of accepting health coverage offered by your employer, then you may lose the employer contribution (if any) to the employer-offered coverage. Also, this employer contribution -as well as your employee contribution to employer-offered coverage- is often excluded from income for Federal and State income tax purposes. Your payments for coverage through the Marketplace are made on an after-tax basis.
How Can I Get More Information?
For more information about your coverage offered by your employer, please check your summary plan description or contact your HR Generalist (call 212-678-3175 to find out who your Generalist is).
The Marketplace can help you evaluate your coverage options, including your eligibility for coverage through the Marketplace and its cost. Please visit HealthCare.gov for more information, including an online application for health insurance coverage and contact information for a Health Insurance Marketplace in your area.
PART B: Information About Health Coverage Offered by Your Employer
This section contains information about any health coverage offered by your employer. If you decide to complete an application for coverage in the Marketplace, you will be asked to provide this information. This information is numbered to correspond to the Marketplace application.
|
Employer Name |
Teachers College, Columbia University |
|
Employer Identification Number (EIN) |
13-1624202 |
|
Employer Address |
525 W 120th Street |
|
City |
New York |
|
State |
NY |
|
Zip Code |
10027 |
|
Employer Phone Number |
212-678-3175 |
|
Who can we contact about employee health coverage at this job? |
Your HR Generalist (call 212-678-3175 to find out who your Generalist is) |
|
Email address |
hr@tc.edu |
Here is some basic information about health coverage offered by this employer:
As your employer, we offer a health plan to:
Some employees.
Eligible employees are:
- Full time (35 hours/week) Professionals and Executives.
- Full time Faculty, Instructors and Lecturers.
- Employees in positions covered by the Local Union 2110 CBA, Local Union 707 CBA and Local Union 32BJ CBA.
With respect to dependents: We do offer coverage.
Eligible dependents are:
- A legal spouse.
- Dependent children of an employee.
- Age limits vary depending on benefit.
This coverage meets the minimum value standard, and the cost of this coverage to you is intended to be affordable, based on employee wages.
**Even if your employer intends your coverage to be affordable, you may still be eligible for a premium discount through the Marketplace. The Marketplace will use your household income, along with other factors, to determine whether you may be eligible for a premium discount. If, for example, your wages vary from week to week (perhaps you are an hourly employee or you work on a commission basis), if you are newly employed mid-year, or if you have other income losses, you may still qualify for a premium discount.
If you decide to shop for coverage in the Marketplace, HealthCare.gov will guide you through the process.
An employer-sponsored health plan meets the "minimum value standard" if the plan's share of the total allowed benefit costs covered by the plan is no less than 60 percent of such costs.
The College has executed documents to retain Aetna Insurance Company as our health insurance provider for faculty, professional staff and instructional staff, effective January 1, 2015.
Aetna is one of the largest medical insurance carriers in the United States with 23 million members. Our new plan offers extensive wellness benefits, 24/7 customer service, online health management tools and much more.
- The Aetna Health Plan designs are extremely close to the current Oxford plan designs for the Access, Exclusive and Direct plans. We were able to match the office visit copays, pharmacy copays, deductibles and coinsurance. Detailed plan summaries will be available during open enrollment.
- The Value Plan will be changing to a Consumer Driven Health Plan (CDHP) design with Health Savings Account (HSA). More details will follow later in this communication.
- A provider disruption analysis was completed using Aetna’s Open Access Managed Choice Network (OAMC) and the majority of providers utilized by members in calendar year 2013 are also in the Aetna OAMC network. While there will be some Oxford in-network providers that are not in Aetna’s OAMC network, we expect the disruption to be minimal based on our analysis.
- By making this change, we were able to minimize the change to your current employee contributions.
Additional Details
Provider & Hospital Network: All plans will utilize the Aetna Open Access Managed Choice (OAMC) network of preferred providers, which is a nationwide network. We encourage you to contact your doctors/providers to ensure they are participating in the Aetna OAMC network. You can also view the most up to date network online at:
www.aetna.com
- Click on “Individuals and Families” on the top left
- Click on “Find a Doctor” under “Why Aetna”
- Click on “Find an Aetna doctor
- Click on “Find doctors, dentists and hospitals in our plans” under the text “Thinking of getting an Aetna plan” (once you are enrolled you will go to member site)
- Click on “Through an employer or organization”
- Enter what provider type you are searching
- For network, select “Managed Choice (Open Access)” underneath “Aetna Open Access Plans”
Some providers can have multiple specialties so sometimes can be difficult to locate online. We recommend contacting your doctor directly also to confirm their network status.
Pharmacy
The pharmacy copays per tier level will not change. However, each insurance carrier does have a different formulary list. Our analysis showed that the majority of the highly utilized prescription drugs will be in the same copay tier, however, there may be some shifts up or down tier. The full formulary can be viewed at:
www.aetna.com
- Click on “Individuals and Families” on the top left
- Click on “Find a Medication”
- Click on “See if a medication is covered”
- In drop down, choose “Three Tier Open Formulary”
- Type in applicable drug name
Transition of Care (TOC)
- members who have completed 20 weeks of pregnancy;
- in an ongoing treatment plan such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy;
- members who recently had surgery;
- members who may need a transplant.
Members must complete a TOC coverage request form and it must be approved by Aetna. TOC is for a limited amount of time; typically 90 days. Aetna will pay your provider based on the in-network level of benefits. The TOC request form will be provided at the open enrollment meetings.
“New” Value Plan
To Keep Your Current Coverage: If you wish to remain in the same plan design that you are in now, you will be mapped over to Aetna with no changes. This includes dependents that are enrolled under your plan. If you wish to make a change, you will have an opportunity to do so during open enrollment.
-時薪員工的通知 (Hourly) -非受限最低工資之雇員通知 (Exempt) -多種時薪員工的通知 (Multi-Rate)
Korean: 노동의 시간 당 수당과 임금 수령일에 대한 알림과 통지문 -시간 당 수당을 받는 노동자를 위한 통지문 (Hourly) -면제되는 노동자를 위한 임금통지문고정 급료, 도급 단가 및 기타를 기준으로 지급할 경우 적으시오 (Exempt) -다양한 시간 당 수당을 받는 노동자를 위한 통지문 (Multi-Rate)
Spanish: Aviso y Acuse de Recibo de Tasa de Pago y Día de Cobro -Aviso para empleados con tasa de pago por hora (Hourly) -Aviso de Pago para Empleados Exentos (Exempt) -Aviso para Empleados con Múltiples Tasas de Pago por Hora (Multi-Rate)