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Open enrollment begins next week, and, just like last year, we are pointing out that the �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣ Blue & Gold medical plan rates shown on �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣnet and printed in an open enrollment brochure coming by U.S. mail do not apply locally.

The Blue & Gold rates do not reflect the subsidies put in place Jan. 1, 2020, and which will continue in 2021 for employees of �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣ Davis, �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣ Davis Health and Davis-based Agriculture and Natural Resources, bringing “local” Blue & Gold rates down to equal Kaiser Permanente’s.

Employees of �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣ Davis, �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣ Davis Health and ANR will find the local Blue & Gold rates on an insert in open enrollment packets that are due to arrive at home addresses next week.

The local Blue & Gold subsidies accompanied the university’s decision to drop the Western Health Advantage health maintenance organization, or HMO, as a medical plan option, effective Jan. 1, 2020.

The Western Health Advantage plan included �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣ Davis Health as a provider at monthly premiums that, over the years, generally matched those of Kaiser Permanente’s — making WHA and Kaiser the lowest-priced HMOs among �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣ’s medical plan options.

Without WHA, employees had only one other choice of an HMO with �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣ Davis Health as a provider, and that was Blue & Gold, but at higher cost. That’s where the subsidies came in, giving former WHA members the option of enrolling in Blue & Gold — and keeping �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣ Davis Health as a provider — at an affordable price.

All medical plan options in 2021 are the same as this year’s: Blue & Gold and Kaiser as HMOs, and �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣ Care, �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣ Health Savings Plan and CORE as preferred provider organizations.

Employees of �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣ Davis, �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣ Davis Health and ANR will see premium increases of $2 to $6 a month for Blue & Gold and Kaiser, and zero for the other plans. As in previous years, premiums fall into four tiers: the higher your salary, the more you pay.

Cost-sharing changes

• Kaiser Permanente HMO and �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣ Blue & Gold HMO — Emergency room copayments will climb $50, to $125, if the patient is not admitted to the hospital.
• �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣ Care — A number of cost-sharing changes are described in this .

Other highlights

• New administrator for flexible spending accounts — Discovery Benefits will be the new administrator, offering one account, one card and one mobile app for health and dependent care FSAs — simply snap a photo with your phone to submit a claim or documentation.
• Legal insurance — New diversity and inclusion services are being added to further support the needs of �°������ϲ���Ļ��Ϣ’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 — The decreases average 7 percent.
• Higher premiums for voluntary long-term disability — The increases average $10.50 per month. Costs vary depending on age, earnings and date of hire. 

Open enrollment resources

• — No in-person presentations this year, due to the pandemic. Look for a 2021 update to the program’s , available on demand.
• �°������ϲ���Ļ��ϢPath — One-hour webinars at various times and on various days through Nov. 23, providing an overview of open enrollment options and changes, plus information on navigating the open enrollment process in �°������ϲ���Ļ��ϢPath. ; register by clicking on the date and time of your choosing.
• — Online, starting Tuesday, Oct. 27, and continuing 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until the close of open enrollment at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24. Explore virtual booths, watch videos and chat with benefits representatives.