The right choice Employees encouraged to carefully consider the best 2013 medical plan for them and their families By Alex Wilson and ken Groh dcollege and two teenagers in sports. The right medical - services and supplieson copayments, coinsurance for office visits, prescriptiondrugs and more with a comparison of how each plan coversavid Yingling, a 747 chief technical pilot for Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Renton, Wash., has one daughter in plan is important to him and his family. • Health Care Cost Summary – Summarizes an employee’s “My kids are pretty typical. They play sports, and we all live personal health care claims, including the total cost and what active lifestyles,” Yingling said. “Usually this means a broken bone the employee paid or something like that a year.” • Flexible Savings Account Calculator – Shows the amount that He and his family are on the Traditional Medical Plan, but they an employee could contribute to his or her flexible savings are considering their options in 2013, following the announced account, or FSA, to help pay health care expenses changes to the 2013 medical plans. Boeing will increase paycheck • Health Savings Account Calculator – Helps calculate how contributions to the Traditional Medical Plan and HMO options, much employees can contribute to their accounts to and is replacing the PPO+Account plan with the Advantage+ help pay expenses today and save in the account plan—which does not require a paycheck contribution for many for future expenses employees and is the lowest cost for some. Stephens stressed that employees need to use With the change in the medical plans, employees need to these tools during annual enrollment to make the carefully consider their options, said Rick Stephens, senior vice best decision for what medical plan is best president of Human Resources and Administration. for them. “Depending on the employee, any of the plans could be the Yingling said he’s eager to use the tools most economical,” Stephens said. “Employees need to focus on to make the cost comparisons. several criteria while they make their choice.” “I’m looking forward to getting the infor- That means, he said, employees need to consider the type of mation on how much will change,” Yingling medical expenses they anticipate for next year; how paycheck said. “I don’t think the Advantage+ plan contributions will change; the deductibles of each plan; and will be right for me and my family, but the value of putting additional funds in a tax-advantaged health I’m going to research before I make savings account similar to a 401(k). a decision.” n Yingling is not alone as he considers next year’s medical alexander.m.wilson@boeing.com plans. Focus groups with employees around the United States PhOTO: ShuTTERSTOCk have shown that the majority are interested in the Advantage+ and how it fits their lifestyles. The plan comparison chart (see opposite page) can help employees prepare to choose a medical plan option during annual enrollment. During annual enrollment, which begins Nov. 5, Boeing will offer tools and resources to help employees compare the plans. “It could add up to saving a lot of dollars they didn’t expect,” Stephens said. These tools on “Your Benefits Resources” will include: • Medical Expense Estimator – Compares plans and estimates medical costs for next year with a side-by-side estimation of the bottom-line costs • Health Plan Comparison Chart – Provides information 12 BOEING FRONTIERS / SEPTEMBER 2012
Frontiers September 2012 Issue
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