University of Alaska Benefits | UA Human Resources

Share your opinions about our benefits program!

The University of Alaska is conducting a benefits survey. An email titled "Share your opinions about our benefits program!" from noreply@qemailserver.com was sent to benefit eligible employees on September 27, 2023. This email has a unique link for you to access the survey. Please click the link in your email and submit the survey by October 11, 2023. We value your feedback and thank you for your participation!

The University of Alaska prides itself on taking care of all employees, no matter where you may find yourself in the Last Frontier. As one of Alaska's largest employers, we know you expect nothing short of the best when it comes to your employee benefits.

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Benefits News

Scroll here to see the Benefit News highlights for this month or review our benefits news webpage for a one-stop-shop.

Benefits News

Do you invest with Fidelity? Check your Financial Wellness!

Did you know that if you invest with Fidelity, you can check on your current financial wellness? Log into your Fidelity NetBenefits portal with your Fidelity login information and take the quick 15 minute quiz to see where you stand with your current financial goals. See where potential gaps may be in your planning strategy and review the ways you can improve. Needing more guidance? Speak with a planning consultant with Fidelity today by calling 1-800-420-2363!

Write your next chapter: 5 steps to setting your retirement date

October 3 @ 12pm Alaska | Sign up for the “Write your next chapter” webinar here.

For anyone starting to think seriously about when to retire, this webinar takes you through five steps to deciding when the time is right, including estimating retirement expenses, closing any income gap and understanding key milestones that can impact your retirement finances. We’ll help you think through how to:

Estimate what you’ll need
Adjust as needed
Consider key milestones
Protect your savings

Join TIAA on October 3 to better understand where you are on your retirement journey. This is open to all UA employees - not just those who invest with TIAA. Sign up today to attend the “Write your next chapter” webinar!

Premera Card Updates

Premera will be sending new cards to everyone on a UA Choice Plan. The only update to the new cards that you will receive is to the plan names: Premium, Basic, and HDHP. This will align the plan names on the Premera cards with our new FY24 plan names. If you have any questions, please email ua-benefits@alaska.edu.

Premera Customer Service Survey

Look for an email from premeramarketresearch@premera.com on October 16.

On October 16, 2023, Premera will be conducting a survey for those who have contacted the Premera Customer Service department within the past six months. Your participation in the survey will help Premera improve the service they provide us. Be on the lookout for the survey from Premera’s Market Research Department (premeramarketresearch@premera.com). If you have any questions, please reach out to ua-benefits@alaska.edu.

Electronic Explanation of Benefits (EOB)

The University of Alaska would like to remind employees that electronic EOBs are available for all our UA Choice Plan members - this includes your spouse/FIP and children on the plan! Go paperless and save time and money!

Review the steps on how to enroll in September's news on our benefits news webpage.

NEW! Livongo - Weight Management Program

Livongo has expanded their program to include (1) diabetes prevention, (2) diabetes management, (3) hypertension management, and now (4) weight management!

The Weight Management Program connects you with a certified health coach who helps make living healthy and tackling your weight challenges easier. You will get personalized tips and techniques for you to improve your nutrition, exercise, weight loss, and sleep.

This program is available through your UA Choice medical plan with Premera. If you are eligible for the program, there is no cost to you! To see if you are eligible for any of the four (4) Livongo programs, please call 800-945-4355.

TIAA October Webinars

Join TIAA’s live webinars during the month of October. Access can be found on TIAA’s webinar website. These are open to any employee - not just TIAA members. Review the synopsis for each in the benefits news website under September.

October 4 @ 8am Alaska | Quarterly economic and market update: understanding volatility and recent trends
October 11 @ 11am Alaska | Invest for success: 5 principles you need to know
October 19 @ 10am Alaska | Generative AI Cybersecurity: New Insights and Actions to Strengthen Security and Boost Productivity
October 25 @ 8am Alaska | Maximize your Health Savings Account (HSA): contributions are more powerful than you think

Benefits Survey

Be on the look out for an email from Qualtrics on Wednesday, September 27th

University of Alaska Human Resources is conducting an employee benefits pulse survey to get your feedback on the changes and improvements made to the benefits offering.

On Wednesday, September 27, 2023, you will receive an email invitation with your unique link to the survey. The email will be sent from Qualtrics, our survey platform, with the subject, “Share your opinions about our benefits program!”

The survey may take up to 10 minutes and your responses are confidential. After the survey closes, the University of Alaska Human Resources team will use the findings to improve overall employee experience.

If you have questions about the survey, please contact the UA Benefits team at ua-benefits@alaska.edu.

Benefits Website

The Benefits website has been updated to reflect all new plan year information. Please review our website and pay special attention to our new and our updated benefits:

New Benefits

Updated Benefits

Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage (unbundled coverage)
UA Pension Plan (increased base wage)
Basic Life Insurance (increased)
Supplemental Life Insurance (added spouse/FIP and child(ren) coverages)

Medical, Dental, and Vision - Coverage Begin and End Dates

For FY24, coverage and deduction dates for all healthcare (Medical, Dental, and Vision) align with our pay periods. Please review the detailed information on the benefits news website under September to understand when your coverage begins and ends.

The FY24 Wellness Plan year is here!

There have been a few minor changes to the FY24 Wellness Program. Employees now need 8 points total - a required Health Risk Assessment, a required biometric screening, and 6 additional points to qualify for the rebate. Review the Wellness Program webpage for more information.

Order your FY24 Biometric Home Test Kit

Biometric home test kits are now available to order. Remember - the biometric screening is one of the required activities in order to be eligible for the rebate. Please review the instructions on our Wellness Program webpage for more information on how to order.

Invite your Spouse/FIP to the Wellness Plan!

If you have a spouse/FIP that is on your UA Choice Medical Plan with you, you can now send them an email to invite them to the program! Remember, spouses/FIPs can earn up to a $600 rebate on medical plan premiums, too, if they complete the program themselves. If you and your spouse complete the program - that's up to $1,200!

To invite your spouse/FIP, log into the Wellness Program Portal using your single-sign on. Then, on the right side of the home page, you will see a box where you will type the first name, last name, and email of your spouse/FIP for them to receive the invitation!

As a reminder, the rebates are paid out in November of each year. To qualify, you must
(1) complete the program by the previous June 30,
(2) be on a UA Choice MEDICAL plan when the rebate pays out
(3) be a current employee when the rebate pays out.

FSA and HSA - what can I actually use these funds for?

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are earmarked accounts that eligible employees can contribute to in order to help pay for qualified medical expenses. But, have you ever found yourself at the pharmacy holding bandages and cough drops wondering if they are qualified? ASIFlex (our FSA vendor) has a new feature available to allow you to quickly search hundreds of items and services to see if they are FSA eligible, HSA eligible, or both!

No login is required. Simply go to ASIFlex’s Eligible Expenses website to search for eligible expenses!

Benefit Highlights - Who is in your corner?

TouchCare - FREE to use!

TouchCare is your health care advocate and works directly with UA employees on medical, dental, and vision questions - whether it is what plan to enroll in, explaining the differences between plans or pre-tax health accounts, assisting with billing issues or questions, price transparency, finding a provider and more. Give them a call at 1-866-486-8242!

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) - FREE to use!
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is offered through ComPsych. This benefit offers a variety of services designed to assist you and your family in resolving work/life issues in order to live happier, healthier, more balanced lives. These services are free, completely confidential, and can be easily accessed by calling the 24/7 toll-free helpline at 1-888-969-0155.

LifeWorks - FREE to use!
Securian has partnered with LifeWorks to offer university employees access to professional services for a variety of needs ranging from legal and financial matters or coping with loss. LifeWorks offers comprehensive web and mobile resources and consultations. This benefit is free of charge and available to all university employees.

Stay up to Date!

Check out our our benefit news webpage to stay up to date. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at ua-benefits@alaska.edu.