One of the changes in Ohio State’s approach to 2017 wellness incentives is the introduction of Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRA).
What is an HRA?
An HRA is an employer-funded account from which you can be reimbursed tax-free* for eligible heath care expenses. Participants will be able to earn credits to the HRA after completion of wellness activities as part of the Your Plan for Health (YP4H) Incentive Program. An HRA is similar to a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and can be used to pay for expenses such as copayments, coinsurance and deductibles.
What do I need to do?
Ohio State faculty and staff enrolled in an Ohio State medical plan will be eligible to earn HRA credits starting in January 2017 instead of Amazon gift cards.
Through participation in YP4H activities, you can earn up to $150 in credits for your HRA in 2017. Another $150 can be earned by your enrolled spouse or same-sex domestic partner.
HRA credits are earned with the completion of each YP4H incentive level:
- $25 in HRA credits – Level 1, complete the Personal Health Assessment (PHA) with biometrics to move on to Level 2.
- $50 in HRA credits – Level 2, participate in additional YP4H activities needed to move on to Level 3.
- $75 in HRA credits – Level 3, participate in additional YP4H activities.
An HRA will automatically be set up for you after completion of Level 1.
The Open Enrollment website provides additional details about HRAs and other benefit changes for 2017. Open Enrollment for 2017 benefits is November 1-15, 2016.
The health benefits Ohio State offers are part of the comprehensive suite of total rewards offered to faculty and staff in exchange for their time, talents and successes.
Learn more about Total Rewards at Ohio State.
*There are tax consequences for non-dependent same-sex domestic partners.