MAPE

Oct. 16, 2009

Open enrollment for the state employee health plans will be held Nov. 4-17

Open enrollment for the state employee health plans will be held Nov. 4-17.

Once again, Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) is holding meetings statewide to inform state employees about open enrollment and to answer questions. Here's a link to both metro and Greater Minnesota meetings: open enrollment meetings.

Please note. open enrollment is your opportunity to change your benefits election for the upcoming calendar year. If you wish to participate in the pre-tax accounts, you must enroll every year, even if you are currently participating. This year, MMB will be implementing a $100 minimum annual contribution for all pre-tax accounts. To avoid a card replacement fee, employees must retain their Benny Cards, even after they have exhausted their funds. That same card will hold the $125 employer contribution in the second year of the contract.

You must complete the health assessment and agree to a follow-up call by a health coach to receive the lower office visit copayment in the Advantage Health Plan.

The State Employee Group Insurance Program (SEGIP) newsletter has additional information. For the clinic directory, please go here: clinic directory. For additional open enrollment information, please go here: open enrollment resources.

Open enrollment information

During the 2009 contract negotiations, the MAPE team fought to keep health care costs frozen for members:
1. For the fourth year in a row, MAPE has successfully fought off any attempts to increase members’ out-of-pocket costs.
2. This year, MAPE’s negotiators stopped the governor's team from shifting $85 million in health-care costs to public employees, raise the deductible amount at levels 3 and 4 clinics, and increase other out-of-pocket costs.
3. Health-care premiums are frozen for the first year of the contract (July 2009-June 2010).
4. Premiums will increase approximately 6.7 percent in the second year of the contract (July 2010-June 2011).
5. Members will receive a $125 employer contribution to Benny Cards in the second year of the contract.
Over time, collective bargaining has protected state employees from skyrocketing health care costs:
1. In 1981, MAPE was formed. In that same year, AFSCME members went on strike to protest the governor’s proposed changes to employee health insurance, which would have required employees pay for 20 percent of the first $5,000 of each health expense incurred.
2. When MAPE was formed, employer-sponsored health care coverage was 9.41 percent of employees’ total compensation package. According to recent calculations, that has ballooned to 17.95 percent.