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This year, the Open
Enrollment period is Sept. 15 through Oct. 29, 2004. Enrollment and changes
become effective January 1, 2005. Use this period to enroll and/or cancel
enrollment in health, dental or flex cash, change plans or add eligible
family members to health, dental and vision plans.
Open Enrollment materials may be ordered by using the pre-paid postcard
sent to your home from CalPERS, online at www.calpers.ca.gov,
or by contacting the CalPERS customer contact center at (888) 225-7377.
2005 Benefit
Changes include:
° Blue Shield and Kaiser have no benefit changes in 2005.
° Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital continues to be one of the community
hospitals in the county with whom CalPERS contracts.
° Blue Shield has excluded 38 hospitals from the 2005 provider network.
° Members whose physicians are directly related to the excluded
hospitals will need to change physicians in order to remain with Blue
Shield.
° If you wish to remain with your current physician, you will need
to sign up for the CalPERS PPO plans (PERS Choice or PERS Care). Those
members who choose to sign up for the PPO plans should carefully review
the various coverage and co-payment differences between Blue Shield
HMO and PPO plans.
° Effective January 1, 2005, PERS Choice and PERS Care members will
pay a higher co-payment for maintenance drugs, if they do not begin
using the mail order option after the second fill of a prescription.
Affected members will receive more information about this change from
Caremark, the pharmacy benefit manager for PERS Choice and PERS Care.
In order to assist
with provider information, Blue Shield has provided a dedicated CalPERS
Blue Shield Member Service line, (800) 334-5847.
For further information,
contact Susan Zito, Payroll and Benefits Analyst, 4-2178.
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