2010 Annual Benefits Enrollment

October 26 – November 20, 2009

Each year you have the opportunity to review your benefit coverage elections and to continue, or change those elections depending on your personal needs.  The email you received contains important information that you are encouraged to read carefully and share with your family. For additional information, you can attend one of the Benefit Information Sessions that we’ll have during the Annual Open Enrollment period. From October 26 to October 30, Human Resources benefits representatives will be available in Student Center Room 141 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. And on Monday, November 2 in the East Library Wing Room 246 representatives from our health and pension vendors will be available from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Please check back on this page and the HofNews for additional dates, locations and times, or follow us on Twitter at @HofstraHR.

New Vendors 
Effective January 1, 2010, Delta Dental will become the new administrator for our dental benefit plan. The Delta Dental network is considerably larger than the MetLife network, so you may find that your dentist is now considered “in-network” which means savings for you and Hofstra. While the coverage remains the same, Delta Dental will now be covering implants as part of the annual maximum/prosthodontic coinsurance level. Learn more about Delta Dental by clicking on the HEALTHCARE BENEFITS link on the left.

Also for January 1, 2010, Express-Scripts will become the new administrator for our pharmacy benefit plan. All the pharmacy outlets you’ve been using including CVS, Walgreens, Duane-Reed, Rite-Aid, etc. will still accept your new pharmacy card. The Express-Scripts formulary differs slightly from the formulary used by Medco. Therefore, you may find that the copay on your prescription has decreased, or in some rare cases it has increased. The Express-Scripts plan will now cover contraceptives. To learn more about Express-Scripts, click the HEALTHCARE BENEFITS link on the left.

Coverage Changes
This Annual Enrollment period is the time for you to review your coverage, and make any appropriate changes.  The only way you may make coverage changes during the 2010 Plan Year is if you have a qualified life event.  Life events include:

• Marriage, divorce, or legal separation
• Birth or adoption of a child
• Death of a covered participant
• Change in your spouse’s employment status (loss or gain of a job)
• Change in your dependent’s eligibility (i.e. loss of dependent status) 

The coverage change you make must be consistent with the qualified life event.  To make a change, your new election must be received at the Human Resources Department within 30 days of the qualified life event.

Medical Coverage for Dependent Children
You may cover your IRS defined dependent children under the Hofstra Choice and ChoicePlus Plans until they attain age 19, or up to age 23 if they are full time students. Recent New York State legislation governing our alternative plans (Oxford HMO, HIP HMO and HIP POS) extends the dependent child coverage to age 29. Once the child “ages out” they are no longer eligible to be covered as your dependent.  However, they have the option to continue coverage under the provisions of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (COBRA) for up to 36 months.  It is your responsibility to notify Human Resources within 30 days of their status change if they wish to consider coverage under COBRA.