Welcome to Annual Enrollment for 2018 benefits

Being well starts with choosing well. Take time during this Annual Enrollment period to understand your benefits options and enroll at benefits.jhu.edu any time between Oct. 20 and Nov. 7, 2017. During this time, it's important that you carefully review your health and life benefit options.

For 2018, the university will absorb 75 percent of the cost of medical plan increases. As a result, your cost for medical coverage under both our CareFirst BCBS Plan and EHP Plan will increase by only 1 percent. To review the rates for 2018, see the myChoices chart for 2018 employee premiums.

Additionally, there will be changes to your benefits for 2018. To prepare, go to the JHU Benefits website and take advantage of the enrollment resources available to help you choose your benefits for 2018.

Here are the changes you will see:

• In order to sustain lower medical plan premium increases, we will introduce some new programs to our pharmacy benefits through Express Scripts to help you get the right prescription at the best price. In addition, we will be updating your out-of-pocket costs for mail order pharmacy to align with retail out-of-pocket costs.

• If you are not enrolling in JHU medical coverage for 2018, you will be required to provide a medical waiver form. Even if you have submitted this form in the past, we will request a new form for 2018.

• The Short-Term Disability Plan will be enhanced to provide a benefit of 60 percent of your weekly base salary, up to $2,500 (rather than the current $1,000 maximum). If you are not yet enrolled in STD coverage, consider enrolling for valuable income protection if you are unable to work in case of injury or illness.

• The Health Care Flexible Spending Account maximum employee contribution will increase to $2,600 per year for 2018. As a reminder, you must re-enroll in the Health Care FSA and the Dependent Care FSA for 2018. Up to $500 of unused Health Care FSA funds will roll over into the next plan year.

• Beginning in 2018, Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, or AD&D—currently known as Personal Accident Insurance, or PAI—will move to Securian Life Insurance Co.

• Faculty and staff members will have the opportunity during Annual Enrollment to review their current life insurance coverage and make any changes without having to provide evidence of insurability (proof of good health) up to the guaranteed amount of the lesser of four times your annual salary or $500,000. If you do not make a new election, your current Life and Dependent Life Insurance coverage will carry over at the same or lower rates. You will need to actively enroll in Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance during Annual Enrollment to have more than the university-provided employee coverage of $10,000 beginning Jan. 1, 2018. You can find more details about these benefits here.

• A new voluntary Accident Insurance benefit will be offered through MetLife, providing you with greater choice at a lower price. Voluntary Accident Insurance provides coverage for unexpected injuries, such as sports-related accidents, injuries, or broken bones. For 2018, this plan is offered at a significantly discounted group rate, and you will have the option to enroll in a low- or high-coverage option.

Even if you're not planning to make changes to your benefits this year, be sure to explore the JHU Benefits website to learn more about what's changing for 2018 and how to enroll.