While health insurance premiums across the nation are spiking, City of Hope employees can look forward to only modest increases in costs for 2009 — and for some employees, premiums actually will decline.
“We’ve got great news this year,” said Brian Sweeney, benefits manager in the Department of Human Resources. “Family rates for medical plans will drop significantly in 2009.” Sweeney noted that City of Hope is contributing more toward the cost of benefits for employees in 2009, based on employee feedback and a review of other institutions.
Information about these benefits changes and more will be available at the upcoming employee benefits fair, scheduled for Nov. 5 at the Development Center in downtown Los Angeles and Nov. 6 at the City of Hope campus in Duarte.
 Employees fill Cooper Auditorium for the 2007 benefits fair. (Photo by Paula Myers) |
Experts predict that premiums for medical plans nationwide will rise between 10 and 15 percent in 2009, he said. In comparison, at City of Hope, premiums for both employee-and-spouse coverage and for employee-and-children coverage will only rise by about half that much: 6 to 7 percent.
Premiums for family coverage under the Blue Cross Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), Blue Cross Health-maintenance Organization (HMO) and Kaiser HMO all will decline significantly in 2009.
Employee-only premiums, which are set by negotiated union contract, will rise $5 per paycheck for Blue Cross PPO participants. Blue Cross HMO and Kaiser HMO participants will continue to enjoy free coverage with additional benefit dollars to be allocated to other benefits.
The medical plan choices (Blue Cross and Kaiser) will remain unchanged. In addition, premiums for Delta Dental and Metlife Dental will stay the same as in 2008. Premiums for Vision Service Plan will be reduced for the 2009 plan year.
City of Hope will provide one times annual base pay equivalent of life insurance free to all non-union employees in 2009. Additionally, the institution also will improve its short-term disability benefit, offering employees on short-term disability an increased weekly benefit.
Other changes include a new carrier for the Employee Assistance Program, which will be called “Horizon Health.”
Employees may review changes and options more closely in a benefits enrollment guidebook, which is expected to reach employees’ home mailboxes by Oct. 31.
Details of specific changes in premiums, broken down by medical plan, are available below.
2009 City of Hope benefits
| Blue Cross PPO | 2008 | 2009 | Change |
| Employee only | 20.00 | 25.00 | 5.00 |
| Employee and spouse | 90.20 | 96.28 | 6.08 |
| Employee and child | 85.77 | 91.56 | 5.79 |
| Family | 167.59 | 128.76 | (38.83) |
| | | | |
| Blue Cross HMO | | | |
| Employee only | (3.00) | (2.25) | 0.75 |
| Employee and spouse | 55.70 | 59.42 | 3.72 |
| Employee and child | 45.84 | 48.61 | 2.77 |
| Family | 121.75 | 83.72 | (38.03) |
| | | | |
| Kaiser HMO | | | |
| Employee only | (6.00) | (4.50) | 1.50 |
| Employee and spouse | 49.29 | 48.48 | (0.81) |
| Employee and child | 46.33 | 45.94 | (0.39) |
| Family | 104.00 | 66.36 | (37.64) |
| | | | |
| Delta Dental | | | |
| Employee only | (1.00) | (1.00) | 0.00 |
| Employee and spouse | 4.66 | 4.66 | 0.00 |
| Employee and child | 5.62 | 5.62 | 0.00 |
| Family | 10.19 | 10.19 | 0.00 |
| | | | |
| Metlife Dental | | | |
| Employee only | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Employee and spouse | 17.07 | 17.07 | 0.00 |
| Employee and child | 18.39 | 18.39 | 0.00 |
| Family | 36.74 | 36.74 | 0.00 |
| | | | |
| VSP | | | |
| Employee only | 8.27 | 7.75 | (0.52) |
| Family | 8.27 | 7.75 | (0.52) |
| | | | |
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