Dear Colleagues:
On behalf of the senior leadership team, I am writing with updates from our recent employee healthcare discussions in an effort to clarify the administration’s position on proposed changes to our healthcare plan choices.
For the past three years, all new employees, including me, have been offered only one healthcare plan—the EPO—originally designed to simplify our healthcare offerings in a very volatile market. During this time, my colleagues and I have heard from numerous employees seeking expanded healthcare options, with a particular interest in out-of-network coverage, additional mental health care options, and greater flexibility to tailor plans to individual employee needs.
In response to these inquiries, the University set out one full year ago to develop a healthcare working group – comprised of a dozen representatives from all employee categories at Monmouth – to consider additional plan options to possibly offer employees at the next open enrollment cycle (November 14-30, 2022). I insisted that this group include representation from union and non-union employees alike, consistent with the administration’s position that any plans developed for one employee category would be offered to all employee categories with the understanding that we would work with the unions to make these options available to all represented employees as well. Once established, the healthcare working group immediately began assessing possible plan options with the aid and guidance of a healthcare consultant of the working group’s choosing.
Earlier this fall, the healthcare working group proffered its plan recommendations to the senior administrative team for review. After thoughtful consideration, the administration has decided the following:
- To offer all employees three new healthcare plan designs at varying price points. These new choices – all of which include out-of-network coverage and additional mental health care options – afford our employees maximum flexibility to tailor a plan to their individual circumstances and family healthcare needs.
- To keep employer/employee cost-sharing splits unchanged since thorough benchmarking establishes that Monmouth University offers some of the most comprehensive and affordable plans among our peer institutions.
- To allow interested employees to remain with whichever of the existing plans in which they are now participating for the current enrollment period.
- To continue to look for ways to ease the cost-of-living burden for our employees at the lower end of the pay scale, consistent with the most recent contract negotiations.
In sum, the University would like to offer the choice among five total plans to employees during the upcoming open enrollment cycle. I am hopeful that the opportunity to select one of three new plans, as well as the ability to remain in one of two existing plans, if preferred, satisfies a major concern of our employees about healthcare choice.
I recognize the complexity of these types of discussions and decisions affecting employee health, wellness, and overall quality of life. I thank the members of the healthcare working group for their diligent efforts throughout the past year to provide sound recommendations to the administration, which we are adopting for the benefit of our workforce. We will be offering the three new plans immediately to all non-union employees, and we are actively working with our five unions to make these options available to all represented employees, as well.
I encourage you to attend one of the upcoming healthcare benefits information sessions hosted by the Office of Human Resources. If you are unable to make one of these sessions, please reach out directly to our colleagues in Human Resources at 732-571-3470, who are standing by to answer any individual questions.
We are pleased to offer these enhanced healthcare options for our employees and their families, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, and hope that these offerings demonstrate our ongoing support of our exceptional employees. As always, feel free to reach out to me directly with questions or concerns at patrick.leahy@monmouth.edu.
Sincerely,
Pat
Dr. Patrick F. Leahy
President