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Fund extends GHI enrolment period
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Posted on Nov 11 2006
The NMI Retirement Fund board has decided to extend the enrolment for the Group Health Insurance program this month, citing employee’s increased interest to get into the plan.
“A lot of people are begging us to let them in. I guess they are seeing that they get more benefits if they are members of the group health plan,” said Fund administrator Mark Aguon in an interview Thursday.
He said the Fund had also sent out letters to employees informing them of the enrolment.
“It’s two-way. It’s good for the program to have more members to be successful. At the same time, more employees want to get more benefits from the program,” he said.
At present, the GHI program has some 3,000 members, about 50 percent of the total government employees.
Meantime, Aguon said that government employees enrolling this month will be covered by the insurance effective January 1, 2007.
The Fund’s GHI program is handled by Aetna Global as its third party administrator.
Aguon has said that Aetna has so far been an efficient administrator.
Compared with its previous TPA, Hawaii Pacific Medical Referral, Aguon said Aetna charges Fund at a much lower price.
He said the Fund paid Aetna an average of less than $100,000 a month while it used to pay HPMR some $500,000 a month.
Prior to the entry of Aetna last July, the GHI program raised its premium rate by up to 52 percent.
Effective July 1, GHI member contribution rates were set at $56.44 semi-monthly for single retiree and $52.55 biweekly for single active member.
Including the government’s contribution, total premium for a single retiree is $71.10 and $61.10 for active single.
For couples, a retiree’s semimonthly is $104.57 while an active’s biweekly is $91.59.
Total premiums for couple amount to $131.10 for retirees and $116.10 for active members.
Family enrollees would pay $140.61 for retirees and $134.50 for active members.
Total family premiums amount to $191.10 for retirees and $181.10 for active members.
