Transparency in Health Care
Indiana University has engaged Castlight, a company that offers a Transparency tool ("Castlight") to make it easier for employees to access information that will lead to smart healthcare decisions. This tool will list prices for doctors, services, and network providers by zip code.
Castlight provides both web and telephonic services to help employees:
- Find in-network medical services based on cost, quality of care, and more.
- Compare nearby doctors, facilities, and medical services based on price and patient reviews.
- Estimate personalized costs based on the medical plan and amount of deductible that has been met.
- Review step-by-step explanations of past medical spending to understand how much was paid and why.
- Receive helpful tips about ways to reduce medical bills, while locating high-quality care.
Employees will receive announcements with more information about this Transparency tool when it is rolled out later this spring.
IU-sponsored Personal Health Record
Indiana University has partnered with NoMoreClipboard to provide a voluntary Personal Health Record, or PHR, for employees and adult family members age 18 and older who are covered by an IU-sponsored medical plan.
The PHR is an online, portable tool controlled by the employee. It allows employees to create an account to compile, manage, and share personal health information with physicians and other care providers of their choice in a secure, protected location. Employees can also authorize PHR accounts for family members.
The IU-sponsored PHR allows employees to:
- Securely access medical information via the web 24x7x365.
- Document medical history, medications, immunizations, medical provider list, family medical history, plan information, etc.
- Send medical history and other "paperwork" to the doctor's office ahead of scheduled visits.
- Accept electronic information back from a doctor's office, like lab results.
- Scan documents such as living wills and power of attorney to store electronically.
- Authorize accounts for family members to help organize medical information, immunizations for a child's school, etc.
Over the coming months, the PHR navigation will be enhanced with more features for IU employees and their family members. Visit hr.iu.edu/benefits/PHR.html for additional information, or to create a PHR.
Retirement Readiness Statement
University Human Resource is currently preparing an educational document, Retirement Readiness Statement, to assist employees participating in IU-sponsored retirement programs with answers to the questions:
- How much income could potentially be received during retirement?
- Is enough being saved for retirement?
The Retirement Readiness Statement will provide an estimated lifetime retirement income projection for current IU employees participating in the following retirement plans:
- IU Retirement Plan
- PERF
- IU Tax Deferred Account Plan
- IU Retirement Savings Plan
A hardcopy of the Retirement Readiness Statement will be mailed in early March to employees' home addresses.
Maximum Limits of 2013 Benefit Programs
Each year the IRS sets limits on the amount of contributions employees can make to certain Benefit programs. These amounts can be changed anytime during the year. Most changes can be made online at the Employee Center area of OneStart at onestart.iu.edu.
HSA annual contribution maximum
- $3,250 employee-only*
- $6,450 all other coverage levels*
IU Tax Deferred Account Plan (TDA)
- Maximum: $17,500
- An additional $5,500 for age 50 and over catch-up contributions
IU Retirement Savings Plan
- Maximum: $17,500
- An additional $5,500 for age 50 and over catch-up contributions
*HSA maximum contributions may be prorated when HDHP enrollment is less than twelve months. Employees who enroll mid-year in the HDHP PPO & HSA plan as a newly eligible employee or change coverage during the year to employee-only (e.g., due to a divorce), should view the Benefit Brief that describes prorated HSA maximum contributions. hr.iu.edu/benefits/briefs.html
Additional information (including minimum contributions) can be found at hr.iu.edu. Questions may also be submitted to the university email address at the bottom of the Benefits pages.
