2. Read over all information available about the options in "Package 1" or the contractual option in "Package 2". 

Some information can already be found on Deltanet regarding all options, and more information about the contractual provisions available in "Package 2" can be found in Summary Plan Descriptions on RADAR and of course in Section 29 - Insurance of our collective bargaining agreement.  If possible, please also avail yourself of the UHC seminars available around the system and/or one of the "webinars".

3. Decide whether "Package 1" or "Package 2" of the Delta 2010 Open Enrollment options works best for you.  This selection impacts not only medical plan choice, but also Dental, Flexible Spending Accounts, etc. 

Package 1: Delta's Non-Contract Options - NOTE: if you elect this package, you will lose your right to many of the NWA AFA CBA Section 29 - Insurance provisions, such as eligible dependents, family continuation coverage, higher age limits for children, no lifetime maximum limit, and the NWA Contract Retiree medical coverage.

The options in "Package 1" include the non-contract PPO Option A, Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA).  The HRA and HSA are also called "Account Based Health Medical Options".  While the options in "Package 1" may make sense for some of our members and we respect your ability to decide what works best for you, we want to be clear that "Package 1" does not provide the same coverage and eligibility as in Section 29 - Insurance of our contract.  There is a $5 million lifetime cap on the non-contract options in "Package 1" - which carries over from year to year and from plan to plan.  By choosing Package 1 you will lose your right to many of the provisions in Section 29 - Insurance of our contract. 

There's a lot of information on Deltanet about the HRA and HSA medical plan options (for Gold, Silver, and Diamond in particular) in "Package 1".  Monthly premiums may be lower for these plans. For now, Delta does credit Health Reimbursement Accounts with varying amounts of "Delta Dollars".  There is no guarantee the Delta Dollars will continue in the future.  The Health Savings Accounts will provide some tax benefits as these accounts are funded (solely by you) on a pre-tax basis.  HRAs and HSAs are defined under federal law as "High Deductible Health Plans" (HDHP).  These plans are designed to save employers money on their health care costs.  Only a small percentage of companies offer them, most often small companies, which otherwise might not offer a health plan at all.  Choosing the HSA option will affect your ability to have a Flexible Spending Account.  Generally, these "Account Based" HDHPs result in higher out-of-pocket costs for the plan participant, so we encourage you to look carefully at these options, your health cost history, and your ability to cover greater medical expense out of your own pocket.

In contrast to the plentiful information Delta has made available on the HDHPs, information about the new Delta non-contract PPO Option A information is not extensive.  There is not yet a Summary Plan Description.  Be careful and cautious.  While you may see that the monthly premium costs for PPO Option A are slightly less than the NWA Contract Plan (Option B), please note that Delta PPO Option A may lead to increases in out-of-pocket costs, out-of-network costs and coverages, prescriptions costs, and deductibles.  The 3 "tiers" and formulary lists for the associated Delta PPO Option A prescription plan are not yet defined, however even a cursory comparison shows higher out-of-pocket costs for some common prescriptions.   AFA has requested all Summary Plan Descriptions for all Delta non-Contract options in order to provide an in-depth analysis, but Delta management has not yet provided them. 

Package 2: Section 29 - Insurance, NWA AFA Collective Bargaining Agreement

The options in "Package 2" begin with "PPO Option B" and include the covered services and eligibility as outlined in Section 29 - Insurance of the NWA AFA Collective Bargaining Agreement, with the addition of access to United Health Care (UHC) programs (URN, Centers of Excellence, Healthy Pregnancy, etc).  This plan most closely matches the one currently in place at NWA for flight attendants, with an administrator change from BCBS in 2009 to UHC for 2010.

Please review Section 29 of our contract and the Summary Plan Descriptions on RADAR for more information about the NWA Contract PPO Option B plan and all other NWA Contract benefit plans. Highlights of the negotiated NWA Contract Plan are:

• no lifetime maximum benefit
• full-time student children covered until age 26
• NWA retirees are eligible for subsidized coverage under this plan
• deductible max of $350 ind/$700 family
• family coverage for spouse & children of a deceased flight attendant at active employee rates
• out of pocket max of $2,000 ind/$4,000 family
• in-network covered at 80/20
• out-of-network mainly covered at 70/30
• prescription drug out-of-pocket max of $1,000
• generic drugs $15/preferred brand drug $30/non-preferred brand $45
• Medco by Mail option for 90 day prescription supply at even lower cost 

These and many more legally binding benefit provisions are available only to those who choose the NWA AFA Contract Plan "PPO Option B".  

If you have any questions about your NWA AFA contractual benefit options, please review Section 29 - Insurance.  If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact your Local AFA representatives at any time.