​​​​​​​​​​

March Benefits News

March 3, 2023

March Webinars

Fidelity - Women Talk Money

Fidelity’s Women Talk Money is a month-long series featuring an all-star lineup of women who will share stories, tips, and ways that we can be role models for each other and the next generation of women. 

  • Marquee events with special guests Jessica Alba and Venus Williams
  • Roundtable discussions to inspire change
  • Weekly workshops and live Q&As on money moves employees can make today
  • How-to-guides and additional resources to take the next step

To view the events and register, visit the Women Talk Money website. You do not need to be a Fidelity member to access these resources. 

TIAA Webinars

TIAA will be hosting a series of webinars in the month of March. You do not have to be a TIAA member to participate in these webinars. Brief descriptions and links to register are provided below. 

  1. Invest for Success: 5 principles you need to know |  March 7 at 8:00 am Alaska

No matter where you are in your career journey, this webinar can help you understand the key principles of investing for retirement. Register for Invest for Success by clicking here.

  1. Opening Doors to the Future: Save in a 529 college savings plan | March 9 at 8:00 am Alaska

You can learn how 529 college savings plans work and how to invest in one for a child, grandchild, yourself or another loved one. Register for Opening Doors to the Future by clicking here.

  1. Cyber: Help protect you, your family, and your money | March 15 at 10:00 am Alaska
    Are you concerned about identity theft and your family’s security online? TIAA’s Information Security team will discuss how you can protect yourself and your family from cybercriminal social engineering. Register for the Cyber course by clicking here.

  2. Charting Your Course | March 22 at 8:00 am Alaska
    Women can face unique financial challenges. You can discover tailored approaches to saving for retirement and tips to make your money work hard. Register for Charting your Course by clicking here.

Colorectal Cancer Awareness

TouchCare Webinar (live) | March 15, 2023 | 10:00 am Alaska

Colorectal cancer can impact you at any age and is the third leading cause of death in young adults. The chance of surviving colon cancer goes up with early detection and treatment—but only 40% of colon cancers are found in the early stages. In partnership with the Colon Cancer Coalition, TouchCare is discussing how to identify symptoms, reduce risks, and the importance of preventive screenings. 

Healthy In & Out: Maximizing Immune Health

TouchCare Webinar (recorded)

Since 2020, there's been a huge focus on immune health. 1 in 5 Americans have tried a new service or treatment to support their immune health such as incorporating a healthy diet & exercise, IV therapy, vitamins & supplements, and more. But which of these are the most effective strategies to support our immune system? Join TouchCare to discuss the do's and don't of maintaining an optimized immune system.

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Training with Unum

Unum hosted an FMLA training for all employees, supervisors, and HR Coordinators on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Alaskan. This training went over new changes to the FML process and gave an opportunity for a Q&A. A recorded version of the training can be found on our FML Training website.

Resources & Reminders

COMING SOON! Open Enrollment
April 17 - May 5, 2023* 

As we continue to prepare for Open Enrollment, we want to highlight a benefit enhancement that will be available to UA employees beginning July 1, 2023. More Open Enrollment information will be in our next newsletter. Stay tuned!

 

ENHANCED BENEFIT!

Our Basic Life Insurance will be increasing from $50,000 to $100,000 beginning on July 1, 2023. Remember, this is a UA paid benefit so there is no cost to you! Basic Life Insurance is automatically provided to all benefit eligible employees. 

Reminders from our last newsletter:

  1. Mark your calendars! Open Enrollment begins on April 17 and ends on May 5, 2023.

  2. Medical, dental and vision will now be unbundled - this means you can elect just medical, just dental or any combination of the three. Get the exact coverages you need!

  3. Because our plans will be unbundled, all benefit eligible employees will be required to submit a form. In previous years, we required forms only from employees who are making changes to their coverage/dependents or electing a Flexible Spending Account (FSA). This year, if you are a UA employee who is in a benefited position, we require you to submit an open enrollment form. We want to be sure that employees are familiar with the changes for this upcoming plan year and that everyone is given an opportunity to enroll in the exact coverage they need for their family.

  4. TouchCare will be hosting several live benefit overview sessions to go over the changes with the UA population. The schedule is being finalized and will be released in the next few weeks. 

*Correction on end date - May 6 was published in our last newsletter. Open Enrollment will end at the close of business on Friday, May 5, 2023.

 

Electronic Explanation of Benefits (EOB)

The University of Alaska would like to remind employees that electronic EOBs are available for all our UA Choice Plan members. This is your opportunity to go paperless for your EOBs - saving time and money!

You can sign up for electronic EOBs with Premera. Enrolling is easy:

  1. Log into your premera account at premera.com
  2. Click on “my account” in the upper right corner and select “account settings”
  3. In the “Preferences” box, switch the Paperless Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to “on”
  4. Enjoy more room in your mailbox!

There are several benefits for enrolling in the electronic EOBs:

  1. All your EOBs will always be in one place. You can log into your secure Premera account and view current or previous EOBs. This makes referencing your documents a breeze. 
  2. You will receive an email notification anytime a new EOB is generated and ready for you to access online. Always know when EOBs are complete.
  3. You will have immediate access to completed EOBs (both current and past). No more waiting for EOBs to come via mail.
  4. Enrolling in electronic EOBs will help the university mitigate administrative costs on our health care plan.

Fidelity - How You Money

Fidelity has launched a new platform with short videos covering topics on debt, savings, retirement, investing, and more. You can search through their catalog on their How You Money website. Videos include:

  1. Where should I invest for my goals?
  2. Struggling to get ahead and pay bills
  3. Saving for a goal
  4. I want help but don’t know what questions to ask

And so much more. Visit Fidelity’s How You Money website to search for topics that interest you. You do not need to be a Fidelity member to access these resources.

TIAA - Are you on track with your retirement savings?

TIAA has an interactive webpage that allows you to check where you are with your retirement planning and saving. Follow the prompts for a quick snapshot of where you are with tips on how you can improve your savings and meet your retirement goals. Click here to visit TIAA’s interactive retirement planning webpage. You do not need to be a TIAA member to access this benefit.

General Wellness Activities

We have a calendar of events at the bottom of our wellness program page. These are local events that you can participate in - and possibly earn points for the program. Review the calendar and program details on our wellness website. For questions on the program, reach out to Victoria Carver at victoria.c@zomohealth.com.

Stay up to date!

Review our benefit news website to stay up to date on all benefits news.

If you have any questions, please email ua-benefits@alaska.edu.