Options to Configure Open Enrollment Rates

When preparing benefits offerings for open enrollment, create rates for new benefits offerings and update rates for existing offerings as required.

Consider these aspects of creating and updating rates in the Plan Configuration work area:

Creating rates for new benefits offerings
Updating existing standard rates
Updating existing variable rates
Updating elements for existing rates
Updating flex credit offerings
Editing rates in the integrated workbooks
Configuring rate display for self-service enrollment

Creating Rates for New Benefits Offerings

Ensure that the rates that you create have the same effective start date as your new benefit offerings. On the Create Standard Rates page, edit the session effective date to match the effective start date of the corresponding new plan or option.

Updating Existing Standard Rates

Update existing standard rates if there are any changes to rate calculations or other details.

Use the Manage Rates task to search for the standard rate as of the first day of your new plan year.

Searching by this date sets the session effective date for the rate updates.
Select the standard rate and make changes to the calculations using the Update action.

Updating Existing Variable Rates

There are two possible scenarios to consider when you update existing variable rates:

You want to edit the calculation details for an existing variable rate profile. In this case, follow these steps:
1. On the Manage Variable Rate Profiles page, search for the variable rate profile effective as of the start date of the new plan year, typically January 1.
  
  Searching by this date sets the session effective date for the rate updates.
2. Make changes to the variable rate calculations using the Update action.
  
  No updates are necessary on the corresponding standard rates page, because the revised calculation goes into effect on the effective start date of the revised variable rate profile.
You want to attach a different variable rate profile to the standard rate.

Example: You now want to use two age band variable rate profiles for the same age range where you formerly used just one profile.

In this case, follow these steps:
1. Search for the standard rate using the effective as of date that is one day before the effective start date of the new variable rate.
  
  Example: If the new variable rate is effective on 01 January 2016, search for the corresponding standard rate as of 31 December 2015.
2. Edit the rate using the Update action.
  
  The session effective date reflects 31 December 2015.
  
  On the Edit Standard Rate page, end-date the unwanted variable rate profile in the Variable Rates section and click Save and Close.
3. Search again for the standard rate, this time setting the Effective As-Of Date to the effective start date of the new variable rate, which sets the session effective date.
  
  In this example, the date is January 1, 2016.
4. Edit the rate using the Update action, adding the new variable rate profiles to the rate.

Updating Elements for Existing Rates

Consider whether any of your rates require a different payroll element.

Example: You formerly used a single payroll element for all medical plans, but for the next plan year you require a distinct element for each medical plan.

If you must attach a different element to an existing standard rate, search for the rate as of the first day of the new plan year. Then, use the Update action to attach the new element.
The association of the current payroll element with the rate is end-dated effective the day before the first day of the new plan year.

Updating Flex Credit Offerings

Update existing flex credit shell plans if there are any changes to:

Flex credit calculation methods
Spending options
Excess credit calculations

Use the Manage Flex Credits Configuration task to search for the flex credit shell plan as of the first day of your new plan year.

Searching by this date sets the session effective date for the flex shell plan updates.
Select the flex shell plan and make changes using the Update action.

Editing Rates in Integrated Workbooks

You can use the Microsoft Excel integrated workbook available on the:

Standard rates search page to edit and upload multiple standard rates at once
Variable rate profiles search page to:
1. Create, edit, and upload multiple variable rate profiles.
2. Associate them with existing standard rates.

Configuring Rate Display for Self-Service Enrollment

You can configure the name and visibility of rate columns on each step in the self-service enrollment guided process. Use the Configure Plan Type Grouping Display task.