Welcome to Cooper Consulting Open Enrollment!
Here you will find plan information and the necessary applications to enroll in your benefits for the plan year beginning August 1, 2024.
Download Adobe Reader in order to view some of the documents listed on this page.
Enrollment Schedule
Below is a general enrollment timeline.
• July 10th – Your comparative premium rate sheets will be emailed to you, and Open Enrollment begins.
• July 15th by 5:00 pm (CST) – Open Enrollment ends. Employees’ enrollment applications must be returned to Robin Walton by this time and date.
• August 1 – The new benefit plan year begins. You should receive your new healthcare cards within 2 weeks of August 1.
Comparative Premium Rate Sheets
Our medical, dental, and vision plans continue to utilize “tiered premium rates,” which means all of our employees pay the same premium rate dependent on the enrollment level (Employee Only, Employee + Spouse, Employee + Child(ren) or Employee + Family), regardless of employee age. Each of you will be emailed a comparative rate sheet showing what plan you chose last year, the rate you paid, and what you would pay for each of the medical plan options offered this year.
We have done EXTENSIVE research on other carriers this year, as we always do, in order to find the best possible options. We still believe our plan options from Blue Cross Blue Shield and Guardian are best for our group based on that research.
That said, we are also providing you with a link to the Open Exchange to shop individual-purchase insurance plans: https://www.healthsherpa.com/?_agent_id=daris-frencha.
We encourage you to check that link to see what premium prices and plans the Open Exchange gives you based on your individual information (only you can price your individual plan options – Cooper cannot). When pricing through the healthcare.gov portal, on the Select your Qualifying Life Event you will choose the “Lost or losing health coverage” option as the qualifying event. This only means you are saying we are in Open Enrollment, and you’re waiving coverage through us. If you do not like the results you get on the government’s open exchange after going through their pricing process you can always decline to enroll there, then still enroll in Cooper’s plans.
If you choose to enroll in an individual plan and forgo coverage through a Cooper-sponsored plan this year, please let us know via email within the Open Enrollment period. Cooper’s contribution to an exchange plan will be the same as what we contribute to the Cooper sponsored plan – and provided via a payroll reimbursement.
View a helpful list of definitions for common terminology used in healthcare plan documentation.
How to Enroll
As in past years, we’ve created a dedicated Open Enrollment
All premium information, plan details, and enrollment applications can be accessed here.
Please contact our broker, Daris Frencha, or Robin Walton if you have any questions regarding this process or need assistance filling out an application.
Employee Assistance Program
Find out more about our Employee Assistance Program by visiting the Guardian Employee Assistance Program site. This program provides guidance for personal issues that you might be facing and information about other concerns that
affect your life, whether it’s a life event or on a day-to-day basis:
• Unlimited free telephonic consultation with an EAP counselor available 24/7 at 800-386-7055
• Referrals to local counselors — up to three sessions free of charge
• State-of-the-art website featuring over 3,400 helpful articles on topics like wellness, training courses, and a
legal and financial center
Poke around the portal for a few minutes (or more) and see if there’s anything that can help make your life easier!
Open Enrollment Contacts
Daris Frencha
The Benefit Boutique
Office: 817-330-5365
Email: daris@thebenefitboutique.com
Robin Walton
Human Resources, Cooper Consulting
Office: 512-527-1000
Cell: 512-289-1899
Fax: 512-527-1001
Email: robin@cooperconsulting.com
Useful Links
• Blue Cross Blue Shield Doctor Search – Search BCBS’s networks to determine if your regular doctors and specialists are considered in or out-of-network.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield Prescription Drug List – This shows the list of prescription drugs covered under BCBS plans. We are a Small Group (1-50 employees) Offering Metallic Plans.
• Guardian Provider Search – Search Guardian’s network to determine if your regular providers are considered in or out-of-network.