With the benefits enrollment window for plan year 2025 just ahead -- Nov. 1-22 -- now is a good time to review your options and confirm you're choosing ones that work for you or your family. Faculty and staff enrolled in the university's health care plan have experienced the new cost-sharing requirements for about 10 months and should use that history as they make choices for 2025, said benefits director Ed Holland, university human resources.
No changes were made to covered health care services for 2025. The only change to the Wellmark plan options will be premium increases, between $12 and $66 per month for HMO participants, and between $11 and $97 per month for PPO participants. The university portion of all premiums is rising, too. The state Board of Regents approved the new premiums last month.
Shared healthcare premiums
|
|
Plan year 2025 |
Plan year 2024 |
|
Employees share |
12.8% |
11.9% |
|
ISU share |
87.2% |
88.1% |
Do your homework
An efficient way to stay on top of what your medical care is costing you is to register in the myWellmark portal or download the free app on your phone. This secure service is available 24/7 and helps you track the status of claims, your spending to date and progress toward deductible and out-of-pocket maximums. You also may access your Wellmark ID card or get started with 24/7 services such as BeWell (phone conversation with a live nurse) or Doctor on Demand (telehealth with doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists).
myWellmark's "spend report" function will generate a list of all the medical care received by selected family members in a designated time, including cost of services and your out-of-pocket costs. It doesn't include pharmacy costs or eyewear purchases. But it can be useful for those who would like that data to help set their 2025 contributions to a healthcare flexible spending account, a voluntary benefit that puts pre-tax payroll deductions into an account to pay for medical expenses during a plan year.
In addition, employees should review these useful resources on the ISU employee benefits website:
- The 2025 open enrollment page features an overview (35-minute video presentation or slide show), approved premium rates, summaries of health care, dental and pharmacy coverage, and the (optional) flexible spending accounts, Avesis eye care and group life insurance.
- The benefits education page is a table of content with links to Wellmark sites, informational flyers, more than a dozen 90-second videos -- generic vs. name-brand drugs, when telehealth is a good fit, how urgent care might save time and money, for example -- and ALEX, the free, interactive, comparison-shopping tool. ALEX is updated with 2025 plan information.
Websites offer lots of helpful information, but Holland said employees who prefer a 1-on-1 conversation could schedule time (phone, in person or virtual) with one of Iowa State's four benefits specialists, each of whom is assigned to a faculty-staff group by their last names. The Bookings app in Microsoft Teams will help employees make an appointment (virtual or in person). Find your benefits specialist on the 2025 open enrollment website (scroll to "meetings with benefits office staff.") They also can be reached via the UHR service center phone line, 294-4800.
Keeping costs down
Holland offered several suggestions for managing health care costs, starting with preventive care services. Under the federal Affordable Care Act of 2010, dozens of health care services (PDF) deemed "preventive" must be provided by network providers at no cost to plan participants -- not even a $15 office copay. On that list are annual wellness exams, immunizations and many kinds of health and mental health screenings, for example, a mammogram, colonoscopy, lung cancer screening or depression screening. For many, a focus on preventing deteriorating health is a cost-effective and smart strategy for managing their health.
For some care needs, including urgent care and mental wellness therapy, telehealth medicine is a good option, Holland said. Through Wellmark, ISU employees have 24/7 access to the Doctor on Demand service (90-second video summary). The site lists all the physical and mental health concerns its team can help with. There's no cost to create an account on the website or in the app for later use.
"We know there are concerns about access to behavioral health therapy, in just about every community and when our employees have exhausted their free care options in the employee assistance program," Holland said. "Doctor on Demand provides a good option."
