Benefits Annual Enrollment October 11-29, 2021
This year’s Annual Enrollment (AE) period for benefit plan changes is October 11-29, 2021. Changes made during the AE period will become effective January 1, 2022, for the plan year January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022. Great news for the upcoming year; many plan costs are remaining the same, while providing the same or enhanced benefits!
Annual Enrollment is your opportunity to review your benefit elections and make changes for the upcoming 2022 plan year. All members of the State Health Plan (SHP) must take action during Annual Enrollment in order to reduce monthly premiums since all SHP members will be defaulted into the 70/30 plan. The employee must actively enroll in the 80/20 plan and answer the question regarding tobacco use to eliminate the $60 monthly tobacco surcharge. If you respond that you are a tobacco user, you must complete a free tobacco cessation session no later than November 30, 2021 to eliminate the monthly surcharge for 2022. Failure to take action will result in enrollment in the 70/30 plan and payment of the $60 monthly tobacco surcharge for the upcoming plan year.
You may make State Health Plan and NCFlex changes through the state’s online enrollment system accessible via MyPack, by calling the enrollment center at 855-859-0966, or via the BENEFITFOCUS Mobile App. (Note that the benefits enrollment portal contains SSNs, so by downloading the app, SSNs will show.) Changes to other benefits such as MetLife Life Insurance, MetLife Legal Plan (formerly Hyatt Legal Plan), and Voluntary Long Term Disability Plans are all completed via paper forms.
Be sure to review the How to Enroll video posted below and attend a Zoom session detailing changes for next year. If you need help enrolling in your State-wide benefits, call 855-859-0966 to enroll over the phone. Our goal is to have 100% of staff and faculty complete the Annual Enrollment process.
What’s New for 2022
- MetLife dental insurance offered a COVID-related rate reduction in 2021. The monthly premiums for Low and Classic options will increase and revert to 2020 rates, and the High option plan will have a rate increase of approx. 9%.
- No waiting period will apply if you switch dental options for 2022.
- For 2022, you may enroll in or increase Cancer and Specified Disease Insurance without having to provide Evidence of Insurability (EOI). Pre-existing conditions may cause a waiting period to cover that condition.
- If you/your spouse are not currently enrolled in NCFlex Group Term Life, during Annual Enrollment you may purchase $20,000 of coverage (on yourself/your spouse) on a guaranteed issue basis (if you were not previously denied coverage). Amounts over $20,000 require EOI.
- The Hyatt Legal Plan will now be known as the MetLife Legal Plan. Benefits and cost remain the same.
- During the Annual Enrollment period, MetLife life insurance will allow enrolled employees and enrolled spouses to increase coverage by 1 multiple without EOI, provided they don’t exceed the guaranteed issue amount which is the lesser of 3 times base annual salary or $500,000 for employees and $50,000 for spouses.
- There are no significant benefit changes for 2022. The formulary (drug list), which determines what medications are covered and what tier they fall under, changes on a quarterly basis, so there is a possibility that you will have changes in your prescription coverage in 2022.
- No premium increases for the 4th year in a row!
- Members who select a Clear Pricing Project Provider as their Primary Care Provider will continue to enjoy a $0 copay!
- Members will continue to enjoy a reduced copay when visiting a Clear Pricing Project Specialist!
- Preferred and non-preferred insulin continues to have a $0 copay for a 30-day supply!
- Preventive Services remain covered at 100% – no copay or deductible – on either plan!
- Tobacco users can attend a tobacco cessation counseling session at a CVS MinuteClinic or Primary Care Provider’s (PCP) office for FREE to earn a lower premium for 2022! (If you combine your tobacco cessation visit with another service at your PCP, there may be a copay.)
- You must complete the tobacco attestation during Annual Enrollment, but you have until November 30, 2021, to complete the tobacco cessation visit to eliminate the $60 monthly tobacco surcharge for 2022.
- Premiums will not increase for the 2022 benefit plan year!
- The 70/30 and 80/20 plans will have the tobacco attestation wellness credit for employees.
- Failure to complete the tobacco attestation during the Annual Enrollment period will result in a $60/month surcharge for 2022, beginning with the December 2021 paycheck.
- View 2022 Rates Here
During Annual Enrollment, employees may add or delete eligible dependents from their benefit plans. Just as with plan changes, any dependents added during Annual Enrollment have an effective date of January 1, 2022. If you are adding dependents to your health plan, the State Health Plan requires that you submit documentation verifying your dependents’ eligibility.
- Documentation requirements for dependents
- Instructions on how to upload documentation in the enrollment portal
You may now upload dependent documentation using the BENEFITFOCUS Mobile App. (Note that the benefits enrollment portal contains SSNs, so by downloading the app, SSNs will show.)
- Remember to re-enroll in FSAs for the upcoming year!
- Healthcare FSAs have a 2022 maximum annual amount of $2,750.
- Dependent Daycare FSAs have a 2022 maximum annual amount of $5,000.
- If you participated in the Health Care FSA in 2020 or are currently participating for 2021 and you have a minimum balance of $25, your full amount of unused funds will automatically roll over for the 2022 plan year. You may use these funds even if you do not re-enroll in the Health Care FSA for 2022. This temporary unlimited rollover is allowed by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- If you do re-enroll, you may elect to contribute up to $2,750 to your account in 2022. Note that going forward, starting with the 2023 plan year, the normal annual rollover amount of $550 will apply. To view your FSA account, go to ncflex.padmin.com.
- MetLife Dental Plan will have a rate increase for 2022. If you decide to switch Dental Plans for 2022, a waiting period for coverage will not apply.
For a listing of all forms needed if you are enrolling or changing NC State’s benefit plans — MetLife Life Insurance, MetLife Legal Plan (formerly Hyatt Legal Plan), and Voluntary Long Term Disability plans — visit the NC State Benefit Plans web page. If you do not wish to make changes to these plans for 2022, there is nothing you need to do.
To change your enrollment in NC State Benefit Plans, please complete the appropriate form(s) and return to the Benefits Office no later than October 29, 2021.
- MetLife Life Insurance
- You may send forms:
- Via email to hrsbenefits@ncsu.edu
- Via fax to 919-513-2528
Annual Enrollment presentations will be conducted via Zoom. You are cordially invited to attend one of these sessions to learn about benefit plan changes and updates for 2022. The schedule and registration for each Zoom session is below. You may register for any sessions that you’d like to attend.
| Date | Time | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, October 1 | 10:00am | |
| Wednesday, October 6 (en Espanol) | 10:00am | |
| Thursday, October 7 | 10:00am | |
| Wednesday, October 13 | 10:00am | |
| Monday, October 18 | 4:00pm | |
| Thursday, October 21 | 3:00pm | |
| Tuesday, October 26 (en Espanol) | 8:00am |
Tips
- Review information carefully.
- Take time to plan for the upcoming year.
- Remember to re-enroll in FSAs for the upcoming year!
- Don’t wait until the last minute!
- Review, add and/or update beneficiaries in the enrollment portal for applicable plans.
- All enrollments (online, phone and/or paper enrollment forms) must be completed and/or received by the HR Benefits Office no later than October 29, 2021.
- For online enrollment, don’t forget to SAVE!
- Print/save confirmation statement from online enrollment or record date/time of your phone enrollment or save screenshot from app enrollment.
- State Health Plan premiums are deducted in advance, so the first premium for 2022 is deducted in the December 2021 paycheck.
- Review your State Health Plan premium deduction in December 2021 for accuracy.
- Review your January 2022 paycheck for all other deductions.
Additional Resources
- Enrollment Center Contact Number: 855-859-0966
- State Health Plan’s 2022 Annual Enrollment Site
- Active Member Decision Guide
- State Health Plan 2022 Rate Sheet
- State Health Plan 2022 Comparison
- State Health Plan Information Video
- State Health Plan Upcoming Webinars
- Finding a Clear Pricing Provider
- 2022 NCFlex Annual Enrollment Employee Sessions
- 2022 NCFlex Enrollment Guide
(Universities offer a separate disability plan) - 2022 NCFlex Enrollment Guide for Universities
- 2022 NCFlex Enrollment Guide (en Español)
(Las universidades ofrecen un plan de discapacidad separado) - 2022 NCFlex Product Videos
- UNC System Guide