Benefits corner

May 20, 2013 | Intercom

As you know, dependents through the age of 26 can now be carried on a parent’s insurance coverage.  This is part of healthcare reform, officially called Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).  This act, signed into law in 2010, has required employers to make this and many other changes to their medical insurance plans over the last several years.

Although your dependents can still be covered by NMC insurance, there are a few things you might think about if your children do have other coverage…

• You may be paying premiums for these children unnecessarily if they have other coverage, and they may be paying premiums at their employers as well.
• You have to coordinate benefits for them between NMC’s coverage and their other coverage, which can be challenging.
• Employers are now required to pay new fees based on the number of members they cover for insurance, not just on the number of employees covered.  For the NMC plans, this means fees paid to the government for over 700 covered members.

If you have a dependent that you would like to remove from your insurance, you can do so by emailing Carol Kasper with the date that the child acquired other coverage and the reason.  If this “qualifying event” did not take place since the plan year starting 1/1/13, you would not be able to terminate their coverage until open enrollment next year.

If you have any questions about this or your other benefits, feel free to contact Human Resources at 995-1362 or 995-1025.

Benefits corner

May 13, 2013 | Intercom

Are you or one of your dependents struggling with life challenges that affect home life or work performance?   This could include any array of situations.  Examples include, but are not limited to, financial difficulties, substance abuse, stress, work/life balance, loss of a significant person, parenting challenges, and elder care.

Just a reminder to our regular employees, adjunct faculty, and supplemental employees that you and your dependents have access to a confidential personal counseling service at no cost to you through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by Catholic Human Services.  Services are private and confidential, with no disclosure to the employer unless you sign a release, and it may include consultation, assessment, brief therapy, and referral service if necessary.

If you would like to learn more about NMC’s EAP Service, please attend “Caring for our Employees:  An EAP Presentation” scheduled for Tuesday, May 21, 2103 from 12:00-12:30 pm in LB105.  This presentation is one of our NMC Wellness events scheduled for the month of May – look for an email sent by Sarah Shimek for details on how to RSVP for this and other presentations to help us deal with the stresses of our daily lives.

Regular employees, adjunct faculty and supplemental employees can call the following number for EAP assistance:  231-947-8387. For more information on NMC’s Employee Assistance Program, click on the following link:  https://www.nmc.edu/departments/human-resources/salaries-benefits/eap.html

Student employees should contact NMC’s Counselors, Student Life Office at 231-995-1118, or Third Level Crisis Intervention Center at 231-922-4800.  For more information, click on the following link:  https://www.nmc.edu/student-services/personal-counseling/