Plans Starting Soon – What do I do now that I’m Enrolled: Health Plans
If you signed up for or changed any of your SDPEBA health plans this recent Open Enrollment then your plans are starting soon (August 1st in case you forgot). Check out this article to quickly see what you might want to get done when before or around your plans start date.
VSP
VSP is a plan that often gets overlooked until you suddenly need glasses or your existing pairs break or you finally hit the bottom of your contact box. But! There are some important things you should consider if you have our VSP plan that will take no more than 15 minutes and can set you up for success in the long term.
The biggest is to make sure you’re using your entire plan every year. You have TWO $150 allowances to put toward frames and contacts every benefit year. These do not carry over between years, meaning there’s no reason not to get that second pair of glasses or extra contacts, you might need them!
The other thing a lot of people don’t do is utilize VSP’s website. If you go to VSP.com you can make an account. From there you’ll be able to check information about your benefits, get discounts, find a local provider and even shop for glasses online!
Once August 1st rolls around, we highly recommend you make an account and book your eye exam as soon as possible! Then, maybe look online or at your local in-network provider for some glasses! If you get it done soon you won’t have to worry if you ever break an existing pair of glasses or run out of contacts!
Here’s a pro tip for you: if you wear glasses, get a special lens coating on your second pair. Personally, I have a pair of normal glasses and a pair that has blue light filtering to wear while I’m working! It really helps after staring at a blue screen all day!
Want to learn more? Check out last year’s video Will put together: https://www.sdpeba.org/news/peba-talk/vsp-is-interesting-since-youre-likely-only-using-your
Sharp
When it comes to Sharp Health insurance you could have 1 of 4 plans. There’s the Classic, Saver, Select, and our retiree plans. If you’re new to the plan, you’ll get an ID card in the mail within 10 days of your plan being entered into the system. If you don’t receive your ID card within 2 weeks of your plan starting, contact Sharp’s dedicated SDPEBA team by calling 888-840-4747 (for active employees) or 888-562-8853 (for Sharp Medicare).
Once you have your ID card you’re basically good to go! But we do recommend you make an account online. https://account.sharp.com/
Once you make an account you’ll be able to see where your doctor, urgent care, and emergency care center are and you can read more about your benefits. If you’d like to make any changes to your doctor, you can do so online or by calling the SDPEBA Sharp Team which again is 888-840-4747 (for active employees) or 888-562-8853 (for Sharp Medicare). We can help you out as well of course! But these hotlines are actual Sharp employees who know your benefits in and out, so we recommend you start by reaching out to them. If you have any billing or cost questions though, then you should call us first! 888-315-8027.
If you want more, check out this video Will put together last year: https://www.sdpeba.org/news/peba-talk/sharp--what-do-i-do-now-that-im-enrolled-peba-talk
MetLife Dental
There are two dental plans: PPO and HMO. Depending on which plan you’re enrolled in there are some stark differences!
The PPO plan is more flexible but has a different schedule of benefits than the HMO plan. With the PPO plan you don’t get an ID card. You can grab one from MetLife’s website, but its not necessary. We recommend you head to MetLife’s website and find a dentist through their service to make sure you’re in-network. SDPEBA’s PPO plan is in the PDP Plus network.
If you have the HMO plan you’ll need to select a dentist ahead of time. You can do so while you’re enrolling, but if you didn’t you can make those changes on MetLife’s website or by calling us at 888-315-8027 (you can also email [email protected]). We recommend you contact us because our wait times are a lot lower than MetLife’s and also because we can make the change to your account immediately, whereas MetLife’s changes might take up to a month. If you choose to use their website to find a provider, SDPEBA’s HMO plan is under the “MET100” network.
If you’re new to the plan you’ll also receive an ID card with the HMO plan. This card should be sent out within 10 days of your enrollment, if you don’t receive one within 14 days, call us! We’ll get that squared away.
Dental plans can be complicated, so if you have more questions check out this video Will put together last year: https://www.sdpeba.org/news/peba-talk/metlife-dental--what-do-i-do-now-that-im-enrolled