Eligible employees of UAB, UAB Hospital and UAB Hospital Management LLC must choose or decline health care coverage during the annual open enrollment Oct. 18-Nov. 4. In addition to the consumer-driven health plan Viva Choice, the traditional health plans from Viva Health and Blue Cross/Blue Shield (BCBS) are available for 2025. Employees also may opt to secure dental and vision benefits through separate plans offered.
This is an active enrollment, which means any benefit-eligible employee who does not select a 2025 health care plan option during the enrollment period will not have UAB-provided health care coverage (medical, dental, vision) beginning January 2025.
Increase in health plan rates
UAB continues to face the same challenges as many other large academic medical centers with continued recovery from the pandemic and persistent inflation. Our medical plans have seen increased use during the past three years as demand has rebounded from the early days of limiting services to COVID-19 patients. After several years in which UAB was able to keep premiums essentially flat, rates were increased in 2024 and increases are also necessary in 2025 across all medical plans and tiers for Viva Choice, Viva UAB, Viva Access and BCBS. In order to keep increases as low as possible, UAB is making plan design changes to include:
- An additional $200 deductible will apply to Tier 2 (non-UAB providers) for all non-preventive services. Effective Jan. 1, Viva UAB and Viva Access networks will include UAB St. Vincent’s providers.
- An additional pharmacy deductible of $200 will apply to all weight-loss medications for the Viva UAB, Viva Access and BCBS plans.
- After all pharmacy deductibles have been met, the coinsurance for weight-loss medications will increase to 30 percent.
Chief Human Resources Officer Janet May says the diligent efforts of the UAB Benefits office and employee-led Benefits and Wellness Committee mean these necessary increases were kept to a minimum. “The Benefits and Wellness Committee continued to closely monitor the usage of UAB’s medical plans,” May said. “The changes we made to medical plan coverage in 2024, along with additional changes in 2025, helped to keep the increase in medical insurance premiums as low as possible while expanding access to providers with the addition of UAB St. Vincent’s. We are also happy to announce that, for the eighth year in a row, we will not have increases to dental rates, while vision insurance rates have been flat since 2015. UAB has continued its commitment to providing a high-quality benefits program for our faculty, staff and their families.”
Refer to the chart below for rates based on provider and tier selection.
Premium assistance returns
To ease the cost of medical premiums for qualified employees, UAB offers a premium-assistance program for eligible employees on a UAB health plan. This year, the subsidy is available to employees whose household income, based on family size, is two (2) times the federal poverty level or less.
Employees must apply with the Benefits office directly each year during open enrollment. Those who qualify will be eligible for a fixed amount each payroll period for the 2025 plan year — equivalent to the cost of single employee insurance through Viva Choice. Details are available in the open enrollment toolkit on the UAB for Me benefits portal.
No increase for vision and dental plans
In 2025, premiums for vision and dental plans will remain unchanged. UAB offers its stand-alone vision benefit through Vision Service Plan, which provides coverage for routine eye exams, lenses and frames, and contacts — both in and outside its network — plus discounts for LASIK eye surgery (in-network only) and other special discounts to plan members. Employees also may choose basic coverage or a premier plan option that includes new replacement frames every year.
UAB offers eligible employees a choice of two stand-alone dental plans — basic or comprehensive coverage provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama.
Refer to the chart above for rates based on plan options and tier selection.
Need help?
All the information employees need to make their selections will be collected in the open enrollment toolkit in the UAB for Me benefits portal. This includes plan details, educational pieces, FAQs, decision-making tools and other resources that can help you make selections.
Employees who want assistance sorting through the options have several choices to help them select the one best suited for their household:
- A plan-shopping application is available during the online open enrollment process.
- HR consultants or HR Benefits representatives are available in individual schools/departments for your convenience.
Employees may contact their HR consultant or the UAB Benefits office, benefits@uab.edu or (205) 934-3458.
All elections will be effective Jan. 1, 2025, and premiums for medical, dental and vision coverage will be reflected in the January 2025 payroll.
