Pending approval by the Board of Regents, the University of Nebraska will move to new health benefits providers beginning Jan. 1.
The following changes were announced in a May 23 email to all NU system faculty and staff:
The university’s health insurance carrier will move from UMR to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska.
Pharmacy will move from CVS Health to EmpirRx Health.
Dental will move from Ameritas to Delta Dental of Nebraska.
All changes will be considered at the June 22 regents meeting.
The changes follow a competitive bidding process that attracted bids from multiple vendors. Bids were evaluated by a 12-member, systemwide team of faculty and staff together with a third-party consultant, Gallagher Benefit Service. The committee considered the bidders’ network discounts, network of providers and other factors. The committee’s recommendations were endorsed by NU’s senior leaders.
Minimal disruption is anticipated with the transitions. About 99 percent of health providers used by university employees and their families in 2022 were in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska network. Among the dental providers used by employees and their families, 86 percent were in the Delta Dental network, a higher share than were in the Ameritas network.
“We hope this is welcome news as you consider the health needs of you and your family,” wrote Ted Carter, NU system president, and Chris Kabourek, chief financial officer, in the systemwide email “This is a time of significant change in the healthcare industry, but we are proud to offer a competitive and high-quality benefits plan as part of our overall goal to be an employer of choice.”
For more information, contact the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Office of Human Resources at 402-472-3101.
Detailed information about benefits enrollment for 2024 will be shared in the fall.
