Support Staff Policies & Procedures

Support Staff Health Care Coverage Policy & Procedure

Last Updated October 25, 2019

Policy

The University provides access to health care coverage for eligible employees.

Eligibility and Effective Date of coverage: 

Regular full-time and part-time (50-89.9%) support staff; faculty, academic staff and executive management with appointments of nine months or more.

Immediately Eligible.   A non-regular benefit-eligible employee expected to be paid an average of 30 hours of service per week for at least 90 days, at the time of being newly hired or appointed. If the employee at any point within the first year of hire is expected to be paid 30 hours of service per week or more for 90 days or longer due to a change in assignment or status, then

Variable Hour.  Newly hired or rehired (after a break greater than 26 weeks). A one-year measurement period applies effective the first of the month following the date of hire or rehire and coverage must be offered only if the employee is paid an average of 30 hours of service per week over the measurement period.  Temporary employees, on-calls, project pay and student employees will need to be measured in most cases.

Summary of Benefit

Coverage may be selected by the employee for self and eligible dependents. Married couples and Other Eligible Individuals who both work at MSU and/or who are MSU retirees may cover themselves and any eligible dependents under one MSU health plan.

Health care coverage is available through one of the following health plans: (Prescription drug coverage is automatic when enrolled in any of the health plans.)

Regular part-time, full-time support staff, faculty/academic staff and executive management:

Regular part-time, full-time non-union support staff, faculty/academic staff, executive management, UNTF members, and immediately eligible and variable-hour employees:

Dependent Access to MSU Health Plan Coverage:

Year Effective Spouse's Premium Contribution
Beginning in 2019 $1,300 or less
Beginning in 2020 $1,400 or less
Beginning in 2021 $1,500 or less

The MSU health plan would pay eligible claims for spouses/OEI’s as the secondary plan.  (VARIES: Dependents who have health coverage through another employer are not eligible to be enrolled in the CDHP with an HSA, they are only eligible for the CDHP.)

Premium contribution:

Health Care Waiver:

Points Accrued Waiver Payments
Full 12 points $600
9 through 11.75 points $450
6 through 8.75 points $300
3 through 5.75 points $150
Less than 3 points $0

Eligible employees who did not have other health care coverage during open enrollment, but have subsequently acquired other health care coverage, can enroll for the waiver option within 30 days of acquiring the other health care coverage. Examples of acquiring other health coverage include: the acquisition of Medicare, Medicaid or eligibility for premium assistance through the Medicaid program, acquisition of health coverage due to a change in employment status (e.g., new job), a change/revocation due to acquisition of health coverage through the employer of a spouse where the other employer’s open enrollment varies from MSU’s.  The waiver is effective the first of the month following the date the waiver application is received in MSU Human Resources.

Procedure to enroll or waive coverage:

Changes that may be made outside of Open Enrollment:

Termination date of benefit:

COBRA continuation of coverage:

In accordance with the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (COBRA), group health care coverage for eligible employees and their dependents may be continued in the following situations:

COBRA coverage must be elected in writing to MSU Human Resources by the eligible employee or dependent within 60 days of the date of the COBRA notice, or a loss of coverage will occur. The effective date of coverage and premiums payment calculations will be effective back to the date of loss of eligibility as an active employee.

Affidavit of Termination of Other Eligible Individual partnership:  

When an Affidavit of Termination of Other Eligible Individual (OEI) Partnership form has been filed, the coverage will cease on the date the OEI criteria is no longer met. MSU Human Resources staff sends the non-MSU employee/retiree Other Eligible Individual (and eligible dependents) continuation of coverage information. If continuation of coverage is elected, MSU sends monthly billing information for payment of premiums to the non-MSU employee/retiree (and eligible dependents).

Conversion of coverage:

Refer questions to:

MSU Human Resources via telephone at 517-353-4434 or email at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu.

Revision history: 


7/9/2015 - policy re-written to include ACA provisions

1/18/2016 - enrollment period changed from 60 to 30 days except for COBRA

5/17/2016 - Removed reference to Employee Self Service (ESS) portal.

10/25/2019 - updated plan information

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