10.06.17 – (LAA/LUS) – 2018 Benefits Enrollment

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Friday, October 6, 2018

Benefits Enrollment 2018- LAA/LUS

The annual Open Enrollment for 2018 benefits will run from 10/16/17 – 10/27/17. Plan ahead and visit www.my.aa.com in order to review your options and decide what is going to work best for you and your family. Information about benefits roadshows at the different bases can also be found there.

Here is a brief summary of some of the changes for 2018:

Premiums for the Standard Plan will increase by 3.9% The deductible and Out of Pocket Max will stay the same.

The Value Plan will see the greatest cost increase for 2018. Premiums will increase by 6.6%. The deductible and Out of Pocket Max will stay the same. There will be also an increase to the co-pays in the Value Plan.

Premiums for the Core Plan, the Company’s high deductible plan, will see a 30% reduction in cost. The deductible and out of Pocket Max will stay the same. Be aware that while this is the least expensive plan, it also has the highest deductible and Out-of-Pocket Max of the three options. For a single person the deductible is $2000, and the Out-of-Pocket Max is $4000.

All three plans cover Preventive Care at no cost to the employee.

Premiums for the Dental Plans will increase by 4.3%.

A Dental Discount program administered by Careington will be added to the voluntary options. The Company views this as an enhancement to the current Dental plan options for employees who regularly exhaust their yearly Dental maximum benefit. (Note – this is not dental insurance, but a network of providers who offer discounted services. The Metlife Dental provider network and the Careington provider network will not necessarily overlap. Employees can elect to join or drop the Careington Dental Discount Plan at any time, not just during Open Enrollment.)

In Vitro Fertilization and Cryopreservation will now be covered in all AA Health Plans. There is a $25,000 lifetime cap per employee for these benefits.

Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapy will now be covered in all AA Health Plans.

Gender Reassignment Benefits will now be included in all AA Health Plans.

Family and Couples Therapy will now be covered in all AA Health Plans.

The HMO option in HI will be changing from HMSA to Kaiser Permanente. There will be no changes to any of the other HMO coverage options.

Employees will now be required to receive a second medical opinion through Advance Medical prior to having spinal fusion surgery. It is the Company’s view that it is beneficial for employees to get a second opinion before electing to undergo this highly invasive procedure. The employee and their Health Care Provider will make the final decision, even if the doctor from Advance Medical makes a different recommendation.

The Critical Illness and Accident Insurance from AA Added Benefits will now be administered by The Hartford rather than MetLife. There will be a reduction in premium for these programs.

A new Hospital Indemnity Plan administered by The Hartford will be offered for 2018. This coverage pays a benefit for hospital admissions and overnight stays.

Kim Coats Tuck
APFA Interim National Health Chair
[email protected]