Emory’s annual benefits enrollment is the time of year when you can make changes to your benefits. This year’s annual enrollment period will take place Oct. 28-Nov. 11, 2024.
The biggest change for the upcoming year is that both Emory University and Emory Healthcare are introducing a new approach to medical rates, which is aimed at supporting lower wage earners. The amount you pay for your medical plan will be higher or lower depending on your salary. There will now be three salary-based rate bands to determine employee contributions:
Band 1: Less than $28.84 hourly/$60,000 annually*
Band 2: $28.84-$48.07 hourly/$60,000 to $100,000 annually*
Band 3: More than $48.07 hourly/$100,000 annually*
*Annual salary is based on someone who works 40 hours per week.
Theresa Milazzo, vice president of human resources at Emory University, explains that this new approach is to keep health care affordable for all employees.
“As the cost of health care continues to rise, Emory wants to ensure all our employees have access to affordable health care,” Milazzo says. “For lower wage earners, the cost of the medical plan is a higher percentage of their income, so that is why Emory is making a significant investment to subsidize the additional cost of their medical premiums.”
The bands are determined by an employee’s hourly rate as of Oct. 1, 2024, and medical rates will not change at any time in 2025, even if you exceed the pay limit for your band due to a pay increase or promotion.
Although rate increases will vary by the plan you select, on average, employees in Band 1 will see a reduction in their medical rates in 2025, and employees in Band 2 will see no increase in their rates. Employees in Band 3 will see an increase in their rates consistent with the overall increase in Emory’s health care costs (14-17% for this year) due to increases in utilization and cost.
Although there is an increase for Band 3, employees in this group are not absorbing the costs of Bands 1 and 2. Emory is absorbing costs for those groups.
To view the rates per pay period for each salary band:
Emory Healthcare employees (EHC intranet access required)
Other annual enrollment reminders
If you don’t make any changes during the enrollment period, your existing coverage will roll over for medical, dental and vision plans.
If you participate in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for your health care and/or dependent care expenses, you must re-enroll and decide how much money to set aside each year. This does not roll over.
For more information about other changes to your benefits for 2025, visit the annual benefits enrollment website:
Emory Healthcare employees (EHC intranet access required)