This is to advise you that the University will be moving to a single medical insurance carrier next year. The move will be accompanied by enhanced medical, dental, and vision benefits, and will assure that Fordham continues to provide the best insurance coverage we can for our faculty, administrators, and staff – – and their families.
After an extensive review of current insurance options, and in light of the approaching implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the Administration requested proposals from four major insurance carriers, including our current carriers. With advice from the Administrators Conference, the Faculty Senate, the Senate’s Salary and Benefits Committee, and a special ad hoc Committee on Health Insurance, the choice was narrowed down to two that, it was agreed, would meet our needs. Of the two, the Administration chose United Healthcare as the better value, offering the following advantages:
- The largest network of physicians, hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and other providers in the Country.
- Minimal disruption of care, with 93% of the physicians and other providers who currently care for Fordham people in the United network.
- Access to all major medical facilities in the metropolitan area.
- Short-term rehabilitation covered, even out-of-network.
- No limit on home healthcare visits.
- Out-of-network hospice care for up to 210 days a year.
- Lower family out-of-network payments.
More information will be provided over the next few months, in advance of an Open Enrollment Period, scheduled to begin in October. In the meantime, you can find out more about United Healthcare at their website www.myuhc.com. To find out whether your healthcare providers are part of the United network, select “Find a Physician, Laboratory or Facility” and then choose “United Healthcare Choice Plus.”
We understand that this change may be unsettling for some who have been enrolled with the same insurance carrier for many years, but we will try to ease the transition by providing timely information, holding a series of Open Forums, and arranging for on-line enrollment and personal consultations. More information on all this will follow.
If you have any special concerns, please feel free to contact me directly at the phone number or email address below.
Sincerely,
John J. Lordan
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
