Benefit Plan Enrollment
For Baltimore County employees and retirees only.
2012 Open Enrollment
Baltimore County Government will hold its annual Open Enrollment for benefit plans from Tuesday, October 11 through Monday, November 14, 2011. All changes to coverage requested during Open Enrollment will take effect on January 1, 2012.
Overview of Benefit Plan Choices
We continue to offer the following plans:
Medical Plans
- CareFirst Triple Choice - current members only
- CIGNA Open Access Plus In-Network
- CIGNA Open Access Plus
- Kaiser Permanente Select HMO
Dental Plans
- CareFirst BCBS Traditional Dental
- CareFirst BCBS Preferred Dental PPO
- CIGNA Dental Care HMO
Vision Plan
- CareFirst Davis Vision
Other Plans
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Basic, Legacy & Additional Life Insurance
Retiree Medicare Plans
- CIGNA Medicare Surround
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus
Open Enrollment Meetings
This year’s meetings will give employees and retirees the opportunity to meet individually with all plan representatives. The meetings will also include plan materials and promotional items as well as healthy lifestyle information. View the list of participants, dates, times, and locations.
Review Your Current Benefits
Benefit Confirmation Statements will be mailed the week of October 3, 2011 to employees and retirees at their home addresses. Review that statement carefully. It identifies your current benefits, current and new costs for those benefits, and important personal information on file with Baltimore County’s Insurance Division.
Important Reminders
Triple Choice Plan will be Phased Out Effective December 31, 2012
Members of the Triple Choice plan will eventually need to select from either the CIGNA Open Access Plus In-Network Plan, the CIGNA Open Access Plus Plan, or the Kaiser Permanente Select HMO. Current members of the Triple Choice plan will be able to remain in the plan until December 31, 2012. If you are in the Triple Choice plan, you must select a different plan during open enrollment in the Fall 2012 to be effective January 1, 2013.
Important Eligibility Update
If you have a dependent between 20-25 years old on your plan(s), you are now able to continue coverage regardless of their student status. During Open Enrollment you may enroll any dependents up to age 26 who are not currently on your plan(s), benefits will be effective January 1, 2011. Dependent children may remain on the plan until the end of the month they reach age 26.
Enrolling in Life Insurance for the First Time – Active Employees Only
During Open Enrollment, active employees will be able to enroll in any Life Insurance plan that you are eligible for with Baltimore County (Basic or Additional) and the coverage will be guaranteed issue. This means that you will not need to answer health questions or complete a late entrant application during this Open Enrollment. You must be enrolled in Basic Life Insurance with the County in order to enroll in any Additional Life Insurance plans. You may enroll in Basic Coverage and Additional Life Insurance. Enrollment information and instructions for both Basic and Additional Life Insurance is available in the Life Insurance section. View your current Life Insurance plans, enroll in plans, and view your personalized rates at www.standard.com/enroll. Select “Need a Login” to get started.
Who Must Re-enroll During Open Enrollment 2012
You will be required to re-enroll online if any of the following applies to you:
- You want to enroll in a Medical, Dental or Vision plan for the first time.
- You want to change your health or dental plan election.
- You need to add an eligible dependent to your benefit plan(s).
- You need to remove a dependent who is no longer eligible for benefits.
- You want to continue or enroll in a Flexible Spending Account for Day Care Expenses or for Health Care Expenses.
Online Enrollment Process
Baltimore County continues to offer the Employee Self Service (ESS) system that allows you to enroll in County benefits and to request changes to your benefits during Open Enrollment at www.baltimorecountymd.gov/mybenefits . Information and enrollment instructions can be found in the back of the 2012 Benefit Guide. If you have already used ESS, continue to use your current password.
If you are a new user logging in for the first time, your password is your six-digit date of birth combined with the last four digits of your social security number (mmddyy1234). For security reasons the system will prompt you to change your password. If you have questions about your user ID or password, please contact the Service Desk at 410-887-8200.
Active Employees are required to enroll online. Retirees continue to have the option of a paper enrollment application or online enrollment. Special Dental/Vision applications will be mailed to retiree homes by the end of October. If you are retired and you wish to complete a paper application, contact the Insurance Division at 410-887-2568 or 1-800-274-4302.
Important: Once you have made your final selections in ESS be sure to select the “finish” button in section five. Once you select the finish button you may not change your enrollment. You may check your benefits in ESS at anytime throughout the year by selecting Benefits/Deductions under the My Info tab.
Revised November 28, 2011
