COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates and Guidance

The County is taking a number of actions to keep residents safe and minimize the spread of COVID-19. Find status information for County operations and services.

2021 Open Enrollment—Active Employees

Baltimore County is pleased to share some exciting news about your benefits effective January 1, 2021. The following benefit plan information is for active employees only. Learn more about the online enrollment process.

Benefit Plan Announcements

The following benefit plan information is for active Baltimore County employees only.

No Deduction December—One-Time Deduction Holiday

Active employees will be able to enjoy a "no deduction December," a one-time deduction holiday for medical, dental and vision coverage for the month of December 2020. Beginning December 2020, medical, dental and vision deductions will no longer be paid a month in advance. You will now pay for benefits in the month in which you are covered. Example: January deductions will pay for January coverage. This is a great way to end the year with a little more to save or spend for other needs, then start the new year ready to pay-as-you-go for benefits. In addition, the County has made the decision to convert all payroll deductions to a biweekly (every pay) frequency beginning with your first pay in January 2021.

New Cigna OAPIN and OAP ID Cards Coming Soon

Your new Cigna ID card with updated prescription information will arrive in late December. Continue using your current ID card until the end of 2020. Your current card will not work after January 1, 2021 when trying to fill a prescription. Don’t forget to show your new card to your pharmacist starting January 1, 2021.

Enhancements to CareFirst Dental Plans

CareFirst BCBS dental members will see the following plan enhancements effective January 1, 2021:

Dental implants now covered. 50 percent after deductible. Treatment plan required.
Increased maximum benefit per calendar year
- BCBS Traditional Dental—$2,000 per person per year
- BCBS Preferred PPO—$1,500 per person per year

Important Cigna Medical Copay Changes

Beginning January 1, 2021, Cigna OAP and OAPIN will have the following copay changes:

OAP/OAPIN Emergency room copay increasing to $100
OAPIN Specialist copay increasing to $25

New Medical Plan Option Available

Baltimore County excited to announce that we will be adding an additional Medical plan to our menu of options for active employees and non-Medicare retirees effective January 1, 2021. In partnership with Cigna and Benefit Strategies, we will be offering a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) that can be combined with a Health Savings Account (HSA), allowing you to pay for eligible, out-of-pocket, healthcare expenses with pretax dollars.

Overview of Benefit Plan Choices

We continue to offer the following plans for active employees.

Medical Plans (Pharmacy Included)

Cigna Open Access Plus In-Network (OAPIN)
Cigna Open Access Plus (OAP)
Cigna High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)
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

Health and Dependent Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
Health Savings Account (HSA) must be enrolled in Cigna HDHP
Commuter Choice Parking and Transit Accounts
Voluntary Long-Term Disability
Basic, Legacy, Additional, Spouse and Child Life Insurance

Who Must Participate During Open Enrollment 2021

You will be required to participate if any of the following applies to you:

You want to enroll or change your medical, dental or vision plan
You want to enroll or change in life insurance, voluntary long-term disability, Commuter Choice parking and transit accounts or HSA
You need to add or remove a dependent from your benefit plans
You want to continue or enroll in an FSA for daycare expenses or for health care expenses

Online Enrollment Process

To enroll or change medical, dental, vision, health and dependent flexible spending (FSA) or health savings account (HSA), log in to Employee Self Service (ESS). When accessing ESS, continue to use the same password used when viewing your paycheck. If you have questions about your user ID or password, contact the Service Desk at 410-887-8200.

To enroll or change your Life Insurance, Voluntary Long-Term Disability or Commuter Choice Parking and Transit Accounts, log in to your Benefits Solver account.

Reminders

If you do not make any changes to your benefits, your current plans and dependents on your plans will be continued for the 2021 plan year.
FSAs require re-enrollment every year.

Revised October 26, 2020

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