You can find out what you will pay by filling out the Marketplace application. You also can compare plans side-by-side. Filling out the application does not mean you are buying a plan; it just tells you what plans are available and what each plan will cost you.

You also can use the Kaiser Family Foundation calculator for a rough estimate of how much health insurance through the Marketplace may cost you in 2014. Your final premiums and costs may differ from the estimates.

Click here to visit the Kaiser Family Foundation website to use the health insurance costs and savings calculator.

Eligibility for Ohio Medicaid has recently been expanded. This change means more adults between the ages of 19 and 64 will be eligible for no cost or low cost health care coverage through Medicaid beginning Jan. 1, 2014. More information is available in the Medicaid Eligibility Expanded for Adults Ages 19 to 64 article below.

The Marketplace will not affect your SERS’ health care coverage. You are not required to switch plans. You decide what is best for you.

The Marketplace is not for those who have Medicare. If you are a SERS retiree who does not have Medicare, click here to learn more about how to look for insurance in the Marketplace.

If you think you qualify because of the new Medicaid rules, there are three ways to apply:

1. Starting Dec. 9, 2013, you can apply online at www.benefits.ohio.gov.
2. You can go to your local Job and Family Services office and complete an application with a caseworker.
3. You can call the Ohio Medicaid Consumer Hotline toll-free at 800-324-8680.

If you do not qualify for Medicaid, you may still qualify for help paying for other insurance you can buy on the federal Health Insurance Marketplace.

The Marketplace is not for those who have Medicare. To learn more about how to look for insurance in the Marketplace, click here.

*Direct deposit notice or check stub will be mailed to all benefit recipients.

You will receive a check stub whenever there is a change to your benefit, such as health care premium change, a tax withholding change, or a bank account change.

SERS strongly encourages all retirees to have their pension payments paid directly to a bank or credit union. Direct deposit of your funds is the only way to assure that your payment will be available on the first of every month. Direct deposit eliminates any concerns about late, lost, or stolen checks. Since pension checks cannot be forwarded, direct deposit also eliminates delays when you travel during retirement. It is your responsibility to make sure the funds are in your account before writing checks against your account.

If you do not enroll in direct deposit, there is no guarantee that you will receive your payment right on the first of every month. Delivery delays might occur that are beyond SERS’ control, such as lost or stolen checks. You must wait 10 days after the expected delivery date before SERS can begin the process of stopping payment and issuing a new check. This delay will not occur if you have direct deposit.

• Call our toll-free number 800-878-5853 Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
• Schedule a one-on-one counseling session in our Columbus office.
• Schedule a phone conference.
• Join us from the comfort of your own home by participating in an online webinar.

Members are grouped into four categories, according to the statement type they will receive. To determine your group, please refer to the front page of your News & Views or look at the lower left corner of your statement. It displays a form number 25.90 and a letter (either a, b, c, or d).

Read below to determine which video you should watch:

You received Statement 25.90a. The story on the front page of your News & Views and the QR code are contained in pink boxes.

You received Statement 25.90b. The story on the front page of your News & Views and the QR code are contained in yellow boxes.

You received Statement 25.90c. The story on the front page of your News & Views and the QR code are contained in blue boxes.

You received Statement 25.90d. The story on the front page of your News & Views and the QR code are contained in green boxes.

Benefit recipients who previously waived their SERS’ health care coverage can now enroll in dental and vision coverage. Benefit recipients only need to be eligible for SERS health care to enroll in the dental and/or vision coverage.

Dental and vision enrollment applications are being taken through Oct. 31, 2013. Plan coverage begins on Jan. 1, 2014.

For more information, click on the links below:

Dental Plan

Vision Plan