- Do I have to do anything if I don't want to change benefits this year?
- How does the Triple Choice plan work if I live outside Maryland?
- When do my County Benefits begin?
- When do County Benefits end if I leave County employment?
- Who should I notify if I have an address change?
- Can I change health plans if I'm not satisfied with my current plan?
- Can I change my Primary Care Physician (PCP)?
- How is my dependent covered if residing outside Maryland (i.e. students in out-of-state colleges)?
- Am I required to contact my health plan before seeking care for accidental injuries or sudden and serious medical emergencies?
- Where can I go to have prescriptions filled?
- How do I continue my benefits when I retire?
- What happens to my County benefits when I'm eligible for Medicare?
- Are County employees automatically enrolled in Life Insurance plans?
- What if I did not enroll within 31 days of being hired by the County?
- How do I know if I am enrolled in County sponsored Life Insurance?
- How do I know how much Life Insurance Coverage I have?
- What does the deduction for IMP Life mean?
- How can I check to see whom I have designated as my Life Insurance beneficiary?
Q. Do I have to do anything if I don't want to change benefits this year?
A. ALL Active and Retired Employees will receive a statement that outlines the benefits they have and the dependents they have included on their plan(s) in June of 2007. After reviewing that statement, if no changes are required you do not need to enroll online. Employees who must enroll online between July 9-31, 2007 are:
- any employee enrolling in a medical, dental, vision or flexible spending account plan for the first time
- any employee making a change to any of the benefit plans they currently have
- any employee making a change to the dependents included on their plan(s)
- ALL FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNT PARTICIPANTS - these accounts require annual re-enrollment. If you do not enroll online, you will not have an FSA account effective September 1, 2007
Retirees have the option of completing a paper application or enrolling online this year. New applications/online enrollment must be completed by July 31, 2007.
Q. How does the Triple Choice plan work if I live outside Maryland?
A. Retirees who live outside Maryland have covered services reimbursed at Level 2 if using a Blue Cross Blue Shield Preferred Provider, or Level 3 if the Provider is not in the BCBS Preferred Provider network. Primary Care Providers (PCPs) are not available outside Maryland and portions of Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. You will still enroll in the Triple Choice plan but will not be able to choose a PCP if you are outside those areas.
If you spend anytime at all in Maryland during the year, you should elect a Primary Care Provider (PCP) so that you can be covered at Level 1 for those times when you may need care in Maryland.
Level 2 coverage in Triple Choice most closely resembles the current Health Care Preferred plan. Office visits to Preferred providers for primary care (internal medicine, family practitioners or general practitioners for adults, pediatricians for children) will be $15. Office visits to Preferred specialists will be $25. All other care will be subject to the Level 2 deductible and coinsurance amounts up to the annual out-of-pocket maximum amount.
You can get information about Blue Cross Blue Shield Preferred Providers in your area by calling 1-800-810-BLUE or online at www.bluecares.com.
Back to top
Q. When do my County Benefits begin?
A. You have 31 days from the date of hire to apply for Baltimore County benefits. Benefits for newly hired employees begin on the first of the month following your hire date or the first of the month following the receipt of your application for benefits in the County Insurance Division, whichever is later.
You also have 31 days to contact the County Insurance Division when benefit changes are requested due to family status changes (marriage, divorce, birth, adoption, loss of full-time student status for your dependent, loss of other benefit coverage, etc). Family status changes take effect the first of the month following receipt of your request for a change in benefit status in the County Insurance Division.
Changes to benefits requested during the annual open enrollment period in July are effective the following September 1st.
Back to top
Q. When do County Benefits end if I leave County employment?
A. The deductions for County benefits are taken a month in advance from the 2nd pay of each month. (i.e. the benefit deduction in the 2nd pay of August pays for benefits for September.) Your benefits will end on the last day of the month following your last benefits payroll deduction.
Back to top
Q. Who should I notify if I have an address change?
A. You should use the County's new Employee Self Service online system to change your address. Go to www.baltimorecountymd.gov/mybenefits and select My Documents in left margin to update your address information. It is important to keep that information current so that communications from both Baltimore County and your benefit plans reach you.
Back to top
Q. Can I change health plans if I'm not satisfied with my current plan?
A. Changes to benefit coverage are only allowed during the County's annual Open Enrollment period unless you have a change in your family status. Changes in family status typically allow you to add or delete dependents on your coverage but do not allow a change of health plans chosen unless you are moving to an area that is not served by your current health plan.
Back to top
Q. Can I change my Primary Care Physician (PCP)?
A. In order to change your PCP you must contact your health plan directly - the number is found on your membership card. Before contacting the health plan, be certain you have the name and office location of the new PCP you would like to select. Many of the County health plans also allow you to change your PCP online at their websites at your convenience. In general, changes to PCP selections take 14-21 days to process - once you receive a new membership card with the new PCP/Office indicated on the front, you may begin to use the new provider as your PCP.
Back to top
Q. How is my dependent covered if residing outside Maryland (i.e. students in out-of-state colleges)?
A. Dependents included on your health plans and residing out of state are covered for emergency medical services regardless of where they live. In most cases, students have access to campus health services for routine medical needs for nominal fees. All non-emergency medical care is subject to the guidelines of your health plan.
The Triple Choice plan would require coordination through your dependent's PCP in order to be reimbursed at the in-network level. Care not coordinated through the PCP would be subject to the annual deductible of $200 and then reimbursed at 80 percent of the CareFirst BCBS allowed amount. Routine check-ups, etc. should be scheduled for a time when the student is not away at school in order to receive the highest level of benefits under the Triple Choice plan.
Prescription plan coverage is generally available nationwide at participating pharmacies (Walmart, Eckerd, RiteAid, etc.).
Back to top
Q. Am I required to contact my health plan before seeking care for accidental injuries or sudden and serious medical emergencies?
A. When an accidental injury or medical emergency requires immediate medical attention, you should seek medical care at the nearest medical facility. If there is not time to notify your PCP before seeking treatment, you or a family member should contact the PCP's office as soon as possible after the emergency care has been received so that the PCP can coordinate follow-up care.
If the injury or medical condition is not life-threatening, you should contact your PCP's office before seeking treatment. In most cases, you may be able to receive care at the PCP's office or at an urgent care center where you can be seen more quickly and efficiently than may be the case in the emergency department of a hospital.
Back to top
Q. Where can I go to have prescriptions filled?
A. HMO plans administer their own prescription benefits and have participating pharmacies listed in their open enrollment material and on their websites. If you are enrolled in a Kaiser medical center, you can receive the highest level of benefits by using the pharmacy onsite at your medical center. You can also have prescriptions filled at Kaiser participating pharmacies but will be charged a higher copay amount. Both HMO plans offer mail-order for maintenance medications.
Members of the CareFirst BCBS Triple Choice and Medicare Supplemental plans have their prescription benefits administered by Express Scripts. Most major pharmacies in Maryland and throughout the United States are participating with the plan. Remember to use your Express Scripts card when filling prescriptions - your CareFirst card will not be accepted at the pharmacies.
Back to top
Q. How do I continue my benefits when I retire?
A. After completing your retirement papers, you should contact or stop by the County Insurance Division to request the necessary forms to change your benefits from active to retired status. You can enroll in any of the medical plans, managed dental plans and/or vision plan. Please contact the Insurance Division for more information.
Back to top
Q. What happens to my County benefits when I'm eligible for Medicare?
A. When you (or a dependent on your health plan) becomes eligible for Medicare either through disability status or age, you must contact the County Insurance Division with the date Medicare will be effective for you or your dependent. The County requires that you (and enrolled dependents who qualify for Medicare) enroll in both Part A and Part B of Medicare as soon as you or they are eligible. The County will then provide coverage to supplement the benefits provided by Medicare. The County pays 75 percent of the premium for the Medicare Supplemental plan - the remaining 25 percent is deducted from your pension check. The Medicare plans both provide prescription benefits that are at least as generous as the new Medicare Part D Standard Option. It is not necessary to enroll in Medicare Part D when you have either of the Baltimore County Medicare Health plans.
Back to top
Q. Are County employees automatically enrolled in Life Insurance plans?
A. NO. You are required to enroll in the plans and to designate your beneficiary at the time of enrollment. You have 31 days from your date of hire to enroll in Life Insurance and be guaranteed acceptance into the plan(s).
Back to top
Q. What if I did not enroll within 31 days of being hired by the County?
A. You are then considered a Late Entrant and required to provide Evidence of Insurability (EOI) by completing a Health Statement with your application for Life Insurance coverage. The form is available online or you can contact the County Insurance Division for the necessary form. The completed form is returned to the County Insurance Division for employer information and then forwarded to the County's Life Insurance carrier (ING Reliastar). The carrier reviews Late Entrant applications and makes the determination to approve or deny coverage.
Back to top
Q. How do I know if I am enrolled in County sponsored Life Insurance?
A. Life Insurance deductions are taken from the first pay of each month - your pay voucher should show a "B life" deduction for Basic Life Insurance and an "O life" deduction if you elected Optional additional life insurance.
Back to top
Q. How do I know how much Life Insurance Coverage I have?
A. If you were hired or first eligible for and enrolled in Life Insurance prior to 7/1/1997, the amount of your Basic coverage is 2 times your annual salary to a maximum amount of $200,000.
For all employees hired or first enrolled in Life Insurance on and after 7/1/1997, the amount of Basic coverage is equal to your annual salary rounded up to the nearest $1,000.
If you chose to purchase Optional additional Life Insurance, you could elect either $10,000 or $20,000 of additional coverage. If your "O life" deduction is $10 you have $10,000 additional coverage. A $20 "O life" deduction means you have $20,000 additional coverage.
Back to top
Q. What does the deduction for IMP Life mean?
A. Imputed Life is a tax tracking mechanism set up under Internal Revenue Code 79. IRS regulations provide that employees are not taxed on the value of life insurance amounts up to $50,000. If your life insurance amount totals more, the amount exceeding $50,000 is subject to the Imputed Life tax. The tax is calculated using an age-related scale determined by the IRS.
Back to top
Q. How can I check to see whom I have designated as my Life Insurance beneficiary?
A. The original copies of your Life Insurance applications and beneficiary designation forms are maintained in the County Insurance Division. It's very important to check your beneficiary designations periodically - especially if you have a family status change. The proceeds of your Life Insurance can only be paid to the person or entity currently on file as your beneficiary.
Back to top
Revised June 26, 2008
Courthouse 