A Brief Overview of the 2009 KEHP Benefit Plans Is Presented Below:
COMMONWEALTH MAXIMUM CHOICE
Commonwealth Maximum Choice is a modern health insurance plan known as a “consumer-driven” health plan. Commonwealth Maximum Choice is a good choice for people at both ends of the health care spectrum: those who are healthy and have few, if any, medical and pharmacy expenses; and those who have chronic or other significant medical conditions with above-average expenses. According to our actuaries, Commonwealth Maximum Choice has the richest benefits of any KEHP plan. At the same time, it has the second lowest employee contributions in the program. Employees who choose Commonwealth Maximum Choice will enjoy substantial “out-of-paycheck” savings throughout the Plan Year. Besides its low employee contribution, Commonwealth Maximum Choice comes with a KEHP-funded pool of money known as a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA). HRA funds can be used for a variety of qualified medical, dental, vision, and other expenses. Non-medical covered expenses do not count toward your deductible or out-of-pocket maximum. Commonwealth Maximum Choice is “consumer driven” because it lets you decide whether to use your HRA funds and what to use them for. In the event you continue to pick health benefit plans with HRAs, any and all HRA funds not used during the current year will be “rolled over” for use in future years. HRA amounts in Commonwealth Maximum Choice start at $1,000 for single coverage; increase to $1,500 for parent plus and couple coverage; and increase even more to $2,000 for family coverage. In many cases, the combined effect of the “out-of-paycheck” savings and HRA funds associated with Commonwealth Maximum Choice will largely or completely offset the deductibles associated with the plan; and once you satisfy your deductible, Commonwealth Maximum Choice will pay up to 90% of most in-network expenses until you reach your annual, maximum out-of-pocket limit!
COMMONWEALTH OPTIMUM PPO
Commonwealth Optimum PPO is a traditional Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan. Commonwealth Optimum PPO a good choice if you are willing to have larger paycheck deductions in exchange for lower out-of-pocket costs. As with all KEHP plans, you pay less when you use in-network providers. The plan also provides coverage when you use out-of-network providers, but in most cases you will pay more. Commonwealth Optimum PPO offers the peace of mind of knowing that you have fixed, predictable co-pays for physician office visits, prescription medications, and various other services.
COMMONWEALTH CAPITOL CHOICE
Commonwealth Capitol Choice is a unique, hybrid health plan which combines features of a modern, consumer-driven health plan with features of a traditional PPO plan. Commonwealth Capitol Choice is “consumer driven” because it offers a special $500 per family member “benefit allowance” that provides 100% coverage (subject to co-pays) for many in-network services before you start paying towards your deductible. The $500 per family member benefit allowance should not be viewed as a spending account: it is different from an HRA in the sense that it cannot be used for non-medical or out-of-network services, and it does not “roll over” from year-to-year. Commonwealth Capitol Choice is “PPO like” because it offers traditional features of a PPO plan such as predictable office visit and pharmacy co-pays. Another extremely valuable feature of Commonwealth Capitol Choice is the $100 per admission hospital co-pay. After payment of the $100 per admission co-pay and a $500 annual deductible, you pay nothing for additional hospital facility charges. Commonwealth Capitol Choice should work especially well for people with annual medical expenses below $500, and people looking for a plan with excellent inpatient hospital facility benefits.
COMMONWEALTH STANDARD PPO
Commonwealth Standard PPO is a value based, traditional PPO plan. Although it features higher deductibles, higher member co-insurance percentages, and higher annual out-of-pocket maximums than Commonwealth Optimum PPO, it offers lower premiums. Commonwealth Standard PPO is a good choice for people who are mainly interested in a good, basic plan to provide catastrophic coverage and those who want dependent coverage at a lower price.