Open enrollment closes at 5 p.m. next Tuesday (Nov. 26) — that’s one week  from today.

Typically, the last two days of open enrollment are the busiest for benefits offices and the open enrollment website, which is why Human Resources representatives are encouraging employees not to put off changes until the last minute. See below for available assistance during the final week.

Another important reminder: UC is discontinuing four medical plans, so, if you are in one of those plans, you need to pick another one or UC will do it for you (choosing the most comparable plan).

These plans are going away:

• Anthem Blue Cross PLUS (point-of-service plan)
• Anthem Blue Cross PPO (preferred provider organization)
• Anthem Lumenos PPO with HRA (health reimbursement account)
• Health Net full network HMO (health maintenance organization)

Two plans are being added and four others are continuing; see the open enrollment website for details.

Other actions you can take

• Enroll in or opt out of UC-sponsored medical, dental or vision plans
• Transfer to a different medical or dental plan
• Add eligible family members to your medical, dental and vision plans
• Opt in or out of TIP (tax savings on insurance premiums); enrollment is automatic unless you previously opted out
• Enroll or re-enroll in flexible spending accounts (for health and-or dependent care)

Flexible spending accounts

Renewal is not automatic for either the health FSA or dependent care FSA. You must re-enroll, even if you are making no other changes during open enrollment.

Notes: If you choose the new Blue Shield Health Savings Plan as your medical plan, you cannot enroll in the health FSA. Also, if you are moving into the new Blue Shield Health Savings Plan, you must use all the money in your existing health FSA by Dec. 31 or lose it (i.e., there will be no grace period for expenses through March 31).

No changes to make?

If you are satisfied with your current enrollments, there is nothing you need to do — your current plans will continue into 2014 (with the exception of the FSA plans as stated above).

Assistance

The open enrollment presentation is being repeated four times this week on the Davis campus. Gil Sebastian, benefits supervisor, will present these general overviews as follows (with seating on a first-come, first-serve basis):

• Tuesday, Nov. 19 — 10-11:30 a.m. and 1-2:30 p.m., MU II, Memorial Union
• Wednesday, Nov. 20 — 1-2:30 p.m. and 3-4:30 p.m., Ballrooms A and B, Conference Center

More in-depth information on medical plans is available from Guerren Solbach, health care facilitator — on video.

Online

Open enrollment

Follow Dateline UC Davis on Twitter.