Author: Rocky Gonzalez

IBT Board of Trustees Sets Police and Fire Health Plan Rates for 2023

The Board of Trustees of the Insurance and Benefits Trust of PORAC (IBT) has set the 2023 health plan rates for its sponsored Police and Fire Health Plan.

The Trustees met in May and June to review the experience for each region and plan for active employees and retirees. The years 2021 and 2022 have been extraordinary, and the experiences of all regions and plans were thoroughly considered.

While some region and plan rates were slightly increased, some plan rates were also slightly decreased. The 2023 rates for the Health Plan still remain lower than some HMO plans, and the Plan’s Special Reserves remain strong.

No changes were made to the coverage of the Police and Fire Health Plan for 2023.

The Police and Fire Health Plan proudly serves approximately 24,000 safety members and their families with one of the most comprehensive health plans available in the CalPERS System. We have a dedicated staff whose only job is to make sure you and your family receive the best care and service available, including assisting our PORAC members with eligibility, benefits, claims processing and claim inquiries.

Open Enrollment for 2023 coverage will be from September 19, 2022 through October 14, 2022. If you were previously covered by the Police and Fire Health Plan but are not now, or you wish to be covered or make changes to your coverage, open enrollment is the only time to do so.

We encourage you to contact your Human Resources Department, or CalPERS if you are retired, and make the switch over to one of the most comprehensive health plans offered under the CalPERS umbrella.

The Insurance and Benefits Trust of PORAC is committed to serving its members, and we look forward to serving you and your family’s insurance needs now and into the future.

Featured in the August 2022 issue of PORAC Law Enforcement News.

CalPERS Open Enrollement Schedueling Tool

The CalPERS Open Enrollment Scheduling Tool is live as of July 25, 2022. Visit calpersoerequest.org to learn more.

Key dates regarding the CalPERS Open Enrollment Scheduling Tool are as follows:

July 25 to August 26: Open Enrollment Scheduling Tool Request Form Open
September 6 to October 14: Available dates for onsite and/or virtual Open Enrollment events
September 19 to October 14: Open Enrollment dates

Understanding and Knowing Your MOUs

Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) have long been used by Law enforcement associations to negotiate terms between employers and associations, and are a useful tool to develop a trusting business relationship.

MOUs record the terms and establish a basic intention between the parties in creating a business relationship and providing a common intention, reducing the risk of uncertainty, memorializing prior agreements and providing a framework for future negotiations. 1

It’s important for associations to know the various terms and benefits each employer offers its employees to determine what potential benefits and protections may be lacking to employees.

The Insurance and Benefits Trust provides exceptional insurance products at a reasonable price, and in the process offers services and support to members in understanding how our products can best protect them and their family members. The Trust also advocates for members in cases when they need assistance and provides assistance to association leadership in negotiating our products into their MOUs.

The IBT’s disability plan was designed to protect one of the most important assets for law enforcement officers: future earning ability. If a member becomes disabled due to an injury or illness and can’t work, this disability plan provides the member and their family with a continuing monthly income up to a maximum of $10,000 per month. This plan far exceeds other plans offered to law enforcement officers in providing unparalleled financial security.

In reviewing your MOUs, make sure to know what, if any, disability plan the employer provides its employees. Make sure to identify if there is a lack of coverage, and if so, consider the IBT’s disability plan to help ensure your members’ continued receipt of a monthly income.

In addition to protecting future earning ability, the IBT also provides members with group life insurance with a simplified life insurance offering and accidental death and dismemberment coverage.

For more information on the IBT’s disability plan, life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment coverage, please contact our trusted partner, Myers-Stevens & Toohey & Co., Inc., at (800) 827-4695.

The IBT is committed to serving its participants and we look forward to serving you and your family’s insurance needs now and into the future.

As always, the IBT thanks PORAC members and its participants for supporting the IBT’s benefits.

Featured in the July 2022 issue of PORAC Law Enforcement News.

1. Worrad, Laura (2019, December 3) “5 Benefits of Using a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Retrieved from Lawpath.com ↩

Police and Fire Health Plan Update

The Insurance and Benefits Trust of PORAC Health Plan completed its first quarter under the new Anthem Blue Cross Joint Administrative Agreement (JAA) and is continuing to process claims in-house with no delays.

Under the JAA arrangement, all claims processing is now being done in-house, as of January 1. Processing claims in-house will ensure a higher level of customer service with added savings to the plan and will allow us to further control administrative costs.

As with all big undertakings and system conversions, there were some unfortunate technical difficulties that were encountered with the plan conversion, and we greatly regret the inconvenience it caused our participants. For this, we certainly apologize as we are committed to resolving all plan and system issues immediately as they arise and providing our participants with quality customer service.

Staff worked diligently with Anthem Blue Cross to resolve these issues, and we are happy to say that we have worked through all issues and have resolved over 98% of all coverage discrepancies.

As of January 1, all participants have been provided with information regarding the health plan conversion to a JAA, a questionnaire regarding the Coordination of Benefits (COB), as well as information on COVID-19 home test kits, which went into effect on January 15.

We are still continuing to see the COB questionnaires coming in, and we thank our participants for their diligent responses, as this information will assist in expediting claims.

As of March 28, the health plan claims inventory contains less than seven days of claims, with approximately 3,000 claims in the queue.

The health plan is also developing an online portal, I-Site, for participants to view their benefits and track the status of their claims. Once the portal is finalized, we will advise all participants of the available access.

In addition to processing claims, our fully staffed health plan department continues to assist all participants with enrollment and coverage issues and is available to answer your questions and assist with your plan coverage.

The 2022 CalPERS Open Enrollment period will run from September 19, 2022 to October 14, 2022.

The Board of Trustees will be meeting in the coming months to establish rates for the 2023 coverage year. Please look for more information in the coming months to stay informed on the 2023 rates.

The IBT is committed to serving its participants and we look forward to serving you and your family’s insurance needs now and into the future.

As always, the IBT thanks PORAC members and its participants for supporting the IBT’s benefits.

Featured in the June 2022 issue of PORAC Law Enforcement News.

Vision Health

Vision health is an important aspect of your overall health, and it’s particularly important if you are spending a lot of time in front of your electronic devices!

If you are spending too much time staring at a blue screen, it can cause serious eye strain.

When you spend too much time looking at your device screens, you tend to blink less, and the screen movement and text size cause your eyes to strain as our eyes work to focus.

According to WebMD, “experts think digital eyestrain, or computer vision syndrome as the condition is now referred to, affects about 50% of computer users.” 1 This does not only apply to those who work in front of a computer, but to those who spends a great deal of time staring at their devices for too long, including children.

The symptoms of computer vision syndrome include dry, irritated eyes and blurred vision.

According to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation, “there is evidence that shows that blue light can cause permanent vision changes and may increase the risk of macular degeneration, a disease of the retina.” 2, 3

It’s recommended if you spend a lot of time in front of your device screens to take certain steps to protect your vision and give your eyes a rest to relieve any strain you may be placing on your vision.

Consider the following tips from eye experts:

  • Adjust the lighting on your screens. Make sure that your device screens are not brighter than the surrounding light so that your eyes do not strain to see.
  • Give your eyes a break. “The American Ophthalmological Society recommends using the 20-20-20 rule to reduce eye strain. Take a break every 20 minutes by looking at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds.” 4
  • Keep your eyes moist. Consider using eye drops to lubricate your eyes when they feel dry.
  • Keep your distance. Keep your screen at an arm’s length distance from your eyes and adjust the angle of the screen if you need to move your focus slightly downward.
  • Reduce glare. Adjust your screen so that there is no glare from sunlight or internal light, as glare can further aggravate your vision.
  • Use blue light filters. Blue light filters can decrease the amount of blue light emanating from a screen to your eyes to prevent eye fatigue.
  • Annual eye exam. Getting an annual eye exam to determine if any chronic eye conditions are developing is crucial to your vision health. 5

The IBT’s vision plan benefit, offered through VSP, provides our members excellent service and access to eye doctors, affordable well vision care and quality eyewear and products, including:

  • Annual eye exam fully covered after $10 copay
  • Access to the VSP doctor network
  • $150 frame allowance on top brand eyeglasses and/or $150 allowance for contact lenses
  • 20% savings on additional glasses and sunglasses
  • 15% savings on contact lens fitting exams
  • Reduced prices on LASIK

If you are already enrolled in the IBT’s sponsored VSP insurance plan, using your VSP benefits is easy! Just create an account at vsp.com and view your available benefits, file a claim to request reimbursement and find a network or out-of-network doctor in your area. No ID card is necessary to schedule an appointment, but if you prefer to have an ID card, you can print one online. Visit vsp.com for other special offers and savings!

All retired PORAC RAM members and active employees whose associations are enrolled in the IBT’s sponsored VSP plan are eligible for vision insurance benefits. New subscribers must enroll during the annual open enrollment period. For additional information, contact the Insurance and Benefits Trust of PORAC at (800) 655-6397 or visit our Vision page.

Featured in the May 2022 issue of PORAC Law Enforcement News.

1. Helmer, J. (2020, October 03) “Seeing Blue: How Blue Light Can Affect Your Health” WebMD. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/blue-light-health ↩
2. Ibid. ↩
3. “Ultra-violet and Blue Light Aggravate Macular Degeneration.” American Macular Degeneration Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.macular.org/ultra-violet-and-blue-light ↩
4. UPMC Susquehanna. (2019, January 6) “Is Screen Time Really Bad for Our Eyes?” UPMC HealthBeat. Retrieved from https://share.upmc.com/2019/01/screen-time/ ↩
5. Ibid. ↩

Save the Date: CalPERS 2022 Open Enrollment

The 2022 CalPERS open enrollment period for adding, changing or terminating Health insurance benefits will run from September 19, 2022 through October 14, 2022. Simultaneously, the IBT’s Dental and Vision plans follow the same open enrollment period. Health, Dental and Vision plans have an effective date of January 1, 2023.

Please review IBT’s Health, Dental and Vision plans to see if they are a fit for you.

To make changes to your current plan, please call CalPERS at (888) 225-7377. For more information, please go to the CalPERS website.

If you are not making any changes to your current plan, you do not need to do anything.

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late!

There’s an old saying: “Needing insurance is like needing a parachute – if it isn’t there the first time, chances are you won’t be needing it again.”

While most people don’t consider life insurance until later, the best time to buy it is early on. Life Insurance can be confusing, and it’s hard to know what you really need or want. But there are three very good reasons why you need life insurance.

As we grow older, get married and build families, we come to realize more and more that life insurance is a fundamental part of having a sound financial plan. Depending on your type of policy, life insurance is fairly cheap, which means there’s no excuse not to get coverage now. Plus, over the years, you’ll find comfort in knowing money will be available to protect your loved ones in the event of your passing. Here are a few other reasons why having life insurance is important.

TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY AND LOVED ONES

If your loved ones depend on your financial support for their livelihood, then life insurance is a must because it replaces your income when you die. This is especially important for parents of young children or adults who would find it difficult to sustain their standard of living if they no longer had access to the income provided by their partner. You will also need to provide enough money to cover the costs of hiring someone to cover the day-to-day household tasks, like cleaning, laundry, cooking, childcare and everything else a growing family may need.

In addition to providing income to cover everyday living expenses, your family needs insurance to cover any outstanding debts, like the mortgage, credit cards and car loans. Other expenses include funeral and burial costs that can easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars. You don’t want your spouse, parents, children or other loved ones to be left with any extra financial burden in addition to the emotional burden they’re already suffering.

TO ADD MORE FINANCIAL SECURITY

Like most parents, you probably want to know your kids will be well taken care of when you’re gone. You not only want them to get a quality college education, but you also want to provide for other life ventures like getting married or starting a business. For this reason, additional coverage is absolutely essential while your kids are still at home.

TO BRING PEACE OF MIND

We can’t know when we’ll pass away. It could be today, tomorrow or 50 years from now, but it will happen eventually. No amount of money could ever replace a person, but more than anything, life insurance can help provide protection for the uncertainties in life. Without a doubt, having life insurance coverage will bring you and your family peace of mind. It’s one thing you can be sure of, and you’ll no longer have to question whether they’ll be taken care of when you’re gone. Life insurance protects your loved ones from the unknown and helps them through an otherwise difficult time of loss.

The Insurance and Benefits Trust of PORAC’s Group Life Insurance Program is provided to assist you in financially protecting your loved ones and to give you the peace of mind of knowing that should something happen to you, they will be taken care of. For more information, please contact our Plan Administrator, Myers-Stevens & Toohey at (800) 827-4695 or PORAC@myers-stevens.com.

Featured in the April 2022 issue of PORAC Law Enforcement News.

No Surprises Act Notice

As of January 1, 2022, participant and dependents have new billing protections when getting emergency care, non-emergency care from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities, and air ambulance services from out-of-network providers. Through new rules aimed to protect consumers, excessive out-of-pocket costs are restricted, and emergency services must continue to be covered without any prior authorization, and regardless of whether or not a provider or facility is in-network. In these cases, you shouldn’t be charged more than your plan’s copayments, coinsurance and/or deductible.

Click Here to read the “No Surprises Act Notice”