[MyOEBB] OEBB -- Another new benefit available October 1, 2010

[MyOEBB system updates]

Earlier this week, I announced the addition of an employee assistance
program (EAP) benefit to the OEBB offerings.  I am also pleased to
announce that starting October 1, 2010, OEBB members can purchase
long-term care (LTC) insurance through OEBB.  OEBB's LTC insurance plan
will be administered by Unum Life Insurance Company of America, a Maine
company with local offices in Portland.  Unum currently has 77 percent
of the market share for group long-term care insurance and insures more
than 715,000 lives nationally. Unum was chosen to provide LTC services
to OEBB members because they offer an indemnity model that covers such
options as informal home care and does not require that receipts be
submitted for reimbursement.

 

OEBB's LTC insurance plan includes employee-and employer-paid options.
There is a standard benefit plan with options that allow an individual,
or the entity if it is an employer-paid option, to buy-up to an
additional benefit that provides 5 percent simple inflation protection
and/or provides for total home care. The OEBB LTC plan includes a wide
variety of features and benefits, including, but not limited to:

 

*         Base plan of $2,000 per month benefit (either employee- or
employer-paid)

*         Ability to increase the monthly benefit in increments of
$1,000 up to $9,000 per month

*         The choice of a three-year, six-year, or unlimited benefit
period

*         Available to employees and retirees, spouses or domestic
partners, children 18 years old or older, siblings, parents, parent
in-laws, grandparents and grandparents-in-law   

 

A complete list of the services and rates can be found in the OEBB
information section of our Web site at www.oregon.gov/das/oebb
<http://www.oregon.gov/das/oebb> . 

 

Entities are not required to make LTC insurance available to their
employees; however as an OEBB participating entity, if you want to make
group LTC insurance available to your employees, you must use the plan
available through OEBB starting October 1, 2010. If you do not currently
offer LTC insurance to your employees, we encourage you to think about
adding this benefit as an option for your employees to consider. Too
many people believe that Medicare and Medicaid will be there to cover
long-term care expenses.  Having the option available will ensure your
employees receive more information about the importance of this coverage
during the open enrollment period in August and September. 

 

If an educational entity provides LTC on an employer-paid basis, the
entity will need to identify the LTC option for each applicable employee
group in the MyOEBB system along with the medical, dental, vision and
optional benefit plan selections for the 2010-11 plan year with an
October 1, 2010, effective date.  Entities will be allowed to select a
different option for each employee group identified in MyOEBB, or the
same option can be selected for all employee groups of the entity.  All
employees in the employee group must be covered if an employer-paid
option is selected, and each employee will have the option of electing
to cover a spouse or domestic partner on an employee-paid basis. The
employee also has the option of enrolling other family members (as
listed above), but the payments won't be deducted from the employee's
payroll check; rather the payments will be made directly to Unum.  

 

If an educational entity wants to allow employees to voluntarily enroll
for LTC benefits (i.e., on an employee-paid basis), the entity just
needs to make the coverage available during the plan selection period.
All of the options will be available to the employee and any eligible
dependents during the open enrollment period (August and September) with
an effective date of October 1, 2010, unless the option requires
approval by Unum.  Only the employee's and spouse or domestic partner's
LTC election(s) can be processed in the MyOEBB system.  Premiums for all
other dependents' coverages will be made directly to Unum.

 

As a reminder, the plan selection period will begin in early May and has
been extended through June 30 this year. 

 

We will be updating our Web site over the next couple of weeks with
more-detailed information on the OEBB LTC insurance plan. We will also
have a Unum representative available at all insurance committee meetings
we attend in May and June to answer any questions.

 

If you have questions about this new benefit, please contact Linda
Tullis at Linda.tullis at state.or.us <mailto:Linda.tullis at state.or.us> ,
or 503-378-3329. If you have questions about the plan selection process,
call 1-888-4MyOEBB.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Denise L. Hall

Deputy Administrator

Oregon Educators Benefit Board

http://egov.oregon.gov/DAS/OEBB

(503) 378-5133

(503) 378-5832 FAX

 

If you smoke, quitting will improve your health and will save you money
now and in the future.  OEBB has a tobacco cessation program!  Pass it
on..... 

http://egov.oregon.gov/DAS/OEBB/tobaccocessation.shtml
<http://egov.oregon.gov/DAS/OEBB/tobaccocessation.shtml> 

 

 

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