Open enrollment is your opportunity to review your medical, dental, vision, and reimbursement account benefit selections and make any changes necessary to ensure your choices continue to meet your needs.
The enrollment period for this year will be from Oct. 23 - Nov. 3, 2017.
Decisions to Make During Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment is the one time of year when employees can enroll in or change their medical, dental and vision insurance plans, and enroll in reimbursement accounts. Here’s what you need to decide this year:
- Where will you get health insurance for 2018? The U.S. government has mandated that almost everyone should have health insurance. Most eligible faculty and staff will meet that requirement with coverage through one of Duke’s four plans. Another option is coverage through the federal government in the Health Insurance Marketplace. Learn more at HealthCare.gov.
- Will you cover yourself and/or dependents for dental and vision insurance? Duke offers three different dental insurance programs and a vision insurance program that covers eye exams, lenses and frames.
- How much would you like to save on taxes? During Open Enrollment you can sign up to participate in a Health Care Reimbursement Account and/or a Dependent Care Reimbursement Account. Both these accounts allow you to put money aside before taxes to pay for health care costs and child or elder care costs respectively. Because the money is taken out of your paycheck before taxes are calculated, you save about 30 percent of every dollar you put in the accounts.
Remember: If you take no action during Open Enrollment, the selections you made for 2017 for your medical, dental, and vision coverage will continue for 2018 for you and for the dependents for whom you’ve completed the dependent eligibility verification process. To continue to use a reimbursement account, you must re-enroll for 2018.
Deductions for insurance benefits are paid in advance and will be deducted monthly from your paycheck beginning December 2017. Deductions for reimbursement accounts will start in January 2018.
Open Enrollment representatives are available at (919) 684-5600 during the following times:
- 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. weekdays, October 23 – November 3
- 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Saturday, October 28