Dear Colleagues,
Welcome back from the long weekend. I hope you were able to enjoy family, friends, or just the time away from work.
Flexible Spending - you should have an email from Sondra Clark that was sent on Wednesday with documents to enroll in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA 125 plan). There are two types. One is for medical bills that are not covered (like lasik surgery, eyeglasses above our small amount, prescription co-pays, orthodontia above our $2,700 limit or things not covered by our plan). The other is for child or elder care, which is more often used by our members. Basically if you have regular or predicted expenses the FSA plan is worth considering. It allows you to pay pre-tax, saving you 25-40%. It gives you more buying power. Our article may be a little out of date, but you can investigate a little further if you are interested. http://chtu.oh.aft.org/health-corner/flexible-spending
Open Enrollment - the other part of that email contained information about medical insurance open enrollment. In the past this was more important because there were choices in the plans to switch between. Except for a few people in the old Kaiser (now Healthspan) this is not true. Although, if you are switching between a spouse's plan or making other changes it might be important.
Warm Heads and Hands - Today is the last day to bring in mittens and hats for your building's supply of warm things for kids in need. Thanks to everyone who participated.
In Union,
Ari Klein
CHTU President
