Health Benefits Open Enrollment

It’s that time of the year again! Open Enrollment for the State Employee and Retiree Health Benefits will take place starting October 11 through 5:00 pm EST November 4, 2022, for the new plan year that begins on January 1, 2023. This is the time that you can enroll for the first time, change plans, add or drop dependents, and re-enroll in flexible spending accounts (FSA). If you are not making changes to your coverage and you do not intend to participate in a flexible spending account (FSA), you do not need to take any action during the Open Enrollment period. Your current coverage will roll over to the new plan year. If you wish to have an FSA in 2023, you must proactively enroll during Open Enrollment each plan year. Reminder: FSA elections do not carry over from year to year. 
 
Want to Enroll or Make Changes to Your Benefits?
Regular status faculty, staff, graduate assistants, and eligible contractual employees with current coverage who intend to change coverage, add dependents, or re-enroll in an FSA must use the State’s SPS online benefits system. All Open Enrollment materials are now available on the State of Maryland website. Additional open enrollment information will also be made available on the mymdbenefits.com website. You will receive an email from the State’s Shared Services (stateofmaryland@myworkday.com) on October 11th indicating that an “Open Enrollment Event” has been created, allowing you to log in and begin making plan changes or adding dependents. 
 
First-time users should follow the Instructions for First Time Users. Instructions for finding your SPS ID/W# and requesting an SPS Workday reset can also be found on this page. 

 
Important Document Requirements
 
You will need to upload the appropriate documentation for newly enrolled dependents AT THE TIME OF ENROLLMENT. Dependents added without the correct documentation will be removed from coverage prior to the new plan year. Dependents who are dis-enrolled remain ineligible unless they experience a qualified family status change or until the next Open Enrollment period. Dependent documentation can be found here. 
  • “Newly added dependents” are dependents that have never been covered in the current or any prior year
  • “Re-enrolled dependents” are dependents that were covered at one time in the past but haven’t been insured under the State of Maryland plan since January 2019. 

If you are removing an ex-spouse from coverage, you must attach a copy of the Divorce decree as the required supporting documentation and it MUST be submitted/attached to your open enrollment event. Divorce decrees older than 60-days are subject to review by the Employee Benefits Division (EBD) and may result in retro-billing of 102% of the premium to the employee. 

2023 Benefit Plan Highlights
  • There are no benefits plan changes for the 2023 plan year
  • New rates have been posted on the State of Maryland website. They reflect roughly a 5% increase in health insurance, and 10% for prescription drugs, and Delta Dental and United Concordia rates increased by 4.5% and 5% respectively. Life insurance rates are unchanged. 
  • The Healthcare FSA maximum allowable contribution increases to $2,850 for 2023. The Dependent Care FSA maximum contribution for 2023 remains at $5000. You must re-enroll during the Open Enrollment period to participate in the Health and Dependent Care FSA’s for 2023. Reminder: The Dependent Care FSA is used to pay for eligible dependent daycare expenses for your child(ren) under the age of 13, such as after-school programs, summer day camps, and for elder daycare for an elderly parent or dependent. 
  • New for 2023 – Wellness Plan Incentives. You could receive a reduction of up to $10 in specialist copays until the end of the 2024 calendar year by getting one or more of the screenings listed on page 2 of the Wellness Activity Summary plus a vision screening! Information is available at mymdbenefits.com
  • Flu shots are available at your local retail pharmacy using your CVS Rx card with a $0 Copay. 
  • 2023 Prescription Formulary updates: Each January, there are changes to the CVS Formulary and very few people are impacted. For those impacted, CVS is notifying members and their physicians of the changes. Once available, the formulary will be posted to the State of Maryland website. 

Fall Virtual Open Enrollment Events

  • Open Enrollment Power Hour – October 13, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm. This session will be recorded and available on the UHR Website.
  • State of Maryland Virtual Open Enrollment Sessions – The State of Maryland has a series of Interactive Virtual Open Enrollment Events over the next 4 weeks:
    • There are 8-9 sessions a day and a variety of day/time options
    • Sessions are carrier specific as described in the link above (Medical, Dental, Prescription carriers, etc.)
    • Employees can join as many as they like – no need to register in advance
    • Sessions will provide a quick overview of the program and then take questions
    • Sessions are interactive Q & A opportunities
QUESTIONS
For questions or assistance regarding Open Enrollment, please contact mybenefits@umd.edu.