Post date: Sep 24, 2015 4:40:22 PM
Health FSA open enrollment for 2016 begins October 1
CLEVELAND, September 24 — Open enrollment for the Health Flexible Spending Account Plan (FSA) 2016 benefit year runs from October 1 through October 31, 2015. Members must enroll in the Health FSA every year — FSA enrollment is not automatic each year so interested members should act soon so they do not miss out on enrollment for the 2016 Plan Year.
The FSA Plan is available to BLET represented engineers working on participating railroads, and all train service employees of the Texas Mexican Railway. This important health care benefit was secured by the BLET in the 2011 national contract. At least 7.5% of eligible engineers must participate in the FSA Plan in the 2016 Plan Year, and subsequent Plan Years, or the Carriers will have the right to terminate the plan beginning with the following Plan Year.
To Register
You can enroll online at the Your Track to Health website:www.yourtracktohealth.com
Once there, click “Login” in the upper-right corner. If you have already registered, enter your username and password. If you have not registered, select “New User?” at the bottom of the screen to complete your registration. Once logged in, look to the upper-left corner of the screen and select the option to “ENROLL NOW FOR 2016.”
Review your personal benefit information and enroll in the Health FSA. Again, open enrollment ends at midnight on Saturday, October 31, 2015.
Who is eligible?
Except as noted at the end of this paragraph, locomotive engineers and Tex-Mex train service employees covered by the Health & Welfare portion of the most recent National Agreement, dated January 5, 2012, are eligible to participate in the FSA Plan. The national FSA is distinct and separate from the on-property BNSF FSA Plan. The participation rates identified in this News Flash do not apply to BNSF engineers.
What is the FSA Plan?
The FSA Plan, administered by United Healthcare, is designed to allow you to use pretax dollars to pay for certain medical expenses that are not covered under any health plan (including a railroad health & welfare plan) or any other source. You can then use your FSA account to cover eligible expenses, which means you’ll be using pretax dollars to pay for those expenses. The FSA program was recently enhanced with the addition of an FSA debit card to make it easier to access and use your FSA funds. Visit Your Track to Health for more information:
What can you save?
You could save hundreds of dollars in taxes each year with the FSA. The amount you could save in taxes depends on how much you set aside and the amount of your expenses.
Also, the FSA Calculator Tool allows you to input annual estimated out-of-pocket costs for medical services (such as deductibles, co-payments, eye exams, dental exams), then shows you how much money you will save on taxes by using the FSA. To check out the potential savings for you and your family, visit the FSA Calculator Tool here:
How do I sign up?
Information to sign up for the FSA is contained in open enrollment packets that are being mailed during the week of September 21, 2015. Eligible members should receive this information prior to the open enrollment period, which runs until October 31, 2015. This year, open enrollment is again being done on-line (www.yourtracktohealth.com). Please call Railroad Enrollment Services at 1-888-298-9754 if you have any questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Visit the Your Track to Health website for answers to commonly asked questions regarding the Health FSA program:
The new plan year begins January 1, 2016, but you will need to make your elections during the open enrollment period — even if you enrolled last year you will need to re-enroll for the upcoming plan year as this is a program that requires annual enrollment and elections — or you will miss the train on this one!
More information is available in the attached flyers provided by United Healthcare:
www.ble-t.org/pr/pdf/Health_FSA_2016.pdf
and
www.ble-t.org/pr/pdf/Health_FSA_Flyer_2016.pdf
Thursday, September 24, 2015