Tennessee Valley Authority
Health Care Benefits
Retiree Medical Plan Election Period: October 19 – November 6, 2009
Federal Long-Term Care Insurance
Retiree Medical Plan Election Period: October 19 – November 6, 2009
The annual election period will be held for the retiree medical plan from October 19 through November 6, 2009. The medical plans available to eligible retirees for 2010 are the 80-percent PPO, Copayment PPO, and the Consumer-Directed Health Plan (CDHP).
The medical plans are described in the Medical Plan 2010 booklet. Premiums are shown on page 15 of the booklet.
The following changes will be effective January 1, 2010.
CDHP medical option provisions
- The CDHP annual deductibles will increase to $1,200/individual and $2,400/family.
- The CDHP family out-of-pocket maximum will be determined differently. If an individual in a family contract meets the individual out-of-pocket maximum, the CDHP plan will pay 100 percent for covered services for that individual for the remainder of the plan year. Currently, all of the family out-of-pocket maximum must be met before any family member’s covered services are paid at 100 percent.
Health Savings Account
See the Health Savings Account section below for information.
Vision Plan
The administrator of the vision care plan will change to Davis Vision. The 80-percent and Copayment PPO plans have vision coverage. If you enroll in the CDHP you do not have coverage for vision care, however, you will continue to be eligible for vision-care discounts through Davis Vision.
The Medical Plan 2010 booklet, along with a postage-paid return envelope will be mailed to retirees’ homes the week of October 13. Information regarding the Health Savings Account is included in the mailing. See the Health Savings Account section below for more information, including how to enroll.
To change your medical coverage for 2010, the Retiree Medical Plan Election Form 2010 (see page 18 of the Medical Plan 2010 booklet) must be completed and returned to the TVA Service Center by November 12, 2009. If you have medical coverage in 2009 and your election form is not received by November 12, 2009, you will be enrolled in the same medical plan for 2010 at the same level of coverage – individual or family – you have in 2009.
If you want to keep the same medical plan you currently have, you do not have to return the election form.
You cannot change your election after January 1, 2010. Retirees who do not have medical coverage now may not elect coverage at this time.
Medical insurance
TVA offers medical coverage to eligible retirees and their eligible dependents.
Retirees and their eligible dependents not yet eligible for Medicare may choose from medical plan options that include medical and prescription-drug coverage. Some plans also include vision-care benefits. The benefit plans available to eligible retirees for 2010 are described in Medical Plan 2010 (PDF, 285 kb).
Note: When retirees and their eligible dependents become eligible for Medicare, they cannot continue in these plans but are instead eligible for coverage under the TVA-sponsored Medicare Supplement plan described below. Additional information is available on the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee web site at www.bcbst.com. Click Self Service, Members, then TVA employees.
Retirees and their eligible dependents that are eligible for Medicare are eligible for a Medicare Supplement plan. The Medicare Supplement plan includes prescription-drug coverage that meets the requirements of Medicare’s Part D prescription-drug coverage. Retirees and their dependents covered under the TVA-sponsored Medicare Supplement plan receive their Medicare Part D coverage through the TVA plan and do not have to enroll in another Medicare Part D plan.
View information on the 2010 Medicare Supplement plan, including prescription-drug coverage.
2010 Medicare Supplement Plan (PDF, 85 kb)
2010 Evidence of Coverage (PDF, 1.2 mb)
2010 Annual Notice of Change (PDF, 188 kb)
2010 Prescription Drug Formulary (PDF, 603 kb)
TVA Letter on Medicare Supplement Plan for 2010 (PDF, 94 kb)
For additional information on medical benefits available to TVA retirees, contact the TVA Service Center by phone at 888-275-8094 or e-mail at esc@tva.gov.
Retiree medical forms
Retiree Medical Plan Bank Draft Authorization Form (TVA Form 17534)
To be used by retirees to authorize automatic bank drafts for collection of medical coverage premiums.
Retiree Status Change Form (TVA Form 17312A)
To be used by retirees to report life-event changes affecting medical coverage, including death, divorce, or changes in dependent eligibility.
Health Savings Account
A Health Savings Account, or HSA, is available to retirees who are enrolled in TVA’s Consumer-Directed Health Plan (CDHP). The HSA gives you, the consumer, more control over how and when you spend your healthcare resources.
Effective January 1, 2010, there will be four changes to the HSA.
- TVA’s contributions to the HSA will increase to $600/individual and $1,200/family.
- The maximum annual HSA contribution from all sources will increase to $3,050/individual and $6,150/family. The maximum is set by the IRS. If you are age 55 or older you can also make additional “catch-up” contributions. The maximum annual catch-up contribution is $1,000.
- The HSA trustee will change to HSA Bank. The HSA trustee holds your balances for you, receives and records contributions and processes distributions. TVA contributions to the HSA will be made to HSA Bank.
- The monthly HSA administrative fee will be $1.75 if your account balance is under $3,000. There is no fee if you maintain a balance of $3,000 or more. This is a decrease from the current $2.25/month fee.
IMPORTANT! If you are enrolled in the CDHP and have an HSA now
You must open a new HSA with HSA Bank in order for TVA to make its HSA contribution for 2010, if you plan to continue your enrollment in the CDHP next year.
You will receive a letter prior to the end of the year with information about the transfer process of any current HSA funds with First Horizon Msaver to the new trustee HSA Bank. Information will also be included in the HSA Bank Welcome Kit distributed in late December.
View information on the Health Savings Account below.
Make Your Own Healthcare Decisions
Dental insurance
The retiree dental insurance plan is designed to help retirees with the cost of dental expenses. This plan is not tied to the retiree medical plan. Future retirees may choose not to enroll in dental but still maintain their medical coverage.
Delta Dental Plan of Tennessee is the carrier for this benefit. Delta allows participants to use any dentist, but offers incentives to those who choose a participating dentist. Visit Delta Dental’s Web site for a list of participating dentists.
Effective July 1, 2009, the monthly premiums are $34.26 for individual coverage and $80.85 for family coverage.
Future retirees who wish to enroll must sign up within 30 days of their retirement. Coverage will be effective the first of the month following Delta Dental’s receipt of the enrollment form.
The following documents outline the dental plan and provide forms that can be printed out and mailed to Delta Dental. (They are PDF files that require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
Guidelines for Retiree Dental. Explains participants’ responsibilities under the plan, eligibility, payment of premiums, and more (58 kb).
Highlights of the Plan’s Benefits and Premiums (182 kb).
Enrollment Form (69 kb).
Change Form. To make changes in personal information, such as an address change or the addition or deletion of dependents (53 kb).
Authorization Agreement for Direct Debit. To authorize a direct debit for monthly premiums (59 kb).
Federal Long Term Care Insurance
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management offers this program to all federal employees and retirees, including those from TVA. Spouses and adult children of retirees are also eligible to enroll.
The program is designed to help with the costs of nursing-home care, assisted-living facilities, in-home care, and other expenses not covered by medical plans. It is offered through Long Term Care Partners, a partnership of MetLife and John Hancock.
Those who wish to enroll in the program must request an enrollment application packet from Long Term Care Partners. TVA does not have application packets. Enrollment packets can only be requested from the Long Term Care Partners Web site or by calling 800-582-3337.
The Web site has information on plan premiums and coverage options, as well as average nursing-home costs for major U.S. cities. The site also lists the health questions that all applicants are required to answer before being approved for coverage.
The premiums for this coverage are paid entirely by the retiree. Premiums can be paid through a deduction from the monthly pension benefit.
Tobacco Cessation Program
Eligible retirees and their dependents are now eligible for TVA's tobacco cessation program to help them stop smoking or using smokeless tobacco. Read about the program here.
Live Well
Retirees can take advantage of this comprehensive TVA wellness program. Check eligibility requirements and find out how you can benefit.
Prescription safety eyewear
Retirees may purchase prescription safety eyewear from AOSafety, the TVA vendor, at TVA’s discounted price. Follow the steps listed below to order prescription safety eyewear:
- Obtain an AOSafety order form by phoning the TVA Service Center at 888-275-8094 toll-free or by going to AOSafety’s special Web site for TVA. (See link below.)
- From the special AOSafety Web site, view frames and find the names and addresses of AOSafety eyewear suppliers in your area. The TVA Service Center can also provide you with a list of dispensers.
- Obtain an eyeglass prescription from your regular eye doctor. Select frames at the nearest AOSafety eyewear dispenser. AOSafety will contact you by telephone or e-mail to arrange payment. (The TVA Service Center does not receive the eyewear or payments.)
- The dispenser will notify you when the eyewear comes in to schedule a fitting appointment. Some dispensers may charge for a fitting while others may not. Any reworking of frames or lenses will be handled at the dispenser’s office.
- Before clicking on the Web site below, write down the following;
- Username: selfpay
- Password: pse2
- Click here to go to the Web site: http://extranet.aosafetysrx.com/login.asp
