Frequently Asked Questions

Open enrollment is the annual opportunity to reflect on your current benefit elections and make any changes for the coming calendar year.

Open Enrollment begins October 18, 2024 and ends on November 1, 2024.

Log into myGate to access the Benefitfocus portal on the Employee tab in the Human Resources section. Complete the acknowledgement within your To Do List and select Enroll Now to make your benefit elections.

Annual Deductible Changes: Premium Saver HDHP annual deductibles changed to $3,300 employee only/$6,600 family.

No increase in employee rates in any of Murray State’s voluntary plans aside from supplemental life. The 2025 plan year rate for supplemental life is $.34 per $1,000 – for example, an additional $40,000 supplemental life policy would cost $13.60 per month.

Wellness Pledge participants will continue to be eligible to earn the $250 Wellness Pledge incentive for 2025.

Voya Life is offering $20,000 Guaranteed Issue (GI) for current participants in 2025!

It is very important that you take the time to review all of your benefit options, as your needs may be different for 2025. This is an active enrollment, which requires that you review your benefit options and enroll in 2025 benefits during the Open Enrollment period.

Yes, you will still need to opt out of health insurance and make decisions on other benefits in Benefitfocus. Becoming a member or keeping your Sick Leave Bank membership is part of the Open Enrollment process even if you do not plan on taking Murray State’s health insurance. Sick Leave Bank provides a means of obtaining additional sick leave days to avoid loss of compensation.

Yes, this is an active Open Enrollment meaning you must elect each benefit coverage and dependents for all benefits offerings each year. Becoming a member or keeping your Sick Leave Bank membership is part of the Open Enrollment process even if you do not plan on taking Murray State’s health insurance.  Sick Leave Bank provides a means of obtaining additional sick leave days to avoid loss of compensation.

First, try using a different browser. If you continue to experience issues with Benefitfocus, contact HR at 270.809.2146 for assistance.

When you complete the enrollment process, you will have access to a summary to view and print for your records. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have enrolled in your desired benefits plans and enrolled your eligible dependents, such as your spouse and/or children, during your enrollment period. It is recommended that you review, save and/or print the Benefit Detail Report available at the end of the enrollment workflow in Benefitfocus, the online enrollment platform.

The Benefit Detail Report is available after you have submitted your Open Enrollment elections on the confirmation page as seen in this video. Your report is accessible in Benefitfocus throughout the year.

You will receive an email confirmation upon completion.  You can review your individual information on Benefitfocus at any time.

You may make changes to your benefit selections at any time during the Open Enrollment period.  However, once Open Enrollment ends on November 1, 2024, you cannot make changes to benefit selections during the year unless there is a life circumstance change that is a qualifying event.

Murray State’s Racer Wellness Pledge program is designed to encourage, support, and assist employees in taking a proactive approach to improve their health and well-being.  Programming includes health fairs as well as Lunch and Learn educational health and well-being sessions throughout the year.
Employees must be enrolled in Murray State’s health plan AND must elect the wellness Pledge during 2025 Open Enrollment.  Additional requirements can be found on the Wellness Pledge website.

Yes, you can earn the $250 incentive by successfully completing both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Pledge.

If the Wellness Pledge participant is enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan, the incentive will be deposited into the HSA account.  Participants in the PPO plan will receive the payment as a discount from their health insurance premium. 

If Phase 1 is NOT completed, participants will incur a penalty of $180, assessed monthly September 2025 – November 2025.
Successful Phase 1 participants will move to Phase 2. If Phase 2 is NOT completed, participants will incur a penalty of $120, assessed monthly November 2025 – December 2025.

Employees who have taken the 2025 Wellness Pledge are also eligible to participate in the Susan E. Baurenfeind Wellness Center Access program.  You must be a Wellness Pledge participant to be eligible, but this program is NOT part of Wellness Pledge programing and isn’t included as a part of Pledge requirements.  Access requires a membership, which is paid by the Wellness Pledge. This is a taxable employee benefit, as determined by the IRS.

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a voluntary, confidential program that Murray State provides as a no-cost benefit to you and your household.  The EAP provides professional help for you and members of your household who may need help to discuss and find ways to better manage such issues as stress and anxiety, emotional challenges, alcohol/drug problems, legal matters and financial management.  In addition, the EAP offers work-life resources and tools to support your overall well-being.  This benefit is administered by Wayne Corporation at no cost to you.  Wayne Corporation can be contacted at 1-800-441-1EAP (1327) or waynecorp.com.

A virtual informational session will be offered this year.  You can register for the Q&A Zoom session held on Wednesday, October 30 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. to get benefit questions answered.  Please register for the Q&A Zoom session. Additonal information can be found on the HR website.

If you have questions about or need assistance with Open Enrollment, please register for the Q&A Zoom session.  You can also contact Human Resources, as the HR Benefits team is available by appointment to meet with you. Please contact Marcie Clark, Assistant Director of Benefits, at 270.809.2158, Mandy Lawson, Benefits Administrator, at 270.809.2237, or Sarah Leach, Benefits Coordinator, at 270.809.4428 to schedule an appointment.

Murray State will continue to offer two High Deductible Health Plans (HDHP) and one Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan for the coming year.

Murray State will continue to self-insure our health plan, and Anthem will continue to provide the administrative services for provider networks and claims processing, as is currently the case.

Children under age 26 are eligible for medical insurance, as well as voluntary benefits.  Unmarried children who are unable to support themselves due to a physical or mental disability are also eligible for medical and voluntary benefits. Maternity services for children are not covered on Murray State's medical plans.

Generally, spouses can be covered on Murray State’s plan.  However, with comparable coverage available through their employer are not eligible for medical coverage through Murray State’s plan.   

The tobacco surcharge is $55 per month, which is added to the health insurance premium for tobacco users.  All employees enrolling in Murray State’s medical plan must attest to their tobacco use status when enrolling through Benefitfocus.  Providing false information when enrolling in Murray State’s medical plan may be considered insurance fraud and may result in payment of applicable premium charges.

A HDHP features higher annual deductibles than traditional health plans.  With the exception of preventive care, employees must meet the annual deductible before the plan pays benefits. However, HDHPs may have significantly lower premiums than a PPO or other traditional plan.

A PPO is a type of health plan that contracts with medical providers, such as hospitals and doctors, to create a network of participating providers. Your out-of-pocket cost is lower if you use providers that belong to the plan's network.

PPO refers to the network structure of a plan, whereas HDHP refers to its pay structure.  A high deductible health plan simply works differently than more traditional plans in that there are no copays — you pay everything out-of-pocket until you reach your deductible. After that, the plan’s coinsurance kicks-in, and the insurer picks up a percentage of the bills until you reach your out-of-pocket maximum. 

A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a tax-exempt trust or custodial bank account with a qualified HSA trustee (bank) to pay or reimburse qualified medical expenses you incur.  If you are enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) and qualify for an HSA, Murray State will contribute up to $400/single and $800/family to your HSA.   IRS guidelines apply if you are 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare. 

The IRS does not allow a family to have Flexing Spending Account (FSA) and HSA at the same time. Employees should consult with their tax advisors for additional information.

Since you own the money in your HSA, any unspent balances automatically roll over year after year.  Your account is both portable and non-forfeitable.

A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is an account you put money into that you use to pay for certain out-of-pocket health or childcare costs.  Since you don’t pay taxes on this money, you’ll save an amount equal to the taxes you would have paid on the money you set aside.  You can contribute to either a Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA) or a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA).

The IRS does not allow a family to have FSA and HSA at the same time. Employees should consult with their tax advisors for additional information.

If you were enrolled in a healthcare FSA for 2024 and enroll in 2025, you can use 2024 funds to pay 2024 plan year claims through May 31, 2025. Claims incurred in 2025 CANNOT be paid with 2024 contributions. After May 31, 2025, you are allowed to carry over up to $500 to pay future claims. You have until May 31 of the following year to pay plan year claims. After that point, you can carry over up to $500 to pay future claims. If you have an FSA in 2024 and elect an HSA or waive the FSA in 2025, you are not eligible for the $500 carryover.

You can contribute a minimum of $50 and a maximum of $3,200 to a Healthcare FSA. Your contributions are paid through payroll deductions with pre-tax dollars.

A Dependent Care FSA lets you use pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible expenses related to day care while you and your spouse work or go to school full-time.  The maximum amount allowed by the IRS is $5,000 per year for individuals or married couples filling jointly or $2,500 for a married person filing separately.

Express Scripts is Murray State’s pharmacy benefits manager. 

No, your Anthem card is for medical and vision claims only.   Express Scripts will mail an ID card to your home address to use for prescriptions when you enroll in medical coverage. Additionally, Express Scripts offers a digital ID card for your convenience. You can access the digital ID card with the Express Scripts mobile app and website. If you need assistance with a paper or digital ID card, you can contact Express Scripts at 844-581-1742.

Murray State is a member of the Know your Rx coalition that provides personalized support to assist you in making the most of your prescription benefit.  The dedicated team of pharmacists work together with Murray State and Express Scripts, your pharmacy benefits administrator, to ensure the best possible experience for you and your family.  You can ask Know Your Rx about potential cost-saving strategies, including options that may make filling prescriptions easier and more convenient.  You can contact Know Your Rx at 855-218-5979 to talk directly with a pharmacist who understands Murray State’s prescription plan, or you can email KYRX@uky.edu.

You can choose from Delta Dental, Anthem Vision, MASA – Emergency Medical Transportation, Voya Supplemental Life Insurance, Group Critical Illness, Short-Term Disability, Accident, and Group Hospital Confinement Indemnity program. 

MASA MTS Emergent Plus Transportation Services Insurance policy provides the following coverages: emergency air ambulance coverage, emergency ground ambulance coverage, hospital to hospital ambulance coverage, and repatriation to hospital near home coverage (when arranged by MASA). These services are available within the United States and Canada, regardless of whether the provider is in or out of a given healthcare benefits network.
The $14.00 monthly premium covers employee, spouse, and eligible dependents under the age of 26. MASA provides additional coverage for services provided on Murray State’s health insurance. MASA does not require participants to be enrolled in Murray State’s health insurance plan.
If services are needed MASA participants will be required to meet their health insurance’s annual deductible before MASA benefits will be applied. The maximum benefits amount pays a maximum of $20,000 per event for up to two (2) events per 12-month period for emergency air ambulance and emergency ground ambulance. MASA will cover out of pocket expenses for hospital to hospital ambulance after applying primary insurance benefits. Total costs are paid for repatriation to hospital near home coverage when MASA MTS arranges the transportation service.

You can choose from two plans for you and your dependents, the Basic Core planand the Buy-up plan, which includes some orthodontia.  Delta Dental is Murray State’s dental vendor.  You can use Delta Dental’s Find-A-Dentist tool to easily find the in-network providers.

Anthem Blue Vision is Murray State’s vendor for vision coverage.  The provides details of coverage. A basic preventive vision exam is also available through each of the medical plans, which is covered at 100%.

The Voya Employee Benefits Resource Center provides detailed information for each plan.  Voya offers short videos as well as a benefits summary and cost for each plan. Simply click on Learn More under the plan you wish to review to locate the summary.

Participants in Voya’s optional Accident and Critical Illness plans are eligible to be reimbursed through the Voya wellness benefit.  This benefit pays you a wellness benefit of $100 per adult and $50 per child on the plan for a wellness exam.  There is an annual maximum of $200 for all children combined.
Employees that enroll in both Accident and Critical illness voluntary plans can have an additional wellness benefit up to $400.

Murray State provides basic term life insurance coverage and a $10,000 accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) coverage to you at no cost if you are in a benefits eligible position.

During Open Enrollment, current supplemental life insurance participants will have the option of an additional 2 increments of $10,000 or a total of $20,000 guarantee issued supplemental life up to seven times their annual salary or $250,000 whichever is less. Evidence of insurability would be required for employees not participating in supplemental life prior to open enrollment for any amount selected during open enrollment as well as for participants wishing to obtain more than the additional $20,000 guarantee issue. Note - newly hired employees, upon their initial benefits selection, have the option of guarantee issue supplemental life insurance in the amount of seven times their annual salary or $250,000, whichever is less.