Category: Benefits News

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

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.

Breathe Easy: Tobacco and Nicotine Cessation Program

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Anti-Smoking Symbol
Take control of your tobacco or nicotine addiction, register for Breathe Easy today!

The deadline to pre-enroll in MSU’s tobacco and nicotine cessation program, Breathe Easy, is quickly approaching. Breathe Easy combines a number of approaches, such as behavioral support sessions and medical evaluations, in order to help participants kick their tobacco and nicotine habits once and for all. Participants may elect to use conventional anti-smoking treatments or can attempt smoking cessation sans medication. In order to be eligible, participants must be  MSU faculty, academic/support staff, graduate student employees, or adult benefits-eligible family members.

This fall’s pre-enrollment orientation date is scheduled for Wednesday, October 8. The event will run from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Olin Health Center Classroom (247).  In order to sign up for pre-enrollment, interested parties may register in person at 330 Olin Health Center, via phone at 517-353-2596, or by email at health4u@msu.edu.

For more information, read the entire PDF created by Health4U.

Woman to Woman Financial Essentials Workshops

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Don’t miss your chance to attend a financial essentials workshop, especially for women at MSU. These free workshops will be held Nov. 12 and 13 at the MSU Union.Workshops Events Poster

Postcards from the Future: A Woman’s Guide to Financially Ever After is geared towards women who are 15 years or less away from retirement. The session will help participants identify how much they will need to retire and when, so they can have the retirement they want. The first session is on Tuesday, November 12 from noon to 1:30 p.m. with lunch provided. Registration is available at https://publictools.tiaa-cref.org/public/tools/events?eventId=1-1JCXZGY.  The second session is from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. with snacks provided, and registration is available at https://publictools.tiaa-cref.org/public/tools/events?eventId=1-1JCTTT6.Continue Reading… Woman to Woman Financial Essentials Workshops

Benefits Open Enrollment for 2014 Ends Thursday!

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If you haven’t yet participated in Benefits Open Enrollment, tomorrow (October 31) is your last chance! Reminder Note

Remember, this Open Enrollment now covers health, dental and life insurance, along with Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and voluntary benefits. View the Open Enrollment Guide to see all of the details.

You need to complete Open Enrollment if you want to make any benefits changes to these plans for the 2014 plan year, or if you want to continue coverage for a spouse or Other Eligible Individual (OEI). (See the spousal/OEI affidavit instructions here if you only need to complete the affidavit and don’t want to make other changes.) There will not be any extensions to the time Open Enrollment is available.

To complete Open Enrollment, see the instructions at http://www.hr.msu.edu/openenrollment/instructions.htm.

2013 Campus Flu Clinics

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Dropping temperatures and shorter days means flu season will soon be among us and preparation for the foreboding season is vital. The University Physician’s Office will be offering flu clinics at various campus locations in October and November. Flu vaccines administered at the flu clinics will be subsidized by Human Resources for MSU faculty, staff and retirees and will be offered at a cost of $10. The vaccine cost for non-MSU employees and students will be $30.

Woman sick in bed
The flu can be time-consuming, stressful and agonizing. Be sure to get your vaccination provided by the University Physician’s Office.

This flu season the University Physician’s Office is stocking the new 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. Until this year, seasonal influenza vaccines included two influenza A strains and only one B strain.Continue Reading… 2013 Campus Flu Clinics

Stay Healthy All-Year Round with the New MSU Health e-Guide

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The MSU Healthwise Knowledgebase has been upgraded to the new MSU Health e-Guide, making access to resources and educational materials for maintaining your health easier than ever.

MSU Health Website
The new upgraded MSU Health e-Guide makes accessing important medical and health information easier for visitors.

The MSU Health e-Guide features a new homepage in an easier to use format, allowing visitors to find medical information quickly. The extra features include: an archive of the Healthy Email Series directly on the homepage, a Consumer Care Section with videos on health care reform and suggested questions to ask about medicines and other health topics. It also includes the top 10 searches for various health subjects to see what others in the MSU community are searching for.Continue Reading… Stay Healthy All-Year Round with the New MSU Health e-Guide

Curious about Health Care Reform?

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The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also referred to as Health Care Reform, consists of about a thousand pages of complex information. It also brings massive changes to MSU and other employers.

To help people understand the complex information contained in the ACA, MSU Human Resources has created a special section on the HR website. The goal of the site is to share what MSU is doing in its effort to comply with the ACA, and also to provide you access to resources where more information can be found.Continue Reading… Curious about Health Care Reform?

Member Satisfaction High for Best Doctors Service

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Best Doctors, Inc., a service offered to MSU employees, has gotten rave reviews in its first year at MSU. In a survey, over 90 percent of respondents gave the highest rating for the service’s overall ability to meet their needs and would recommend Best Doctors to their co-workers.

One customer wrote, “Best Doctors could not have been more professional, more concerning, or timely. I would recommend this service to anyone who is facing any medical treatment to themselves or a family member. The doctor who did my consulting call talked to my wife and I as if he was a family friend. I could not be happier except for what I have to look forward to with a complete shoulder replacement. Thank you for this wonderful service.”Continue Reading… Member Satisfaction High for Best Doctors Service