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For non-represented employees at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System Corporation and all employees at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins HealthCare, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, Johns Hopkins Home Care Group, Johns Hopkins Medicine International and Johns Hopkins Intrastaff.
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to let you know about significant changes in our health benefits package. We will continue to offer employees one of the most robust health plans in our industry. However, as has been done at the majority of our peer institutions, the Hopkins health plan will require that employees or their covered dependents pay a share of the cost for certain health services provided outside of Johns Hopkins Medicine. In order to ease the transition, this change will be phased in over two years, beginning on Jan. 1, 2013.
What remains the same?
- We will continue to provide 100 percent coverage for preventive care services.
- We will continue to provide 100 percent coverage after co-pays for care provided by Johns Hopkins Medicine facilities including The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Howard County General Hospital, Suburban Hospital, Sibley Memorial Hospital, and All Children’s Hospital.
What is changing?
- Starting Jan. 1, 2013, JHH/JHHSC through Employer Health Programs (EHP) will shift from paying the total cost for most inpatient and hospitalization services, moving instead to a “90/10” (co-insurance) plan with a deductible. This means that if an employee or covered dependent does not use a Johns Hopkins hospital or facility for those services and stays within the EHP Network, the plan will pay 90 percent, and the employee will cover 10 percent of those costs, up to an annual maximum of $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for families, plus co-pays and an annual deductible.
- Starting Jan. 1, 2013, we will see slight changes in premiums and some changes in co-payments for some office visits, services and prescription drugs. Some co-payments will increase while others will decrease. There will be just one health plan (with an in-network and out-of-network option), eliminating the “basic” and “premium” plans at JHH and the CareFirst plan at Bayview.
- Starting Jan. 1, 2014, the 90/10 co-insurance plan will be phased in to include outpatient services not provided by a Johns Hopkins Medicine facility or provider. Co-payments, deductibles, and the annual maximum of $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for families, will apply for employee costs for both inpatient and outpatient services received within the EHP Network but outside of Hopkins Medicine.
These are the primary changes in the plan, however other important details also will change and costs are higher for out-of-network services (services received outside of the EHP care provider network).
Who does this affect?
This benefit change applies to non-represented employees and their covered dependents at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System Corporation, and all employees at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins HealthCare, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, Johns Hopkins Home Care Group, Johns Hopkins Medicine International and Johns Hopkins Intrastaff.
Why the change?
Under the new plan, there is renewed emphasis on preventive care; employees will contribute a portion of health care dollars spent outside the Hopkins system; and more employees are expected to begin to obtain care from Hopkins facilities and providers. When employees stay within Hopkins facilities for care, we are able to manage costs better and keep the dollars in our system. This keeps our entire institution strong. More importantly, staying healthy is the best way to limit what we pay for health care. By focusing on wellness and actually lowering some costs for preventive care, we hope to create additional incentives for all of us to become healthier.
Questions?
Human Resources will soon announce a number of in-person sessions to further explain these changes and answer any questions in preparation for Open Enrollment, which runs from October 22 to November 12.
Details about the plan changes are available at http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/jhhr/BenefitsWellnet/benefits_change/.
For personal service contact:
Human Resources Service Center
4th floor Phipps Building
410-955-6208
Bayview Benefits Office
Alpha Commons Building, Suite 150
410-550-0953
EHP Customer Service (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
410-424-4450 or 1-800-261-2393
ehpcustomerservice@jhhc.com.
Please plan to call or visit to better understand these changes and to plan for any clinical services you may need in 2013.
I appreciate your support as we take these and other steps to improve our health and keep all of our member institutions financially strong and moving forward.
Sincerely,
Ronald R. Peterson
President, The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System
Executive Vice President, Johns Hopkins Medicine
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