Interest by state employees in the transition to a new health
insurance provider, effective July 1, strained facilities
during the first week of statewide meetings and prompted the
Office of Insurance Management (OIM) to add another session
in Boise Tuesday.
ITD employees and colleagues from other departments filled
the Headquarters auditorium early Monday morning (April 26)
and led to a second full session immediately afterward, at
10:30 a.m. A third information session could have been justified
for those unable to participate in the first two.
We apologize for not having the space to accommodate
all of those interested in attending the sessions at ITD Headquarters,
said Human Resource Services manager Mary Harker. No
one could have predicted the level of interest and the requests
for information that we have received so far on the health
insurance transition.
ITD employees have two more opportunities to learn about
the Blue Cross options on Tuesday. A meeting is planned from
9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Student Union Building (Jordan
A and B) at Boise State University. The ballroom can accommodate
a large audience and would be a good venue for ITD employees.
OIM added another meeting Tuesday, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
in the basement conference room at the Joe R. Williams Building
on the Capitol Mall in Boise.
Open enrollment begins May 1 and continues through May 28.
All state employees will need to enroll with Blue Cross; previous
information filed with Regence BlueShield will not be transferred
over to the new provider. Even employees who wish to decline
coverage under the new provider will need to convey that decision
on an enrollment form.
Employees who want to participate in the states flexible
spending account program should enroll online or obtain a
paper form from their respective Human Resource office.
Because of logistics of re-enrolling and the relatively short
timeframe, employees are strongly encouraged to complete the
process online, rather than use paper forms. Data from paper
forms will need to be input manually, which complicates the
process. Benefits of the electronic process include: