Check your home mailbox for important benefits and Open Enrollment information mailed recently to the address you have listed in PeopleSoft. Open Enrollment takes place Nov. 1 – 15 and is your opportunity to:

• Change medical plans—Check plan quality and performance scores and use the Plan Comparison Charts and other resources on the Medical plans page to evaluate your options. Consider whether Kaiser SmartCare or KingCare Select (Regence) makes sense for your family. These plans will likely save you money, with lower deductibles, copays, and Benefit Access Fees.
  
  The Washington Health Alliance’s 2021 health plan performance report rates Kaiser Permanente Washington No. 1 in the country for helping members stay healthy and manage chronic conditions. Regence ranked No. 1 in the state for helping members become good consumers of health care.
  
  Transit ATU 587 employees who switch from KingCare or KingCare Select to the Kaiser SmartCare plan will receive $1,000 in an HRA (Health Reimbursement Account). HRAs are like Health Care FSAs—you can pay for the same medical, prescription, and vision expenses from a tax-free account. This incentive was bargained by ATU 587.

• Enroll in a Flexible Spending Account—Health Care and Dependent Day Care FSAs reduce your taxable income—saving you money. You must re-enroll every year during Open Enrollment. The Health Care FSA maximum contribution for 2021 is $2,750.

• Select the appropriate Benefit Access Fee—or exemption. If you cover a spouse or domestic partner on your medical plan, a Benefit Access Fee may be automatically applied, depending on your benefit group and the plan you choose. If you qualify for an exemption, you must confirm this each year during Open Enrollment. If no action is taken during Open Enrollment and you later determine that you qualified for an exemption, fees already deducted will not be refunded.

• Give—Contribute to your favorite nonprofit in the Employee Giving Program during the Annual Giving Drive. Pledges must be renewed each year. Your donations to the nonprofits you selected do not automatically roll over.

Learn more about 2022 benefit changes and attend an information session

To learn more about what’s changing for your benefit group, go to 2022 Key Benefit Changes, watch the Open Enrollment Overview video, or attend an information session held by your Benefits Team on a variety of days and times to accommodate your schedule.

What if you don’t participate in Open Enrollment?

• You will remain enrolled in your current medical plan.
• The Benefit Access Fee associated with your medical plan and benefit group will be automatically applied if you cover your spouse or domestic partner.
• You will not be enrolled in a Flexible Spending Account.
• Your other benefit choices will remain the same for next year.

Click here for more Open Enrollment and benefits information. You can also contact Benefits, Payroll and Retirement Operations at 206-684-1556 or KC Benefits Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed Veterans Day, Nov. 11)
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Benefits office is closed for walk-in service.