The 2015 You Decide! booklet is now available!

The booklet gives you an opportunity to review and understand your flexible benefits package. It summarizes Flexible Benefits Program options – such as, dental and vision care, legal insurance, spending accounts, long and short-term disability insurance, life insurance, specified illness and long-term care – that are available to employees and their dependents, along with certain procedures to be followed to obtain these benefits.

There are some plan enhancements for the 2015 Plan Year, so review all information carefully in advance of the Annual Enrollment period, beginning October 27 to November 14, 2014. It is up to you to understand all the options available and make the choices that best suit your needs.

Making the right decisions about your options can make a real difference toward building a rewarding future for you and your family.

Flexible Benefits — Don’t Forget

In addition to the 2015 You Decide! Booklet, Flexible Benefits Program information and enrollment is also available at www.gabreeze.ga.gov.

In preparation for Open Enrollment 2014 (October 27  – November 14, 2014), here are a few tips to make your GaBreeze experience simply a BREEZE!

Tip #1: Access Granted!
Please ensure that you can log in to the GaBreeze website at  www.gabreeze.ga.gov.

Tip #2: Forgot Your User ID or Password? No problem!
If you experience difficulty accessing your account or problems with your User ID, please click on the appropriate links on the Login page — either “I Forgot My User ID” or “I Forgot My Password.” You will then be asked personal identifying information (i.e., your Social Security Number (SSN) and birth date). Once you enter this information, you will be asked security questions that you answered when you first registered on the GaBreeze website.

If you previously entered an e-mail address on the GaBreeze website, you will receive a new temporary password sent via e-mail usually within 15 minutes. If there is no e-mail address on file, the password reset will be sent through regular mail to your home address within 5-7 business days.

Tip #3: Update Your Contact Information
Please update your mailing address and other important contact information online through the Team Georgia Employee Self-Service system.

Tip #4: Update Your Beneficiary Information
To ensure that all your beneficiary information is up to date, please log in to the following sites to review what is currently on file.

• GaBreeze: UPDATE (Peach State Reserves and Supplemental Life)
• Employees Retirement System (ERS): UPDATE

Tip #5: Need Help?
GaBreeze benefits representatives can provide assistance to you in accessing your account by calling toll-free at 1-877-3GBREEZ (1-877-342-7339). Representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please be ready to provide your name, date of birth, the last four digits of your Social Security Number and your ZIP code to access your Flexible Benefits information.

The 2015 Decision Guides for Active and Retired members of the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) are now available online at http://dch.georgia.gov/shbp-decision-guides. Please take time to review these materials in advance of Open Enrollment, which begins October 27, 2014 at 12:01 a.m. ET and ends on November 14, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

While both Active and Retiree members can access their Decision Guides online, Retirees will also receive a hard copy of their Decision Guide in the mail as they have in the past.

Also, you may have heard from your HR or Benefit Coordinator that SHBP is hosting Education Sessions and Benefit Fairs across the state. DCH provided this information to HR and Benefit Coordinators last week, and the information is also posted at www.dch.georgia.gov/shbp. These events provide a great opportunity to meet with SHBP and the Medical Claims Administrators to ask questions about your Plan Options for 2015.

The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) has announced the additional vendors for the state’s health care coverage for state employees, teachers, school system employees, retirees and dependents during the 2015 Plan Year, which begins on January 1, 2015. Vendors were selected following the Invitation for Proposal (IFP) process, which began in April 2014.

United HealthCare has been selected to offer SHBP members the option of a statewide HMO, a statewide High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) and a statewide Medicare Advantage option for retirees. Kaiser Permanente has been selected to offer SHBP members a fully insured, in-network-only plan in the metro Atlanta service area. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSGa) remains a vendor for 2015 and will offer SHBP members the options one of three traditional Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) options (Gold, Silver or Bronze), statewide Medicare Advantage to retirees, and a statewide HMO option.

The current Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) contract with Express Scripts Inc. and the current Wellness contract with Healthways Inc. will be renewed for the 2015 plan year.

“The Department of Community Health has provided plan members with more new choices to find the health care plan that’s best for their families. We appreciate the cooperation of Blue Cross Blue Shield on contractual issues so that we can expand the number of options available to plan members,” said Governor Nathan Deal.

“We heard and listened to our members and providers concerns regarding the 2014 plan choices. We have worked to provide short-term relief this year. Today we announce the plan will offer more vendor and insurance option choices in the upcoming year. I am confident this enhanced package will benefit our members and plan providers around the state,” said DCH Commissioner Clyde L. Reese III, Esq.

SHBP is currently working to finalize the 2015 plan designs and 2015 premiums. As in previous years, the new plan designs and premiums will be presented to and voted on by the Board of Community Health in August 2014.

SHBP will conduct in-person and online member outreach and education on members’ plan options prior to and during the state’s Open Enrollment and Retiree Change Option Period. As information is developed, SHBP members can expect to receive information from their payroll location and made available online at: www.dch.georgia.gov/shbp.

Open Enrollment will be held October 27 – November 14, 2014, for the January 1, 2015, start date of the new plan year.

About the Georgia Department of Community Health

Through effective planning, purchasing and oversight, the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) provides access to affordable, quality health care to millions of Georgians, including some of the state’s uninsured and most vulnerable populations.

DCH is responsible for Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids,^® the State Health Benefit Plan, Healthcare Facility Regulation and Health Information Technology in Georgia.

Clyde L. Reese III, Esq., serves as Commissioner for the Georgia Department of Community Health.

To learn more about DCH and its dedication to A Healthy Georgia, visit www.dch.georgia.gov.