2008 Open Enrollment Information 

2008 Open Enrollment Powerpoint Presentation- Available HERE

CIGNA Open Access Plus (OAP)         CLICK FOR HERE for 2008 OPEN ENROLLMENT NEWSLETTER  

Plan Highlights

No Referrals, Nationwide Network Access          *Higher level of benefits for in-network covered care 

No claim forms for the in-network visits                *Retail and Mail Order Drug 3-tier Prescription Drug Program,

Enhanced vision benefit -- $20 co-pay at any provider  

        Vision Claim Form to submit for reimbursement - Click here

        VISION PLAN DISCOUNTS from CIGNA, MetLife and EDS *** Click for more information

CIGNA Minute Clinics – For You

We're pleased to inform you that MinuteClinic recently joined the CIGNA HealthCare network of providers. This means the professional care delivered by the clinical teams at MinuteClinic health care centers is covered by CIGNA HealthCare, with applicable coinsurance, co-payments, and deductibles applying (just like any other service you receive from a health care provider).

How Minute Clinics Work--

Step 1: Let's say you're experiencing a common ailment, like strep throat or pink eye. You don't want to take time away from work to visit your doctor, and don't want to spend a long time in their office waiting room. You decide to visit a MinuteClinic.
Step 2: You go after dinner, knowing you can visit MinuteClinic in the evening (which is more convenient for you). And because no appointment is necessary at MinuteClinic, you're able to walk right in.
Step 3: You meet with a Nurse Practitioner, who quickly diagnoses your ailment. You're given a prescription order to fill at your local pharmacy.
Step 4: You noticed before you walked in that the full prices for these services (on a pre-benefit basis) were displayed outside the clinic with most services costing between $49 and $59.
Step 5: MinuteClinic will send the results of your diagnosis and treatment to your doctor for any appropriate follow-up.
Step 6: Coverage for the service is determined by your benefit plan. Your plan's primary care physician office copayment or coinsurance will apply to these services

You can view a copy of the ARIZONA summary of coverage at http://www.noao.edu/cas/hr/BenefitSummary.html  

ELECTRONIC CIGNA PACKET INSERTS AVAILABLE BELOW

Based on the feed back received from the survey, a decision has been made to help ease the burden on the employee in trying to decipher their claims or any other medical paperwork they receive.

 Lovitt and Touché, who is our broker, has graciously dedicated a consultant to us who will be available to answer any benefits question you might have.

 The schedule is as follows:

1^st meeting: Nov 28^th from 10a- Noon in the CAS office # Q26  

2^nd meeting: December 5^th from 10a- Noon in the CAS office # Q26

3^rd meeting: December 12^th from 10a- Noon in the CAS office #Q26

4^th meeting/LAST Meeting for the year: December 19^th from 10a- Noon in the CAS office #Q26

 Based on the activity, we will announce a similar schedule for 2008 at a later date.  As always, Human Resources is available at any time to assist you.

To all AURA voluntary tax-deferred annuity participants,

The Internal Revenue Service recently issued final 403(b) regulations that affect your 403(b) account under the AURA tax-deferred annuity plan.

Effective September 25, 2007, direct transfers from your AURA-sponsored 403(b) voluntary account to a provider who is not approved under our plan to receive contributions may result in severe tax consequences to you.  The only providers that are approved under AURA’s plan to receive contributions are Fidelity Investments and Teachers Insurance Annuity Association – College Retirement Equities Fund.

Please note that the direct rollover rules have not changed.  When you are entitled to take a distribution from your 403(b) account, such as when you cease to be an employee of AURA, you may continue to roll over your distributions to another 403(b) plan, a 401(k) plan, or to an IRA account.

You should consult your tax advisor for more information.

CIGNA IS THE MEDICAL PROVIDER FOR ALL ACTIVE EMPLOYEE AND RETIREE PLANS

CIGNA IS the new medical insurance provider for the January 1, 2007 – December 31, 2007 plan year for Arizona and New Mexico Employees as well as all Retirees. 

You can view a copy of the ARIZONA and NEW MEXICO summary of coverage at http://www.noao.edu/cas/hr/BenefitSummary.html  

Retire and COBRA information can be found at  

• The vision benefits are different with CIGNA, please refer to the summary of coverage.  Refractive eye exams are no longer covered for the office visit co-pay.  A $20 allowance is provided toward the eye exam (reference the summary of benefits).
• 90-day mail-order prescription co-pays were decreased to 2 times the 30-day retail cost as opposed to 2.5 times the 30 day cost with UHC.  The prescription drugs 3 tiered co-pays remain the same with the $10/25/50 co-payments.  CIGNA's formulary is not identical to UHC's so you will need to check the CIGNA drug list to find out which tier your drug is listed.  The CIGNA drug list can be found at  www.cigna.com , click the drug list link.

Mountain States Administrative Services (MSAS) will continue to administrator the FSA program for 2007 plan year.  All FSA Claims should be submitted to Mountain States.  For information regarding the FSA plan you may review the participant guide . You may download the claim form at the CAS Forms website . The claim form along with supporting documentation should be submitted directly to Mountain States via fax or mail for reimbursement.

If you have any questions regarding claims you review your claim status online MSAS Online or contact customer service at (520) 722-0811 or (800) 866-4731.

Please see the FSA frequently asked questions for more information regarding the FSA plan.

The Emergency Travel Assistance Service is a free program made available to regular full-time employees and their families through Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, and the services are provided by Assist America. Assist America’s travel assistance services include:

• medical consultation and evaluation;
• medical referrals;
• hospital admission guarantee;
• prescription assistance;
• legal and interpreter referrals;
  
• critical care monitoring; and,
• if medically necessary, evacuation by whatever mode of transport necessary to the nearest facility that can appropriately treat your situation.

More information and an ID card may be found in the informational brochure. Cut out the card that contains the phone and email contact information for this benefit.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Always carry your Assist America member ID card whenever you travel.
• Assist America cannot reimburse participants for services that it did
  not provide.
• This service will not replace your health insurance. In order to get reimbursed for medical bills, please follow the procedures outlined by your health insurance plan.

Contact Information

The Assist America staff is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help ensure that you obtain appropriate emergency travel assistance when you are 100 miles or more from home.

Toll free in the U.S. 1-800-872-1414
Call collect outside of the U.S. 301-656-4152

METLIFE DENTAL PARTICIPANTS
Now, there's a better way to manage your dental benefits and get the most out of them at the MyBenefits website. When you log on to www.metlife.com/mybenefits , you'll have easy online access to information about your dental benefits right from your desktop. You can:

• Find an in-network dentist and view your claim details
• View a summary of your dental elections and a link to detailed coverage information
• View a list of your covered dependents and have quick links to their coverage descriptions, so you know what procedures are covered before they go to the dentist
• Track claims online and receive email alerts when a claim has been processed
• Download a claim form