Emory University faculty and staff will have the opportunity to review their existing benefits and make changes for the upcoming year from Oct. 18 through Nov. 4. 

Enrollment will take place through an online self-service portal that is offered through human resources, according to an Oct. 15 University press release.

Changes become effective Jan. 1, 2014.

Emory faculty and staff have several packages of benefits as options, ranging from medical benefits such as dental and vision to educational benefits such as the Courtesy Scholarship and tuition reimbursement, according to Erin Long, director of communications for human resources.

“For 2014, faculty and staff can select from two medical plan options: the Health Savings Account Plan (HSA) or the Point of Service Plan (POS),” Long wrote in an email to the Wheel. “The HSA plan has a lower monthly contribution but a higher deductible, while the POS plan is a more conventional medical plan.”

Long said several minor changes to the medical plans will take effect, including a higher deductible, out-of-pocket maximum and a change in cost structure.

There will be no change in contribution amounts for employee-only coverage.

Other possible additions to the benefits include a new increased life insurance benefit and a new adoption benefit that reimburses the cost of adopting a child, according to the press release.

Another change stems from a 2013 initiative that will lower costs by offering cash incentives to lower medical costs, according to the press release.

According to Long, faculty and staff can save money on their individual medical expenses by participating in these “healthy activity” incentives.

Such incentives will soon include health screenings, online assessments, a disease management program and a health management program, Long said.

As of this year, Emory will now include spouses and same-sex domestic partners as part of the incentive program. This new inclusion will give faculty the opportunity to earn an additional $100, according to the press release.

This is part of Emory’s ongoing support to employee health and well-being, according to Long.

Incentives are offered as part of Emory’s benefits package to provide the Universitys employees with the opportunity to better understand their own health and ways to reduce any potential risks to their health.

Several faculty and staff members declined to comment on their benefits packages.

Human resources, according to the University press release, will offer several resources to help with the enrollment and decision-making process.

They will now offer a new medical plan selection cost estimator, enrollment presentations and will now offer the option to watch the benefits enrollment presentation online on the internet.

– By Stephen Fowler 

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Stephen Fowler 16C is the political reporter at Georgia Public Broadcasting, the statewide NPR affiliate in Georgia. He graduated from Emory with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and covered the central administration and Greek Life for the Wheel before serving as assistant news editor, Emory Life editor and the Executive Digital Editor from 2015-16.