Remember to Make Your Tobacco Attestation During Open Enrollment This Fall

Be sure to attest online to your and your spouse’s 2018 tobacco-use status during this fall’s Open Enrollment set for October 8–November 2, 2018.

MCPS imposes a 25 percent surcharge to the total health insurance costs of employees who are covered by an MCPS-provided medical plan if they or their covered spouses smoke or use other forms of tobacco. To avoid the surcharge in 2019, you must satisfy both of the following requirements:

• You and your covered spouse must be tobacco-free throughout 2018.
• During Open Enrollment this fall, you must attest (via theEmployee Self-Service web page) to whether or not you AND your covered spouse will be tobacco free throughout 2018.

If you do not attest for both you and your spouse, or you attest to one or both of you not being tobacco-free throughout the current calendar year, your contributions to your health insurance (medical, prescription, dental and vision plans) will include the surcharge.

Non-tobacco-users: Do not end up paying the 25 percent tobacco-user surcharge to the total cost of your health insurance in 2019 because you forgot to attest during Open Enrollment. You MUST attest then to avoid the 25 percent surcharge, effective January 1, 2019.

If you do not attest during Open Enrollment, but you and your covered spouse will be tobacco-free throughout 2018, you can attest after January 1, 2019, to have the 25 percent surcharge removed within two pay periods. Refunds will not be issued to non-tobacco-users who did not attest during Open Enrollment.

Tobacco users: You must attest during Open Enrollment that you have NOT been tobacco-free throughout 2018. If you and your covered spouse reach tobacco-free status (i.e., have been tobacco-free for 12 consecutive months) outside of Open Enrollment, you may re-attest online to have the surcharge removed.

Consider registering for and completing Well Aware’s Quit for Good tobacco cessation program to avoid the surcharge. MCPS will waive the surcharge if you complete this program in its entirety. See details.

Instructions for making your attestation will be provided prior to Open Enrollment in the annual Open Enrollment announcements email, on the Employee and Retiree Service Center website, and in the For Your Benefit online newsletter.