Health Benefits | Human Resources

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Overview: Southern Oregon University provides all eligible employees with choice benefit options available only to State of Oregon Employees. As such, SOU employees only pay 3% or 5% for Core Medical premiums, have access to quality Optional Benefits and many Wellness Benefits that encourage a healthy work-life balance. Also, qualified employees can partake in OPSRP (Oregon Public Service Retirement Program), an exclusive PERS hybrid retirement plan, or ORP (Oregon Retirement Program), where the University will match up to 4% of your investment (only available to Unclassified employees). PEBB (Public Employees Benefits Board) is the labor-management board that designs, contracts and administers benefits for State of Oregon employees. To become a PEBB member, you must actively enroll in a medical plan (or enroll to opt out of PEBB medical, not a decline) within 30 days from the date you were hired. You will be automatically enrolled in basic employee term life insurance at $5K of coverage and have the option to enroll in all other PEBB benefits. Learn more about PEBB.

Eligibility: Your position must be intended to work at least half-time and for at least 90 days. Any other form of eligibility would come by notification from the Benefits Officer. Other individuals eligible for coverage are employee’s spouse or domestic partner, dependent children and domestic partner's children.

Enrolling: Newly hired or newly eligible employees may enroll online (if employment information has feed through systems) or by submitting required forms and any necessary documentation to the Benefits Office within 30 days of eligibility or hire date. Coverage is effective the first of the following month from the date forms are submitted. Open Enrollment is required by all eligible employees and takes place in the month of October. This is typically the only time an employee can make a change to their benefits. Open Enrollment changes take effect the first of the year.

Benefit Summary

The Benefit Summary is given to all new hires at the Benefit Orientation and is available for prospective hires as well. For detailed benefit information, refer to the Core, Optional and Wellenss tabs.

Your health benefits are comprised of three categories:

Core Benefits: group insurance offers medical, dental, vision and a guaranteed $5k of employee life insurance. The employee pays either 3% or 5% or the total benefit premium cost, depending on what elections are made.

         -Medical
         -Dental
   -Vision

Optional Benefits: Life Insurances, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, long term care and flex-spending accounts are available for employees and employees eligible dependents. The employee pays 100% of these premiums.

-Optional Benefits

Wellness Benefits: A bundle of benefits available at no charge, where knowledge, assistance and resources are provided to employees n that encourages a wholesome and complete lifestyle.

-Wellness Benefits

Use the New Hire Enrollment Guide to make decisions about your health benefits.
Use the New Hire Core & Optional Enrollment Form to elect health benefits, or enroll online through the PEBB Portal.
All other forms needed can be found here.

Core Benefits

Southern Oregon University’s benefit eligible employees have access to Medical, Dental and Vision plans, where a Medical choice is required to participate in Dental and Vision (Opting Out is considered a choice, declining is not). Also included in the Core Benefit bundel is $5K of guaranteed issue Basic Life Insurance.

Core Benefit Plans plans available to you are determined by county. http://www.oregon.gov/oha/pebb/Pages/Locations.aspx

Medical Plans
Plans available are determined by location. SOU employees pay only 3% or 5% of their total Core Benefits, depending on which Medical Plan chosen.
Available to Jackson County residents:

PEBB Statewide (where employee pays 5% of premiums for Core benefits).

https://healthplans.providence.org/members/member-groups/pebb/statewide-plan/

Providence Choice (where employee pays 5% of premiums for Core benefits)

https://healthplans.providence.org/members/member-groups/pebb/choice-member-plan/

AllCare PEBB (where employee pays 3% of premiums for Core benefits)

http://www.allcarepebb.com

Dental Plans

Plans available are determined by location. SOU employees pay only 3% or 5% of their total Core Benefits, depending on which Medical Plan chosen.
http://www.oregon.gov/oha/pebb/Pages/16DentalIndex.aspx

Available to Jackson County residents:

ODS (MODA) PPO https://www.modahealth.com/pebb/
ODS (MODA) Premier https://www.modahealth.com/pebb/
Willamette Dental https://www.willamettedental.com/pebb

Vision
Plans available are determined by location. SOU employees pay only 3% or 5% of their total Core Benefits, depending on which Medical Plan chosen.
PEBB Vision information: http://www.oregon.gov/oha/pebb/2016Benefits/16Vision.pdf

VSP https://www.vsp.com/

Optional Benefits

Accidental Death and Dismemberment
The AD&D plan provides 24-hour coverage for accidental loss of life, limb, hand, foot, hearing, speech, sight or thumb and index finger (of the same hand). You may select a coverage amount from $50,000 to $500,000, in increments of $50,000.
http://www.oregon.gov/oha/pebb/Pages/ADD.aspx

Long Term Care
Members eligible for long term care insurance can enroll for coverage at any time - not just during Open Enrollment. During Open Enrollment, you can begin the enrollment process online through your record in the benefit system; however, you will still need to submit forms to the carrier, UNUM.
http://www.oregon.gov/oha/pebb/Pages/Long-Term.aspx

Long Term Disability
The benefit covers a percentage of your monthly insured earnings. You determine the percentage when you choose from the four options. For long-term disability, the insured earnings amount is based on your monthly earnings in effect on your last full day of work. When your insured earnings increase (for example, with a pay increase), your premium rate increases. Insured earnings do not include overtime pay, bonuses, or dollars received when you opt out of medical coverage.
http://www.oregon.gov/oha/pebb/Pages/Long-Term-Disability.aspx

Short Term Disability
The benefit covers 60 percent of your insured earnings. For short-term disability, the insured earnings amount is based on your weekly earnings in effect on your last full day of work. When your insured earnings increase (for example, with a pay increase), your premium rate increases. Insured earnings do not include overtime pay, bonuses, or dollars received when you opt out of medical coverage.
http://www.oregon.gov/oha/pebb/Pages/Short-Term-Disability.aspx

Employee Optional Life Insurance
This is term life insurance. Term life insurance means that the insurance benefit is payable only if the insured person dies during period specified by the policy. The beneficiary receives the benefit payment if the insured person dies while covered under the policy. In this case, that is while the person is a PEBB-eligible state employee whose premium payments are current. The Standard pays the benefit upon death from any cause (excluding suicide during the first two years of coverage).
http://www.oregon.gov/oha/pebb/Pages/Optional-Employee-Life.aspx

Spouse/Partner Optional Life Insurance
This is term life insurance. Term life insurance means that the insurance benefit is payable only if the insured person dies during a specified period. The beneficiary receives the benefit payment if the insured person dies while covered under the policy. In this case, that is while the employee who purchases the coverage is a PEBB-eligible state employee and premium payments for the coverage are current.
http://www.oregon.gov/oha/pebb/Pages/Spouse-Partner-Life.aspx

Dependent Life
This is term life insurance. The beneficiary (the enrolled employee) is the recipient if the covered individual dies while covered under the policy.
In this case that is when the employee who purchases the coverage is a PEBB-eligible state employee and premium payments for the coverage are current.
http://www.oregon.gov/oha/pebb/Pages/Dependent-Life.aspx

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

FSAs allow you to use pre-tax dollars to reimburse yourself for IRS-Qualified expenses. Use a Health Care FSA for IRS-qualified medical and dental expenses not covered in your plan, or use a Dependent Care FSA for IRS-qualified day care expenses that allow you to work. FSAs are annual accounts. If you want an FSA for the coming plan year, you must enroll during Open Enrollment. You can't revoke your participation in an FSA after it goes into effect.

http://www.oregon.gov/oha/pebb/2016Benefits/16FSA.pdf

Wellness Resources

Health Engagement Model (HEM)
The goal of the HEM program is to engage as many people as possible in improving their health. Participating in HEM helps you learn about your health risks and take actions to reduce them. Becoming healthier together can help contain health care costs for all of us over time. Enrollment in HEM for the coming year occurs during Open Enrollment and is MANDADTORY. Participants receive a health incentive in their monthly pay, available in January after completion of Open Enrollment.
http://www.oregon.gov/oha/pebb/Pages/16HEM.aspx

Bus Pass Program
Pick up a new bus pass sticker every term at the Service Center so that you can ride the bus for free, a service through RVTD (Rogue Valley Transportation District). Enjoy a trip down town for lunch, ride to and from work without worrying about parking, or even enjoy the bus for easy weekend transportation.
https://inside.sou.edu/sc/support.html#bus-pass
http://www.rvtd.org/

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
The Southern Oregon University contracts with Cascade Centers, Inc. to provide a comprehensive employee assistance program for eligible employees, their dependents. If you are struggling with work or family issues, free confidential help is available through the EAP.
http://www.oregon.gov/oha/pebb/Pages/EAPIndex.aspx

LifeBalance
LifeBalance is an online wellness program designed to help members find well-being by participating in a wide variety of healthy deals and activities that meet your needs.
https://lifebalanceprogram.com/startpage.php?deeplinkVid=

Healthy Team Healthy U (HTHU)
Healthy Team Healthy U targets your overall health to maximize results and create healthier minds, healthier bodies, and a healthier workplace. Through this program you gain access to an online support community and vast resources to cultivate a healthier lifestyle.
https://pebb.hthu.com/public

Tobacco Cessation
Employees enrolled in medical insurance have access to a smoking cessation program to assist with quitting tobacco consumption and lower health care costs.
http://www.oregon.gov/oha/pebb/Pages/FreeClear.aspx

MoodHelper
MoodHelper provides online resources to assist with the management of depression.
https://www.kpchr.org/moodhelper/default.aspx

Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers program assists employees with achieving weight loss goals in a healthy supportive environment. Weight Watchers group are available on campus.
http://www.oregon.gov/oha/pebb/2016Benefits/16WWgateway.pdf

No Cost Preventative Services

Most health plans must cover a set of preventive services — like shots and screening tests — at no cost to you. All Marketplace health plans and many other plans must cover the following list of preventive services without charging you a copayment or coinsurance. This is true even if you haven’t met your yearly deductible. These services are only free when delivered by a doctor or other provider in your plan’s network. For details and more information, visit https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage/preventive-care-benefits/.

FOR ALL ADULTS

1.       Abdominal aortic aneurysm one-time screening for men of specified ages who have ever smoked
2.       Alcohol misuse screening and counseling
3.       Aspirin use to prevent cardiovascular disease for men and women of certain ages
4.       Blood pressure screening
5.       Cholesterol screening for adults of certain ages or at higher risk
6.       Colorectal cancer screening for adults over 50
7.       Depression screening
8.       Diabetes (Type 2) screening for adults with high blood pressure
9.       Diet counseling for adults at higher risk for chronic disease
10.   Hepatitis B screening for people at high risk, including people from countries with 2% or more Hepatitis B prevalence, and U.S.-born people not vaccinated as infants and with at least one parent born in a region with 8% or more Hepatitis B prevalence.
11.   Hepatitis C screening for adults at increased risk, and one time for everyone born 1945 – 1965
12.   HIV screening for everyone ages 15 to 65, and other ages at increased risk
13.   Immunization vaccines for adults — doses, recommended ages, and recommended populations vary:
       Diphtheria
       Hepatitis A
     Hepatitis B
     Herpes Zoster
     Human Papillomavirus(HPV)
     Influenza (flu shot)
     Measles
     Meningococcal
      Mumps
       Pertussis
     Pneumococcal
     Rubella
       Tetanus
         Varicella (Chickenpox)
14.   Lung cancer screening for adults 55 - 80 at high risk for lung cancer because they’re heavy smokers or have quit in the past 15 years
15.   Obesity screening and counseling
16.   Sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention counseling for adults at higher risk
17.   Syphilis screening for adults at higher risk
18.   Tobacco Use screening for all adults and cessation interventions for tobacco users

FOR WOMEN

Services for pregnant women or women who may become pregnant:
1.       Anemia screening on a routine basis
2.       Breastfeeding comprehensive support and counseling from trained providers, and access to breastfeeding supplies, for pregnant and nursing women.
3.       Contraception: Food and Drug Administration-approved contraceptive methods, sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling, as prescribed by a health care provider for women with reproductive capacity (not including abortifacient drugs). This does not apply to health plans sponsored by certain exempt “religious employers.”
4.       Folic acid supplements for women who may become pregnant
5.       Gestational diabetes screening for women 24 to 28 weeks pregnant and those at high risk of developing gestational diabetes
6.       Gonorrhea screening for all women at higher risk
7.       Hepatitis B screening for pregnant women at their first prenatal visit
8.       Rh Incompatibility screening for all pregnant women and follow-up testing for women at higher risk
9.       Syphilis screening
10.   Expanded tobacco intervention and counseling for pregnant tobacco users
11.   Urinary tract or other infection screening

Other covered preventative services for women:
1.       Breast cancer genetic test counseling (BRCA) for women at higher risk
2.       Breast cancer mammography screenings every 1 to 2 years for women over 40
3.       Breast cancer chemoprevention counseling for women at higher risk
4.       Cervical cancer screening for sexually active women
5.       Chlamydia infection screening for younger women and other women at higher risk
6.       Domestic and interpersonal violence screening and counseling for all women
7.       Gonorrhea screening for all women at higher risk
8.       HIV screening and counseling for sexually active women
9.       Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA test every 3 years for women with normal cytology results who are 30 or older
10.   Osteoporosis screening for women over age 60 depending on risk factors
11.   Rh incompatibility screening follow-up testing for women at higher risk
12.   Sexually transmitted infections counseling for sexually active women
13.   Syphilis screening for women at increased risk
14.   Tobacco use screening and interventions
15. Well-woman visits to get recommended services for women under 65