Category: Benefits News

This category is for articles and announcements related to your benefits as an MSU benefits-eligible faculty or staff member.

Best Doctors offers three great services

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The Best Doctors website is available to all members of MSU health plans. They offer three main services at no out-of-pocket costs to you:

In-Depth Medical Review & Interconsultation, where experienced medical professionals can answer any questions you may have about a medical diagnosis or treatment options.

When to call: Best Doctors Logo

  • You have questions about your existing diagnosis or treatment options.
  • Your doctor hasn’t given you a diagnosis or you aren’t getting better even with treatment.
  •  You wonder if you really need surgery or other recommended medical procedures.
  •  You want to make sure you are getting the right care from the right medical specialist.

Have a question about a medical diagnosis or treatment options? Ask the Expert.

When to call:

  • You have any general or specific medical question, and don’t want to rely on the Internet for information.
  • You have heard about a new treatment option or medical procedure and wonder if it’s right for you.
  • You are uncertain if the medications you’re now taking are the best options for you.

Need a pediatrician? Want the best surgeon in your area? Looking for a world-class medical specialist? Just contact Best Doctors to Find a Best Doctor, and they will locate the right doctor for you—one who’s nearby and in your health plan.

When to call:

  • You just moved to a new area and are looking for a doctor.
  • You believe you need to consult with a specialist.
  • You would like additional providers you can see about your condition.

To get started, call 1-866-904-0910 or visit their website.

MSU Benefits Plus – Discounts and Programs

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A reminder to all MSU benefits-eligible faculty and staff, you have the opportunity to enroll in several voluntary employee-paid benefits programs through MSU Benefits Plus. The optional programs include Vision Insurance, Group Legal Services, Critical Illness Insurance, Long-Term Care Insurance, Auto and Home Insurance, Pet Insurance and discount shopping.

Vision, legal and critical illness insurance have an annual open enrollment period during the fall of each year. That means you can only enroll at that time each year and once you enroll, you cannot change or cancel that enrollment until the next annual open enrollment period (unless you have a qualifying life event). Other programs, like auto, home, long-term care and pet insurances allow you to enroll at anytime throughout the year.MSUBenefitsPlus.com Screenshot

Discounts are available year-round on the MSU Benefits Plus website. These include discounts tied to MSU departments, local businesses and many other online shopping discounts.

Keep up on all of the discount information and programs that are available through the MSU Benefits Plus page. Sign in or create an account on www.MSUBenefitsPlus.com using your MSU ZPID number and password to view your benefits programs available to you.

Adrenal Stress and Hypothyroidism

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Have you recently experienced fatigue and aren’t sure why? The cause could be adrenal gland issues or hypothyroidism. While doctors disagree as to whether adrenal stress is a veritable medical condition or simply related to hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue theory insists that a great influx of stress can actually hinder our adrenal glands from producing hormones that we need. This lack of hormones can lead to a wide variety of unwanted side effects. Albeit, there is not yet enough evidence to support this theory. Similarly, hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid gland fails to produce the necessary amount of thyroid hormone. Without this hormone, our body produces less energy and we may feel greatly fatigued.

Has chronic fatigue been effecting your lifestyle? You may be suffering from adrenal stress or hypothyroidism.
Has chronic fatigue been effecting your lifestyle? You may be suffering from adrenal stress or hypothyroidism.

Often, hypothyroidism is caused by Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, a condition where the thyroid gland experiences irritation. This inflammation can be due to either a viral infection or antibodies that target and destroy the thyroid gland. It is important to note that hypothyroid symptoms and adrenal fatigue symptoms are largely similar. This means that the two conditions are often misdiagnosed. If you are feeling tired, depressed, cold sensitivity, muscle/joint aches or have experienced poor memory, shortness of breath, chronic yeast infections, low libido, infertility, or weight gain, you may be suffering from adrenal gland issues or hypothyroidism. Treatments require a diligent approach so if you are suspect of the aforementioned conditions, do not hesitate to reach out to your health care provider.

View the entire article by Best Doctors.

If you are facing a medical decision, Best Doctors is here to help. Call 866.904.0910 or visit bestdoctors.com/members.

Want to Win a Tablet? Put Your Financial Knowledge to the Test!

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160x600_TIAA_CREF_whiteboardThe What’s Your Financial IQ 2.0 challenge, sponsored by one of MSU’s retirement plan vendors TIAA-CREF, just might be the easiest way to win a free tablet computer. From April 1 to April 22, participate by answering questions that will help you learn important information regarding financial planning. Every day, What’s Your Financial IQ 2.0 will feature new topics and questions, allowing you to show what you know. Every time that you play, you will be entered to win one of three tablet computers. The more that you play, the better your chances are to win. Sign on frequently to keep the odds in your favor! Don’t worry if you aren’t in the financial know either, all responses are completely confidential.

So go ahead, get started today! Topics vary and will cover retirement, taxes, healthcare and privacy. All MSU employees are eligible to win. You can see last year’s winners here.

Personalized Cancer Care Webinar: A Look at Targeted Treatments

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Are you interested in learning more about some of the recent developments in personalized cancer care? On Friday, March 27, 2015 at 1 p.m. you can listen in on a webinar presented by Best Doctors where you will learn what personalized cancer care is, how it is different from current practices, what types of targeted cancer therapies are available and who can benefit the most. An expert panel of leading specialists in the field of oncology will host the webinar and help you get the most out of your experience.Best Doctors Graphic

You can register for the webinar by visiting the Best Doctors Webinar Registration page. View the full release at the Best Doctors Webinar pdf.

Your FSA Receipts Deadline is Approaching!

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The deadline for turning in 2014 Flexible Spending Account (FSA) receipts is quickly approaching! Here are the FSA important dates to remember for your Dependent Care Spending Account (DCSA) and Health Care Spending Account (HCSA):

  • The deadline to use your DCSA funds was December 31, 2014
  • The deadline to submit receipts for your DCSA is April 30, 2015
  • The deadline to use your HCSA funds is March 15, 2015
  • The deadline to submit receipts for your HCSA is April 30, 2015

Important to note: The 2014 Program Year is working in coordination with Meritain Health. You will work with CONEXIS from 2015 forward.

Please remember, if you do not use all of your funds and submit your receipts by the required deadlines, IRS code requires the remaining funds be forfeited. If you still have remaining 2014 HCSA funds you’d like to use, you need to pay for eligible items or services out of pocket and then submit receipts along with a reimbursement request form. If you use your HCSA debit card, it will draw from your 2015 account funds.

Helpful Links:

FSA Information

Meritian Health – Reimbursement Request Form

Meritian Health – HCSA Debit Card Substantiation Form

New on the Human Resources Website

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It’s been a busy month for new items on the HR website.

MSUSpartans_Logo.svg
Regularly visit MSU HR on the web to keep up-to-date with the latest news.

There’s a new university-wide policy on Relationship Violence & Sexual Misconduct that replaces the policy on Sexual Harassment. Information surrounding Guidelines for Maintaining Critical Functions and Services at MSU is also now available. The electronic I-9 system is fully implemented and a new page with information about the Form I-9 process, compliance training and system access guidelines has been created.

To help new employees understand the benefits available to them, we have created a Benefits Overview toolkit, a quick reference about benefits available to MSU employees. There is also a complete 27-page presentation that provides information previously given at the benefits/retirement orientations.

Michigan Tobacco Quitline

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The Michigan Tobacco Quitline is now open to all MSU employees, spouses of MSU employees and MSU students.  It is a free service that provides access to a professional Quit Coach and a personalized quitting strategy, along with other resources to help individuals quit tobacco use. You can even call if you are helping someone else quit smoking.Tobacco Quitline Flyer

This flyer can be used to post in your office or to forward to your colleagues.

This service is provided to MSU members courtesy of the Michigan Department of Community Health, the MSU Healthy Campus Initiative and the MSU Physician’s Office.

Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) to learn about how you can get help to quit smoking.

Step-by-Step Benefits Open Enrollment Instructions

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Remember to complete your Benefits Open Enrollment during the month of October.  Benefits-eligible employees will complete open enrollment using Employee Self-Service (ESS) in the Enterprise Business Systems (EBS). Here is the process for completing open enrollment:

  • Visit ebs.msu.edu and select “EBS Login.”
  • Log in using your MSU NetID and password.
  • Select the ESS tab.
  • Select the Benefits link.
  • Select the Add or change MSU Benefits and Retirement Plans link.
  • Select the Open Enrollment link.
  • A disclaimer that explains the CDHP/HSA plans (regardless of CDHP/HSA eligibility) will appear. Please read, and then select OK to continue
  • If you have a spouse or OEI on your benefits, the Health Plan Affidavit will appear. Answer the questions, select Next, then Save.
  • Now you will see the Plan Selections screen. Select the first plan you would like to add, edit or remove, click Edit Plan.
  • Select your desired plan and level of coverage, then click Select Dependents.
  • Select the dependents you would like to cover on the plan. Then click Add Plan to Selection.
    • If you do not see one of your dependents, it is either because they are not eligible for the plan or they need to be added as a dependent in the new system. See our screenshot tutorial for how to add a dependent.
  • Once you have added, edited or removed all of your desired plans, select Review Enrollment.
  • Review your plan selections, then select Save.
  • You now have completed open enrollment!

For more information on Benefits Open Enrollment, please visit our website. You also may get enrollment assistance at our Benefits Site Labs.

2014 Campus Flu Clinics

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Smiley Nurse
Protect yourself from the flu by getting vaccinated.

The Office of the University Physician will be offering flu clinics at various campus locations in October and November. Flu vaccines administered at the flu clinics will again be subsidized by Human Resources for MSU faculty, staff, and retirees, and will be offered this year at no cost. The vaccine cost for non-MSU employees and students will be $30. This flu season the Office of the University Physician is stocking the quadrivalent flu vaccine, which includes two influenza A strains and two B strains to help protect against influenza disease, in both injectable and intranasal formulations.

The flu clinic schedule is available at: http://www.uphys.msu.edu/FluClinicSchedule2014.pdf.

For questions regarding flu clinics, please contact the Office of the University Physician at 517-353-8933 or uphys@msu.edu.