Eligible employees of UAB, UAB Hospital, and UAB Hospital Management LLC will have the option to choose or decline health care coverage during the annual open enrollment Oct. 26-Nov. 12. In addition to a consumer-driven health plan, the traditional health plans from Viva Health and Blue Cross/Blue Shield will be continue to be available for 2019.
Those already familiar with UAB’s existing traditional health plans will note there are no plan design changes for 2019. Nonetheless, you must participate in open enrollment if you want to secure or retain medical insurance through UAB.
Traditional plan choices for 2019
Traditional plans are characterized by lower out-of-pocket costs — copays and deductibles — for covered services when compared to the consumer-driven health care plan and do not include a high annual deductible that must be met before insurance begins paying.
Viva Health offers two traditional plans for employees: Viva UAB and Viva Access.
Viva UAB offers the least expensive traditional plan premium for employees. The negotiated rates are for using providers within the UAB health care network. The maximum out-of-pocket expenses for medical and pharmacy services is $5,000 for single coverage and $10,000 for family coverage.
| Information about benefit options are being provided during the next several weeks to better enable you to make the best choices for your household.
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Viva Access enables subscribers to go outside the UAB network to other participating providers as needed or desired with slightly higher co-pays for out-of-network services, including hospitalization. Out-of-pocket expenses are lower when using providers in the UAB network. The maximum out-of-pocket expenses for medical and pharmacy services is $6,600 for single coverage and $13,200 for family coverage.
Both Viva plans provide coverage for one annual eye exam and a student and sabbatical rider for out-of-network services up to $1,500 per year.
Blue Cross/ Blue Shield has an established nationwide preferred provider organization (PPO) network that offers more latitude in selecting physicians and facilities. This plan does require a higher co-payment for services compared to the other traditional plan options. The maximum out-of-pocket expenses for medical and pharmacy services is $6,600 for single coverage and $13,200 for family coverage.
All plans cover preventive care at 100 percent, and premiums are tax-sheltered. A chart outlining the plan details and networks is available in the Open Enrollment Toolkit in the UAB for Me portal.
Prescription benefits| Preventive checkups free All UAB plans cover preventive care at 100 percent, with no deductible for physicals, immunizations, routine screenings and preventive generic prescriptions. |
Prescription benefits for all UAB-provided health insurance — traditional and the consumer-driven plans — are managed by Express Scripts.
Co-pays for prescriptions will not change, and a co-pay assistance program for certain specialty medications that enables those who qualify to reduce their out-of-pocket costs will continue to be offered.
Express Scripts offers an extensive network of participating retail pharmacies plus home delivery for 90-day supply of long-term medications at a discounted rate.
