George Washington University faculty and staff will have the opportunity to add, remove or change benefit elections during the annual Open Enrollment period, opening this year on Oct. 9 and closing at 8 p.m. (EDT) Oct. 27. Most changes will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.
Approaching the open enrollment period, please keep an eye out for additional details posted on the Benefits Open Enrollment webpage.
Benefits Highlights
Below you will find a summary of the changes to the 2024 benefits program offerings including newly available benefits and contribution changes. Additional details are available in the 2024 Benefits Overview and the Open Enrollment Guide.
- New: Voluntary critical illness and hospital indemnity insurance plans through Voya
The selection of voluntary benefits will expand to include Voya’s critical illness insurance and hospital indemnity insurance plans. For more information on costs and coverage, please review the Voya Benefits at a Glance.
- New: PrudentRx via the GW Health Savings Plan (HSP) pharmacy benefit
PrudentRx for specialty medications will be included in the GW HSP Pharmacy Benefit. When enrolled in PrudentRx, once you’ve met your combined medical/prescription deductible, your out-of-pocket cost will be $0 for medications included on the PrudentRx exclusive specialty drug list.
- New: Vendor change: Bank of America for tax advantaged accounts
Bank of America will replace PayFlex for flexible spending, health savings and pre-tax parking accounts beginning Jan. 1, 2024. Bank of America offers enhanced service and technology, along with reduced fees. All are invited to join an upcoming information session with Bank of America to learn more, details regarding dates and times can be found on the Open Enrollment Events calendar.
2024 Health Plan Contribution Increases
The faculty and staff Medical Plan contributions will increase by 5.8% in 2024 (across all salary bands and plans). The monthly employee contribution increase will range from approximately $2 to about $48, depending on your plan, coverage level and salary band. This increase, which is larger than in prior years, is attributable to increased plan utilization related to chronic, catastrophic and acute care, as well as an increase in the cost of medical services and prescription medications. The GW PPO and GW Health Savings Plan (HSP) will continue to be administered by UnitedHealthcare and there will be no plan design changes for 2024 (e.g., deductibles, copays, etc.).
Dental contributions will increase across all three dental plan options and each coverage tier by approximately 4%. The monthly employee contributions will increase between $2 and $6 per month depending on your plan and coverage. The DMO, High PPO and Low PPO plans continue to be offered through Aetna.
Vision coverage contributions will increase 1.5% across all plans and coverage tiers. The monthly contribution increase will be less than $1 across both plans and all coverage levels. The United Healthcare Basic and Enhanced vision plans will continue to be offered. There will be no changes to coverage.
Open Enrollment In-Person FESTS & Virtual Events
Both in-person and virtual opportunities for support are offered during this year’s Open Enrollment period, including reimagined Open Enrollment Fests, webinar series and 1:1 appointments with GW Benefits’ vendor partners. View the Open Enrollment Events calendar to register for webinars and 1:1 appointments.
Flu and COVID Shots
In partnership with the Medical Faculty Associates (MFA), flu and COVID vaccine clinics will be held at the Foggy Bottom Campus and Virginia Science and Technology Campus on the open enrollment fest dates. All clinic participants will need to present their insurance card at the time they receive their vaccine(s). GW faculty/staff enrolled on a GW medical plan, please show your CVS Caremark ID card. Additional details will be announced once finalized.
Employees covered by a GW medical plan can also visit area pharmacies and convenience care clinics to receive their vaccine(s) at no cost.
For information about other benefits and programs available to you, including retirement, tuition and well-being, please visit the benefits website.
Questions regarding the enrollment process, system, or any of GW’s health and welfare employee benefit plans may be directed to the Benefits Call Center at 833-698-0324 or [email protected].