Complete 2025 Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment LIVE through Oct. 25, 2024

Open Enrollment is your annual opportunity to enroll in or make changes to your health and optional insurance benefit plans. All employees must act during this period to maintain their benefits and secure the lowest possible premiums. As a reminder, starting January 1, 2025, the State Health Plan’s Third-Party Administrator (TOP) will transition from Blue Cross NC to Aetna.

You MUST TAKE ACTION on the following items:

• Enroll in the desired plan at the lowest possible premium

• Re-select your Primary Care Provider (PCP) in order to keep enjoying lower copays when visiting that provider. Please note, your medical doctor/provider information will not carry over to 2025.

• Required Tobacco Attestation
  • Non-tobacco user – simply complete the attestation online in eBenefits during Open Enrollment.
  • Tobacco users (including vaping): in order to receive the $60 monthly credit, you must attend at least 1 tobacco cessation counseling session with a medical provider and upload the office visit summary in eBenefits by November 30^th.

• NC Flex – must re-enroll in Health Care and/or Dependent Day Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) if you are currently participating in those and wish to continue in 2025.

• Colonial Products (including MD Live) – If you wish to discontinue any Colonial or Recurco product, you must meet with the representative.

All State Health Plan members will receive a new 2025 ID card which will be mailed out in December.  2024 State Health Plan ID cards will not work after December 31, 2024.

Plan Updates

State Health Plan

• No major benefit changes
• Aetna is the new Third Party Administrator (TPA) effective January 1, 2025
• CVS Caremark continues to be the Pharmacy Benefits Manager. This does NOT mean you must go to a CVS pharmacy for your prescriptions.  CVS Caremark has a broad pharmacy network. They also offer a prescription mail order program:  order form    Remember that the Plan continued to maintain a custom closed formulary (drug list) which is updated on a quarterly basis.  Under a closed formulary, certain drugs are not covered, though there is an exception process available if your medical provider believes it is in your best interest to receive a non-covered drug.   You should always review the formulary to see if there have been any coverage changes to your prescribed medications.  View  CVS Caremark Pharmacy Resource Center | NC State Health Plan (shpnc.org) for additional information including the link to the formulary and a drug cost lookup & pharmacy locator tool.

NC Flex

• No major benefit changes
• The Dental plan premium will increase by two percent for 2025.

Empower Optional Retirement Plans (401K, 457):

There is no “open enrollment” period for enrollment or changes in the 401K/457 programs.  However, this might be a convenient time to check-in with our retirement counselor, Cecilia Fields.    You can learn more about the 401K/457 Optional Retirement Plans at NC 401(k) & NC 457 Plans | My NC Retirement.   You may schedule a one-on-one appointment with Cecilia at Book Appointment (empowermytime.com)