Open enrollment begins this week. Health plan costs—namely premiums, deductibles and co-pays—may have a big impact on the plan option you choose during Open Enrollment. One way to minimize your costs, no matter which plan option and coverage level you choose, is to use Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network (VHAN/Tier 1) providers.
Vanderbilt employees receive top-quality care for the best value using VHAN providers. Vanderbilt is taking steps to make gaining access to them even easier. Here’s how:
- If your doctor mentions you are eligible, take advantage of telephonic or telemedicine appointments. Telehealth or telephonic appointments are held over the phone and will be piloted with select providers. These appointments allow you to speak to your health care provider and get specialized services from nearly anywhere; no trip to the office is needed. Beginning in 2016, several providers will offer telemedicine appointments held using online video chat or by exchanging pictures and information about your condition through a secure online system.
Your doctor will let you know if telephonic or telemedicine appointments may be a good fit for you. The Vanderbilt Health Plan will cover these appointments at the same level as office visits. The same co-pay or co-insurance levels will apply.
- Use Vanderbilt Children’s after-hours clinics instead of the emergency room if your child gets sick or injured outside of regular hours. Your child will get great care and you’ll only have to pay the Tier 1 office visit co-pay rate.
- You can schedule even more appointments online now. The MyHealth at Vanderbilt secure online patient portal has recently added direct appointment scheduling for mammography, and you can now use the “Request an Appointment” button on the Vanderbilt Health and Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital websites. Click here for more information.
Health plan cost updates for 2016
For the 2016 plan year, some plan costs will be adjusted:
- Minimal premium increases were made for all health plans and the CIGNA dental plan.
- Health plan deductibles (the amount you pay for health care services before the health plan begins to pay) were adjusted, primarily to increase the difference between individual and family deductibles.
- The Tier 2 office visit co-pay increased to $50 for Aetna Plus and Aetna Select plan participants.
Click here to see an overview of the health plan costs as well as monthly premiums.
How to find a provider
- Check out VHAN’s list of providers in the Middle Tennessee area. VHAN/Tier 1 providers are located throughout the Nashville metropolitan area, not just on Vanderbilt’s main campus and at Vanderbilt Health One Hundred Oaks. Click here for a list and map of VHAN providers in the Middle Tennessee area.
- Use Aetna DocFind. Use these step-by-step instructions to find a VHAN/Tier 1 provider on Aetna’s website.
Additional money-saving tips
- Transfer your prescriptions to a Vanderbilt pharmacy. Medical Center East and The Vanderbilt Clinic pharmacy hours were expanded on Oct. 5. For added convenience, sign up for mail order service and have your prescriptions delivered right to your door.
- Consider funding a health care flexible spending account with pretax dollars to use toward eligible out-of-pocket medical expenses.
- Complete all steps of Go for the Gold and get $240 added your health plan account or put toward a membership at the Vanderbilt Recreation and Wellness Center.
Open Enrollment begins at 8 a.m. on Oct. 14 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 30. Elections are effective Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2016, unless you have a qualifying event such as marriage, divorce or the birth of a child.
Visit hr.vanderbilt.edu/oe for more information.