Vanderbilt Health Plan Change affecting the Go For the Gold Wellness Credit
Changes will be implemented beginning with the Wellness Credit paid in 2010
Vanderbilt is implementing this change to help manage the cost of the Vanderbilt Health Plan for Faculty and Staff. Vanderbilt’s payroll office will no longer manage the payments of the Go for the Gold Wellness Credit for employees who participate in Go for the Gold beginning June 13, 2009. Instead the Wellness Credit payments will managed by the health plan carriers. Having the Wellness Credit built into the health plan directly aligns the money to your health — by helping you offset your health care costs.
The original intent for Go for the Gold was to raise awareness of and encourage healthy behaviors — and for employees to use Wellness Credit funds to pay for health-related items. However, the administrative support wasn’t in place at the time to build the credit into the health plan. With this support now available, it’s the best solution to manage health plan costs and connect the Wellness Credit to helping each employee meet his or her deductible and coinsurance.
- How will Aetna and BlueCross know how much I am to receive for my level of Go for the Gold participation?
Vanderbilt will send Aetna and BlueCross a list of the dollar amounts for each Go for the Gold participant, based on the level of participation.
Bronze annual amount = $120
Silver annual amount = $180
Gold annual amount = $240
Information from your confidential Health Risk Assessment or Wellness Actions Log is not seen by the Office of Benefits Administration, Aetna or BlueCross.
View the Health Plus privacy policy
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What are the benefits of having the Vanderbilt Health Plan Account?
- The money is not taxed.
- The full annual amount is deposited as a lump sum at the beginning of the calendar year.
- The money is automatically applied toward deductibles and coinsurance.
- The money can roll over each year to a maximum of $1000.
- How will the Vanderbilt Health Plan Account work?
The Wellness Credit money Vanderbilt puts in the Health Plan Account on your behalf will help pay your deductible (the amount you pay before the health plan starts paying) and coinsurance (the percent you pay for medical expenses after meeting your deductible).
The account will be managed by Aetna or BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, based on your chosen health plan option. For example, when you have a doctor’s visit, the doctor sends the bill to Aetna or BlueCross, the carrier then processes the claim and if you have an amount due, that amount will be paid from your Vanderbilt Health Plan Account first. If you use up your Health Plan Account, then you start paying toward meeting the remainder of your deductible.
The Health Plan Account will pay the first medical claims billed, whether the bill is for you or any dependent you cover on the Vanderbilt Health Plan.
Yes. All faculty and staff that are committed to leading a healthy lifestyle are encouraged to participate in Go for the Gold and reap the health benefits of the program, but if you waive the Health Plan, you will not receive the Wellness Credit which will now be paid into the Vanderbilt Health Plan Account.
- I don’t have the Vanderbilt Health Reimbursement Account because I started after 2004. How can I open up this account?
The new Vanderbilt Health Plan Account is separate from the Health Reimbursement Account that Vanderbilt provides to employees who are eligible under the grandfathered plan started in 1984.
That Health Reimbursement Account, administered by PayFlex, is the account where Vanderbilt deposits $25 a month in an account for eligible employees’ unreimbursed medical expenses. That account is a reimbursement account that employees have to place claims (or use the PayFlex debit card) to access. The Go for the Gold Wellness Credit has no impact on that grandfathered benefit.
No.
- Can I access the Vanderbilt Health Plan Account to help pay for copays, prescriptions and over-the-counter items?
No. The account is administered by Aetna and BlueCross and will automatically be used to help meet your deductible. You don’t need to take action to access the account, it will happen automatically behind the scenes.
The balance will be shown on your Explanation of Benefits and on the Aetna and BlueCross Web sites, if you are a registered user and log into your online account.
- If I leave Vanderbilt and there is a balance in my Vanderbilt Health Plan Account, can I take the balance with me?
No. The Vanderbilt Health Plan Account is part of the Vanderbilt Health Plan and is neither portable nor transferrable. If you leave Vanderbilt, you will have access to the account only while you are still covered under the health plan, which is typically the last day of the month in which you receive a paycheck from Vanderbilt.
- My spouse/certified domestic partner is also a Vanderbilt employee. I carry both of us on my Vanderbilt Health Plan, and my spouse/partner waives coverage. Can we both get the Go for the Gold Wellness Credit?
No. The Go for the Gold Wellness Credit paid to your Vanderbilt Health Plan Account is only available to employees who elect and pay for our health plan. If your spouse/partner waives coverage, she/he is not eligible to receive the Wellness Credit because Aetna and BlueCross would only have one subscriber account — for the enrolled employee, not the waiving employee.
However, we still encourage you both to participate in the Go for the Gold program as part of your commitment to a healthy lifestyle.
You might consider reviewing the payroll deduction amounts for Employee-only coverage vs. Employee + Spouse/Partner coverage. As the Wellness Credit will not be paid for an employee who waives coverage, it might be worth changing your and your spouse’s/partner’s health plan election during Open Enrollment in October 2009 to the Employee-only coverage tier for 2010.
- I am enrolled in the Vanderbilt Health Plan, but I am healthy and don’t use medical services other than my annual checkup. Isn’t this punishing those of us who are healthy?
There are few people who will never use the health plan. The Health Plan Account will be waiting for your future medical needs while employed at Vanderbilt and paying for the Vanderbilt Health Plan. The Vanderbilt Health Plan Account balance will roll over from year to year to a maximum of $1,000.
- I don’t participate in Go for the Gold. Can I get the Vanderbilt Health Plan Account to help pay my deductible?
No. Go for the Gold participation is voluntary; however, only those enrolled in the Health Plan who participate in Go for the Gold will receive the Wellness Credit paid into your Vanderbilt Health Plan Account.
No.
- I received an email from Health Plus offering a choice of receiving the Go for the Gold Wellness Credit in my paycheck for 2010, or to receive this new Vanderbilt Health Plan Account option. Which should I choose?
Only full-time, benefits eligible faculty and staff who completed a portion of the Go for the Gold program on or before June 12, 2009, are being given this one-time option of receiving the Wellness Credit in their paychecks for 2010 or paid into their Vanderbilt Health Plan Account.
Three important details to help you make your decision:
- You will want to review the Open Enrollment materials in September that will contain information on the health plan for 2010.
- The Go for the Gold Wellness Credit in your paycheck is taxed.
- The Go for the Gold Wellness Credit paid into your Vanderbilt Health Plan Account is not taxed.
- Why are only employees who started Go for the Gold on or before June 12 given the option to choose how the Wellness Credit is paid in 2010?
Beginning June 13, 2009, we began publicizing the change in the Wellness Credit payment for faculty and staff who participate in Go for the Gold.
- After receiving the email from Health Plus in June offering a choice of how my 2010 Wellness Credit would be paid, I answered the survey question to make my choice, but now I want to change my election. Can I do so?
Yes. Pre-June 13 Go for the Gold participants who have a choice of how their Wellness Credit is paid in 2010 have until 5 p.m. on October 15, 2009 (the close of this year’s Open Enrollment) to change their payment method. Contact Health Plus at health.plus@vanderbilt.edu.
If you still have questions about the Vanderbilt Health Plan Account, email benefits@vanderbilt.edu.
For questions on the Go for the Gold program, email health.plus@vanderbilt.edu.
To complete your Go for the Gold steps, go to the Go for the Gold Web site.
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