Open enrollment started Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, at 8 a.m. and ends Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, at 5 p.m. Please note the deadline is earlier than in past years.

UCPath will host several open enrollment webinars between Oct. 26 and Nov. 16. The UCPath team is introducing a few exciting changes based on your feedback from last year:

• Information about plan changes has been moved to a new online Benefits Open Enrollment 2022 course that includes a demonstration of the enrollment process on UCPath. Complete this online course prior to attending a webinar. 
• The new and improved webinar will include a demonstration of Alex, the new personal benefits coaching tool.
• There will be more time to answer questions about information covered in the Benefits Open Enrollment 2022 course.

Note: This webinar will not include: 

• A live presentation of open enrollment plan changes (replaced by the self-paced Benefits Open Enrollment 2022 course).  
• Information for retirees. For more information, visit UCNet
• Questions about individual cases. For personal benefits questions, please contact the UC Davis Benefits office at benefits@ucdavis.edu or visit UCPath and select Ask UCPath to submit an inquiry.

For a list of webinar sessions and registration links, visit https://www.ucop.edu/ucpath-center/_files/mypath/oe/webinars.pdf

Open Enrollment is approaching, and you'll have more help than ever this year in choosing the right benefits for you and your family. In the meantime, we want to give you a heads up about a couple of important changes.

New Open Enrollment deadline this year

This year UC's open enrollment period will start Thursday, Oct. 28, at 8 a.m. and end Friday, Nov. 19, at 5 p.m. That's earlier than our usual Open Enrollment deadline of the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. You'll still have more than three weeks to make your benefits choices and our benefits professionals will have some needed extra time to ensure UC's systems are up to date for 2022.

New pharmacy benefit manager

Navitus Health Solutions (Navitus) is replacing Anthem IngenioRx as the administrator of prescription drug benefits for the following plans: CORE, UC Care, UC Health Savings Plan, UC High Option Supplement to Medicare and UC Medicare PPO. As the pharmacy benefit manager, Navitus sets clinical policy and guidelines for medications and for the processing of pharmacy-related claims.

UC regularly reviews the administrators of our health and welfare plans to ensure members receive the highest levels of service at the most competitive prices. After a thorough process, a committee representing faculty, staff and retirees determined that Navitus would offer significant advantages as the pharmacy benefit manager for these UC plans.

Continued focus on member service and convenience

Navitus offers convenient options for filling prescription drugs that members are accustomed to, including participating University of California Health pharmacies, a large retail network (Costco, CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and Safeway/Vons), mail order delivery through Costco and access to specialty medications through Lumicera and participating UC specialty pharmacies.

Navitus will also provide robust support to help you better understand and manage your prescription drug benefit, including:

• 24/7 customer care
• A pre-enrollment website (coming in October) with tools for finding participating pharmacies, checking drug prices at the pharmacy of your choice, and looking up drugs included in the formulary (the list of drugs that are covered by the plan)
• A mobile app (for non-Medicare members) and member portal, for easy access to all your prescription medication information

There are no changes to the standard cost-sharing amounts (copayments or coinsurance) for prescription drugs due to the transition to Navitus. However, every pharmacy benefit manager uses its own formulary. While the Anthem IngenioRx and Navitus formularies are similar, there are some differences, which could affect your individual medication costs.

More detailed information about the new prescription drug plan will be sent to you near the beginning of Open Enrollment. You will also receive information from UC later in the fall about any specific impacts to you or your medications because of the change.

Stay tuned for more Open Enrollment updates!

Open Enrollment will take place from 8 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, through 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24.

UC is offering the same high-quality health plans as last year, with minimal increases in premiums — ranging from $0 to $12 per month. There are a few important changes you should know about, including increases to some medical plan cost-sharing amounts, a new administrator for Flexible Spending Accounts and enhancements to legal insurance benefits.

Correct (and lower!) medical plan rates for UC ANR employees

Next week you can expect to receive information in the mail about UC's annual Open Enrollment. As you review the benefits information booklet mailed from UCOP, please note the health plan prices in the UCOP booklet aren't for UC ANR employees - the UC Blue & Gold rates for UC ANR employees are lower than those published by UCOP. 

UC ANR and UC Davis are part of a pilot program for the next several years so UC Blue & Gold rates in the UCOP booklet are NOT the rates for UC ANR employees. The correct, lower rates for UC ANR employees are reflected in the UC online benefits portal (when you log in to sign up for your benefits) as well as the UC Davis Human Resources Open Enrollment website.

These pilot-program rates apply to employees in the ANR Business Unit, which currently doesn't include UCOP-based ANR employees and CE Specialists based at UC Riverside.

Explore the Open Enrollment website at https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/oe to find more information about the changes and your benefits plans.

Virtual benefits fair

UC's systemwide Benefits Fair opens online at http://ucal.us/benefitsfair on Oct. 27 and is available 24/7 until Open Enrollment closes on Nov. 24. Explore virtual booths with resources and videos, and representatives available to answer your questions.

UC welcomes all employees to UCPath

In a milestone for UC, all faculty and staff across the system will be enrolling for benefits on UCPath this year. Whether you're new to UCPath or a long-time user, check out an Open Enrollment webinar for tips on navigating the enrollment process and an overview of this year's choices and changes. Then, sign into your personal account at UCPath to make your changes. You have until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24, to make changes.

2021 highlights

New administrator for Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Discovery Benefits is the new FSA administrator, offering one account, one card and one mobile app for your Health and DepCare FSA — simply snap a photo with your phone to submit a claim or documentation.

Don't forget: unlike your other benefits, you need to re-enroll in your Health and/or Dependent Care FSA each year.

Legal Insurance

New Diversity and Inclusion services are being added to further support the needs of UC's diverse population, including domestic partnership agreements, funeral directives, hospital visitation authorizations, and gender identifier changes on government-issued documents.

Lower premiums for Supplemental and Expanded Dependent Life Insurance

Premiums for Supplemental and Expanded Dependent Life Insurance are decreasing an average of 7%.

Premium increase for Voluntary Long-Term Disability

Premiums for Long-Term Disability are increasing an average of $10.50 per month. Costs vary depending on age, earnings and date of hire. 

Related news:
Survey respondents report high satisfaction with UC-sponsored health plans

Through 5 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 26, you can enroll or make changes to your benefits — just choose your location from the dropdown on the Open Enrollment website.

Highlights of this year's Open Enrollment include moderate changes in premiums for UC's medical plans (with ANR members even seeing decreases) and a couple of important medical plan changes — the termination of Western Health Advantage and a new drug formulary for CORE, UC Care and UC Health Savings Plan. Open Enrollment is also your opportunity to enroll in UC's new Supplemental Health Plans, with coverage that complements your medical and disability plans.

Remember, UC ANR and UC Davis are part of a pilot program for the next several years so UC Blue & Gold rates on the UCNet open enrollment web pages are NOT the rates for UC ANR employees. The correct, lower rates are reflected in the ANR medical plan costs one-pager and will be in the UC online benefits portal (when you log in to sign up for your benefits) as well as the UC Davis Human Resources Open Enrollment website.

These pilot-program rates apply to employees in the ANR Business Unit, which doesn't currently include campus and UCOP-based ANR employees.

Even if you're happy with your benefits and don't plan to make a change, make time for a few important steps:

• Enroll or re-enroll in a flexible spending account (FSA). Your other benefits will continue if you don't take action, but you must re-enroll each year to continue your FSA.
• Review all of your plan options to make sure you're still enrolled in the best benefits for you and your family.
• While you're signed in to your benefits account, make sure your personal information is up-to-date and complete.