[MyOEBB] FW: OEBB -- EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR PLAN SELECTION ASSISTANCE!!!!!

[MyOEBB system updates]

From: HALL Denise * OEBB
Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2012 2:46 PM
To: 'OEBBSUPERINFO at listsmart.osl.state.or.us'; 'OEBBBUSMAN at listsmart.osl.state.or.us'
Cc: OEBB Benefits
Subject: OEBB -- EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR PLAN SELECTION ASSISTANCE!!!!!

Dear Superintendents, Business Managers and Benefit Administrators:

OEBB has been working with researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on a project to assess the past medical plan choices of OEBB enrollees.  I would first like to thank all who have provided the requested contribution information in support of this research project.  The MIT researchers have found this data invaluable and will soon report back on their findings on how well OEBB employees have done in past years in choosing their insurance plans.  In the meantime, OEBB and MIT have expanded this project in an exciting and important direction: investigating whether "decision support" tools can help employees choose the right health insurance plan for them.

In recent years outside groups have developed innovative new "decision support" tools that help with plan choice.  But we don't yet know how often these tools are used by employees, whether they actually change plan choices, or whether those changes are beneficial to employees.  The purpose of this new project is to assess how a decision support tool would be used by OEBB employees and whether it can improve their medical plan choices.

Many of the attributes of the OEBB benefits program make OEBB members perfect for a study like this.  Most employees have multiple medical plan options available to choose from and receive a defined contribution amount to apply toward purchasing their medical coverage, leaving the employee paying for a portion of the monthly premium.  These factors will allow MIT to use the results of this study to determine whether having a tool available will help individuals make a better decision when they have multiple medical plan options available to them through a health exchange or an employer (or multi-employer sponsored medical benefit program like OEBB).  And the results of this study will be very informative to OEBB as it considers how to design its medical plan options in the future.

To accomplish this, OEBB will have three separate tools available during the upcoming open enrollment period.  We will provide access to one of the three tools to your employees and early retirees.  The specific tool available to a member will vary by entity, allowing MIT researchers to determine which one is most effective in helping individuals select the medical plan option that is the most cost-effective choice for them.

Attached is a listing of the educational entities participating in the OEBB benefits program and the grouping (we refer to each group as an "Arm" of the study) assigned by the researchers at MIT.  The spreadsheet also provides a short description of what the Arm assignment will mean to the members in that Arm.  We hope this will be helpful if you receive any calls about the study or expectations of the groups, but please feel free to refer calls or emails you receive from your employees to the OEBB Member Services team at: OEBB.benefits at state.or.us<mailto:OEBB.benefits at state.or.us> or 888-469-6322.

We will have staff trained to support employees with questions about each of the tools.  We are also planning a training webinar during the week of August 6 that will be open to entity benefit representatives participating in Arms 2 and 3 of the study.  The tools used for these two Arms are administered by a third-party vendor and is separate and distinct from the OEBB benefits program.  As soon as the training is scheduled, we will notify you of the actual date(s) and time(s).  We will send a link to the tool that will be used by entity employees under Arm 1 to those entities' benefit representatives the latter part of the week of August 6 and OEBB staff will be available to answer any questions that come up.

On or around August 13, we will send a postcard to each of your active employees and early retirees to provide them with a web address that will include an overview of the study and help them prepare to use the specific tool available to them.  The postcard will also contain a link to their specific tool.  All employees will need to know what their monthly employer benefit contribution will be for the 2012-13 plan year.  We understand most entities communicate this information to employees in preparation for the open enrollment period.  If your entity doesn't typically communicate this to employees at this time, we ask that you consider doing so this plan year so your employees can make the best use of the tool available to them.

Employees in Arms 2 and 3 will need to know their OEBB E-number (E followed by an eight-digit number), their date of birth and residential zip code, as well as their dependent(s)' E-number(s), if applicable.  Most of this information is readily available to an employee, but some may need to inquire about the E-number(s).  The webpage will explain how they can find out what their and/or their family's E-numbers are by going out to MyOEBB, but we also anticipate this requirement may generate some telephone calls to both OEBB staff and entity benefit staff.  We hope the disruption for you and your staff is minimal.

We are excited to provide OEBB members with this opportunity to participate in a study that could very well have an impact on how states prepare to offer health exchanges under health care reform and help develop valuable tools that could be made available to employer groups and benefit sponsors in the future.

If you have any questions or concerns about this project, please call me at 503-378-5133.  Thank you.


Sincerely,

Denise L. Hall
Denise L. Hall, Deputy Administrator
Oregon Educators Benefit Board
http://egov.oregon.gov/OHA/OEBB<http://egov.oregon.gov/DAS/OEBB>
(503) 378-5133
(503) 378-5832 FAX

OEBB encourages all members to stay healthy and be happy!!!!     Pass it on.....  http://www.oregon.gov/OHA/OEBB/WellLinks.shtml



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