Faculty and Staff Insurances
Insurance Options Available
The University of West Florida offers comprehensive benefit packages for health, dental, vision, hospitalization, and supplemental insurance benefits for qualifying employees (including eligible OPS employees), retirees and their eligible dependents. After the initial enrollment process, which occurs at the time of hire, employees may only make changes to their benefit choices if they have a Qualifying Status Change (QSC) or during Open Enrollment. Open Enrollment is the annual event when all eligible employees have the opportunity to sign up for or change their health, life, dental, vision, or other insurance coverage.
For more information on each of the plan types offered to employees, please visit the sections below. If you have additional questions not answered in the below material, please contact the Human Resources Benefits Team at 850.474.2694.
Pre-Tax/State of Florida Insurance Plans
Post-Tax Insurance Plans
Post-Tax insurance plans are offered through Gabor Financial Solutions. These plans are not available to OPS Staff employees.
University Work Force staff, Faculty, Executive Service, and eligible OPS Staff employees are eligible to enroll in insurance plans following their initial date of employment. New hires are strongly encouraged to speak with a member of the HR Benefits Team to create a smooth enrollment experience. All payroll deductions must be set up locally within our office and cannot be assured by only enrolling with People First.
When reviewing your benefit choices, be sure to read the materials/brochures provided by People First. These can all be found at the State of Florida MyBenefits web site. Included on this site is the current Active Employees Benefit Guide, which is a comprehensive overview of all benefits offered to state employees.
Enrolling in Pre-Tax Benefit Plans
- Choose insurance plan(s) with company/companies of your preference.
- Complete enrollment with People First via phone call, or online (assistance is available by contacting Human Resources for more information).
- Submit a confirmation statement to the Human Resources Benefits Section to ensure proper setup of payroll deductions.
Enrolling in Post-Tax Benefit Plans
- Complete enrollment with Gabor Financial Solutions (local representatives Samantha Wells and Karla McFarland are available to meet with you).
- Notify the Human Resources Benefits Section to ensure proper setup of payroll deductions.
Faculty and University Work Force employees are eligible to begin insurance coverage on the first day of the month following their date of hire. Enrollment takes effect upon completion of online enrollment on the People First web site, along with payroll deduction of premiums.
Employees must submit a Confirmation of Benefits statement to Human Resources upon enrollment in order for payroll deductions to be set up promptly and accurately. Premiums are paid one month in advance, so payroll deduction must occur prior to the effective date of coverage. For example, premiums for September coverages are deducted from the August paycheck. Premiums are deducted from the first two pay warrants received each month. No insurance deductions are made when a third paycheck is received during the same month.
Early Effective Date
For health insurance, newly eligible employees may request coverage to begin as early as the first of the month following their enrollment on the People First website and payment of premiums through an alternate method. Health deductions may be adjusted for the initial month of coverage to withdraw the full month's premium from a later paycheck. Employees must work with the HR Benefits Team to request an early effective date.
All nine and ten month faculty members enrolling in State Life and State Health plans will have double deductions taken from their paycheck each spring. Double deductions for health and/or life insurance begin the first paycheck in February and end with the first check in May. Supplemental insurance plans such as dental, vision, short-term disability and hospital insurance will also be double deducted each spring.
These additional deductions are taken out to pre-pay premiums for the months of June, July, August and September. Regular deductions will resume on the first paycheck in September.
Please review your paycheck statements during the double deduction period to ensure that your deductions are correct.
IRS rules on pre-tax premium plans do not allow for enrollment, additions, changes or cancellations except with the occurrence of a "qualifying status change event (QSC)," followed by written application for a change within a prescribed time frame. The following events are some, but not necessarily all, valid QSC events:
- Marriage or divorce
- Death of a spouse or dependent
- Birth, adoption or legal guardianship
- Change in dependent eligibility
- Change in employment status of employee, spouse or dependent such as termination of spouse's employment or change from part-time to full-time status or vice-versa.
To change a benefit election, employees must submit the appropriate paperwork within sixty (60) days from the first day of the event. Outside the sixty (60) day period, the only other time a change can be made is during the annual open enrollment period. If an employee experiences a QSC, they should contact the Human Resources Benefits Team at 850.474.2694.
The Shared Savings Program is a voluntary program that is available to you and your dependents who are enrolled in a State Group Insurance health plan. The purpose of the Shared Savings Program is to reduce healthcare costs and reward you for making informed and cost-effective decisions about your healthcare.
Under the Shared Savings Program, you can earn rewards by receiving rewardable healthcare services through the use of the state’s vendors, Healthcare Bluebook and Lantern. Rewards will be credited to the savings and spending account of your choice and you can use the funds to pay for eligible medical, dental, and vision expenses.
You can earn rewards through one, or both, of the following benefits:
- “Shop” for eligible healthcare services on the Healthcare Bluebook transparency website or mobile app. The website will identify certain healthcare services that are available for a reward. Rewards are earned after you “shop” for a rewardable healthcare service on the website, receive the service, and the claim has been paid.
- Receive a “bundled” medical service offered by Lantern. Each “bundled” healthcare service will be available for a reward. Rewards are earned after you receive the “bundled” healthcare service and the claim has been paid.
Please visit the Shared Savings Program page for details and instructions on the program.
Under the federal COBRA law, employees who terminate employment are eligible to continue their group health, dental and vision insurance for up to eighteen months. Under special circumstances, you may continue coverage for 29 months if you are disabled. Spouse and dependents may continue coverage for 36 months as a result of divorce.
Upon termination or if eligible for COBRA, People First will send the information necessary for enrolling in COBRA coverage. People First processes all enrollments and payments. The cost to continue coverage is the total premium (no employer contributions) plus a 2% administrative fee. To ensure continuation of coverage, contact the People First Service Center at 866.663.4735.