Every year, Open Enrollment gives Penn employees a chance to make changes to their benefits elections. Open Enrollment for 2017-18 runs from Monday, April 17, through Friday, April 28. Updates made will take effect Saturday, July 1.

Sue Sproat, executive director of Human Resources, says it’s a period for reflection, and most importantly, education.

“It’s a time to refresh and really think about, ‘Do I want the benefits I had before? Did my life change? Is it going to change?’” Sproat says. It’s also a time to, of course, see what’s new.

This year, Penn will double the employer contribution, or seed, amount for Health Savings Account enrollees in the Aetna High Deductible Health Plan. The seed money will increase from $500 to $1,000 for the single tier, and from $1,000 to $2,000 if any dependents are covered.

“It makes the plan a little bit more even with the other plans, in terms of what the out-of-pocket cost for that plan would be,” Sproat explains. “There are pluses and minuses—the minus is that you have a higher deductible, but the plus is that we give you money toward it, and the money you don’t use can be rolled over for the future.”

It’s a great-value plan that more people should consider, says Sproat, who’s worked in benefits for more than 20 years.

There won’t be significant changes to the additional three plans Penn offers, Sproat says, which include the PennCare/Personal Choice PPO, the Aetna POS II, and the Keystone/AmeriHealth HMO. But, be aware of slight co-pay changes for retail clinic, specialist, and lab visits.

“Those changes are really just to keep up with where the market is going in terms of the costs of the services,” Sproat says.

Employees should have already received a newsletter in the mail, providing a preview of this year’s Open Enrollment. Stay tuned for a customized packet detailing current coverage, the cost of next year’s rates, changes, and more. In the meantime, visit www.hr.upenn.edu/openenrollment for information.

“The most important thing you can do is read the material,” Sproat says. “Sometimes I feel people spend more time on consumer reports picking their flat screen TV than they will on their benefit plans. But if you make a mistake picking the wrong flat screen TV, it’s not that serious.”

As important as it is, Sproat knows benefits aren’t always easy.

“Co-pays. Deductibles. Co-insurance. All those terms are difficult for people,” she says. “That’s why every year we have presentations and health fairs. This year, we’re adding more specific examples in the presentations to make everything really clear.”

Remaining presentations will take place Wednesday, April 19, from noon to 2 p.m. at Irvine Auditorium; Thursday, April 20, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Irvine Auditorium; Monday, April 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Houston Hall; and Tuesday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Houston Hall. Aetna representatives, who will be available to answer questions about the High Deductible Health Plan and the Health Savings Account, will lead the April 24 presentation.

Health fairs will take place on Tuesday, April 18, and Thursday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Houston Hall and New Bolton Center, respectively.