Even if you aren’t trick or treating this year, make sure you follow these tips from Safe Kids Worldwide to help keep everyone safe this Halloween!

It’s that time of year! The annual Benefits Open Enrollment period begins Tuesday, October 29, and ends at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 12. Your Open Enrollment packet, which will be sent Monday, October 28, through campus mail, contains documents that will assist you in making decisions for your 2014 benefits. You also are encouraged to attend one of the following scheduled Open Enrollment Sessions to learn more about this year’s changes:

Tuesday, October 29:  
10:00–11:00 a.m. / GH 105
2:00–3:00 p.m. / PB 106

Wednesday, October 30:
7:30–8:30 a.m. / JH 242
4:00–5:00 p.m. / GH 106

Wednesday, November 6:  
3:00–4:00 p.m. / JH 141

Friday, November 8:   
11:00 a.m.–noon / GH 108

As described at September’s Healthcare Benefits Forums, several factors were taken into consideration before changes were finalized for 2014 healthcare plans. These included claims trends for the current year, forecasted claims for the upcoming year, scope of plan benefits, general growth of medical costs outside of Butler’s control, and external benchmarks. Also impacting healthcare plans for 2014 is federal healthcare reform, which impacts plans through both fees and taxes that the University must pay. Also as a result of healthcare reform, Butler is offering a larger scope of no-cost benefits to participants, placing additional economic pressure on the plans.

If no changes were made to current healthcare plans, the average premium increase in 2014 would be 13.8 percent, 3 percent of which is a direct result of fees and taxes associated with healthcare reform. In an effort to keep plan increases below 10 percent and continue offering all four healthcare plans, the following changes will take effect in 2014:

• Premium increases for medical plans:
  • CDHP (Consumer Driven Health Plan): 4 percent
  • Core Plan: 8.5 percent
  • Buy-Up Plan: 9.5 percent
  • Plus Plan: 9.75 percent
• No premium increases for dental or vision plans.
• Increase emergency room co-pays from $150 to $175; urgent care co-pays will increase from $50 to $75.
• Increase deductibles ($250 individuals; $625 family) and out-of-pocket maximums ($250 individuals; $500 family) for all PPO plans.
• Increase office and specialist visit co-pays by $5-$10 for the Plus Plan.
• Decrease co-insurance by 5 percent for Core and Buy-Up and 10 percent for Plus.
• Increase Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions for CDHP ($150 individual; $300 family).
• HSA Authority is the new provider for Health Savings Accounts.
• One America is the new provider for life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, travel assist, and the employee assistance program.   

Key Enrollment Information

• If you take no action during the open enrollment period, your current 2013 elections will be your 2014 elections at the 2014 premium rates.
• Re-enrollment is required every year to participate in Flexible Spending, Dependent Care, and Health Savings Accounts.
• On the enrollment form, please note that there is a question regarding tuition remission. This is for planning purposes only.
• Enrollment for life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, travel assist, and the employee assistance program will take place at a later date. One America will be Butler’s new service provider beginning January 1, 2014.

If you have questions during Benefits Open Enrollment, please stop by the Human Resources office in Jordan Hall, room 144, or call ext. 9355.

Butler’s Focus on Wellness

Our number one goal is to equip our faculty, staff, and their families to be healthier and better-educated consumers of healthcare; therefore, the following initiatives will continue in 2014:

360 Degree Health Programs through Anthem
Includes 24/7 NurseLine, My Health Advantage, Future Moms, MyHealth@Anthem, ComplexCare, and ConditionCare.

A Healthier Butler U
This wellness blog for faculty and staff covers topics pertaining to a person’s entire wellbeing.

Castlight Health
This tool provides you with the ability to access a health provider shopping service by web, phone, or mobile app that empowers you to select providers based on cost, quality, and convenience.

Health Advocate
Your go-to expert for one-on-one help with any healthcare or insurance-related issue, this program helps you work through the complex maze of healthcare and identify ways to stay healthy.

Healthy Horizons
This wellness program assists each employee and their spouse or domestic partner with improving their health, provides ongoing information and health education programs, and helps to identify health risks and ways to reduce those risks.

We hope to see you at one of the upcoming Open Enrollment Sessions.

Healthcare Advisory Committee

Familiar with the salty six?  If not, you should be!  These six foods add high levels of sodium to our diet.

Check out this information from the American Heart Association on the effects sodium can have on our bodies.

Have you ever thought about giving up social media for a certain period of time?

Check out this social media fast experiment from Greatist.com.  Think you could do it?

Subscribe to the blog and you will be entered to win a prize!

Updated daily, the blog provides health tips, a variety of wellness resources, and information about upcoming programs sponsored by Healthy Horizons.  You can access the blog from the Connection home page (next to the heart icon to the right of the banner announcements) or by visiting http://blogs.butler.edu/healthyhorizons .

We have recently added a subscription option to the blog, allowing you to receive email updates when a new blog entry has been posted.

Faculty and Staff that subscribe to the blog between now and November 1st will be entered to win one of the following prizes:

• $75 Gift Card to Dream Dinners
• 2 passes for one free hour at Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park (we have 5 sets of tickets to give away!)
• 3 passes to Climb Time Indy Indoor Rock Climbing

How to Subscribe:

1.  Visit the blog.
2. In the top right hand corner of the menu sidebar, you will see the “subscribe to posts by email” option under the “search” box.
3. Enter your email address.
4. You will receive an email asking you to confirm your subscription. Click on the link in the email to confirm.
5. If your subscription was successful, you will be redirected to a subscription confirmation page that says you have successfully subscribed.

Questions or issues subscribing to the blog?  Please email healthyhorizons@butler.edu or call 8143.

In this issue:

• Dosing Errors
• Treating Symptoms Only
• Skimping on Medications
• Relying on Dubious Sources
• Mixing Medications with Supplements

Ask Pete the Planner Day is coming to Butler University on Wednesday, October 30^th!

Consider it financial speed dating! For 15 minutes, you can discuss any financial topic that comes to mind, one-on-one with Pete such as “Why do I live paycheck-to-paycheck?” or “Which credit card should I tackle first?”.  All conversations are completely confidential and no securities related advice, such as XYZ Mutual Fund, will be discussed.  This FREE opportunity is open to all Butler faculty and staff.

• Date:  Wednesday, October 30^th
• Location:  Pharmacy Building Room 110
• Time:  15 minute appointments, 8:30am-Noon and 1pm-4:30pm

28 appointment slots are available and SIGN UP IS REQUIRED.  Please use Sign Up Genius to sign up for ONE 15 minute appointment.

You may NOT email Healthy Horizons to sign up for an appointment. Please use the Sign Up Genius link above.

Not familiar with Pete the Planner?  Learn more about Pete.

Questions or issues using Sign Up Genius?  Contact us at healthyhorizons@butler.edu or by calling extension 8143.