Summer Enrollment is your chance to choose the medical plan that’s best for you

Summer Enrollment for Plan Year 2024 begins soon for active employees and retirees not eligible for Medicare. During the two-week enrollment phase assigned to your agency, college or university, you will have the opportunity to choose a new HealthSelect^SM medical plan or change current coverage for yourself and your eligible dependents. Benefit elections made during Summer Enrollment for Plan Year 2024 will be effective Sept. 1, 2023 through Aug. 31, 2024.

You can learn more about HealthSelect medical plan benefits and changes by visiting the HealthSelect Summer Enrollment webpage starting June 23, 2023. Read Emily’s story to find out how you can get more information to make the best choice for yourself and your family.

Emily’s 2023 Summer Enrollment journey

Emily works for a Texas state agency. When she first started, she didn’t pay much attention to the medical plan options because she didn’t know much about how insurance worked. Emily enrolled in the HealthSelect of Texas^® medical plan, administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX), and just stayed with it.

As Emily has learned more about her HealthSelect of Texas medical benefits, she’s learned to choose a primary care provider (PCP) and stay in-network when she gets care. She’s happy that her medical plan covers her preventive checkups with her PCP each year at no cost to her and that it completely covered her mammogram. When she had a health scare a couple of years ago, her plan paid for most of the cost of the X-ray and lab tests she needed.

While Emily has been satisfied with her HealthSelect of Texas plan, she’s decided she should consider all of her options. Now that she understands terms like copay and coinsurance, Emily feels she could make a more informed decision.

During her agency’s Summer Enrollment phase, Emily decides to take a look at the Consumer Directed HealthSelect^SM high-deductible plan that would make her eligible to get contributions from the state in a health savings account (HSA). To educate herself on the specifics of each plan, she looks at ERS’ event calendar and sees she has the option for online webinars or an in-person Summer Enrollment Fair in her area. She decides to attend the fair.

At the fair, she meets a BCBSTX Agency Relations Representative. Emily asks some questions and gets a plan comparison chart and an enrollment guide that provide the information she needs to make her decision. She feels good knowing she did her homework and has chosen the best plan for her health needs.

ERS Summer Enrollment in-person fairs and live webinars

The Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) will host in-person fairs and live webinars where you can learn about important benefit updates for Plan Year 2024. You will have the opportunity to ask ERS and BCBSTX representatives questions about your options. You can find the benefits fair and webinar schedule posted on the ERS events calendar. Please check the calendar regularly for updates.

Questions?

You can also call a BCBSTX Personal Health Assistant toll-free at (800) 252-8039 (TTY: 711). BCBSTX Personal Health Assistants are available Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Saturday, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. CT.