SEBB Questions Answered
Open Enrollment deadline is November 15th
Will I need to pick a new medical, dental, and vision plan?
Do employees sign up for plans based on where they live, or where they work?
All eligible school employees will be offered a selection of plans based on their county of residence.
How do I compare the plans?
Get a side-by-side comparison of common medical benefits and costs for services.
- SEBB medical plan benefits comparison 2020 (printable)
- Virtual Benefits Fair - visit each booth 24/7 to help you choose the right plans for you and your family.
- ALEX, online benefits advisor
Medical Plans Available for Chelan County Residents
Medical Plans Available for Douglas County Residents:
Summary of Benefits and Coverage
Preferred Prescription Drug List Formularies
Uniform Dental(administered by Delta Dental)
Willamette Dental Group
MetLife Vision
*DISCLAIMER: Vision Source Wenatchee currently shows in-network but will NOT be in network effective 12/1/19.
EyeMed Vision Care
*DISCLAIMER: Vision Source Wenatchee will be in-network effective 12/1/19.
Will pooling still occur in the SEBB Program?
Yes, but it will happen at the state level. The state estimates how many employees will waive coverage. Factoring in the expectation that some employees will waive medical coverage allows us to offer consistent, affordable employee monthly premiums throughout the year.
Will part-time school employees pay the same monthly premiums that full-time employees pay?
Yes. All employees working at least 630 hours during the school year who enroll in the SEBB Program will pay a monthly medical premium. The premium amount will depend on the medical plan employees choose and whether they cover dependents. There is no longer a medical allocation worksheet. The medical premium rates are set for the year. There is no employee premium for dental, vision, basic life, basic accidental death and dismemberment, or basic long-term disability. Dental and vision coverage covers the entire family.
Can I waive SEBB coverage?
You can waive SEBB medical coverage during the SEBB Program’s annual open enrollment if you are enrolled in other employer-based group medical insurance, a TRICARE plan, or Medicare.
However, if you are eligible for SEBB benefits, you must enroll in SEBB dental, vision, basic life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, and basic long-term disability insurance, regardless of whether you waive SEBB medical coverage. See Waiving medical coverage for more about what happens if you waive medical coverage.
Can employees waive dental and/or vision coverage?
No. All SEBB benefits-eligible employees will be enrolled in dental, vision, basic life and AD&D insurance, and basic long-term disability insurance.
Are there premiums for dental and vision?
No. You only pay the employee share of the monthly medical premium. There are no school employee premiums for dental, vision, basic life, basic accidental death and dismemberment, and basic long-term disability insurance. These benefits are paid for by your employer.
What is dual enrollment and why is it not allowed under the SEBB Program?
If you and your spouse or state-registered domestic partner are both eligible for SEBB benefits, you can't enroll on each other's accounts. We call that "dual enrollment," and it is not allowed in the SEBB Program. You need to decide which of you will cover yourselves and any eligible dependents on your medical or dental plans. You could waive medical coverage for yourself and enroll as a dependent on your spouse’s, state-registered domestic partner’s, or parent’s medical coverage. Doing that does not incur the spouse or state-registered domestic partner coverage surcharge. However, you must enroll in dental, basic life and AD&D insurance, and basic long-term disability insurance under your own account.
The single-enrollment policy helps maintain the affordability of the SEBB Program’s health plans. Allowing dual enrollment would increase the cost of the SEBB Program and could result in reduced benefits or higher costs in the future.
If I enroll in SEBB Program benefits, and my spouse is enrolled in the PEBB Program, can we cover each other as dependents on each other’s account?
Yes. If you cover each other, your spouse’s or state-registered domestic partner’s primary coverage would be through the PEBB Program and the secondary coverage would be through the SEBB Program. Yourprimary coverage would be through the SEBB Program and your secondary coverage would be through the PEBB Program. In this scenario, you would not incur the monthly $50 spouse or state-registered domestic partner coverage premium surcharge.
However, if your spouse or state-registered domestic partner waives medical coverage and enrolls on your account (or vice versa), you would incur the $50 spouse or state-registered domestic partner coverage premium surcharge in addition to your monthly premiums.
Can an employee cover a retired spouse who is enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B?
Yes. The primary coverage would be through the SEBB Program on any claims the spouse might have. Medicare would be the secondary payer, and only pays if the SEBB plan paid less than Medicare would have paid.
What plans will employees be enrolled in if they don’t choose any?
If employees do not enroll in or waive SEBB medical coverage during the first annual open enrollment, they will be enrolled in the following default benefits:
- Medical: UMP Achieve 1
- Dental: Uniform Dental Plan
- Vision: MetLife vision
- Basic life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D): MetLife
- They will be charged the $25 tobacco use premium surcharge in addition to the monthly medical premium. Their dependents will not be enrolled. In addition, they won’t be able to change plans or enroll any eligible dependents until the next SEBB Program annual open enrollment or unless they have a special open enrollment event that allows the change, such as a marriage, birth, or adoption.
Can employees' children be enrolled on free Apple Health for Kids (Medicaid) coverage?
Yes, and they can also be enrolled in SEBB medical coverage. You may be eligible to receive reimbursement of your SEBB medical premium. Find more information about the Premium Payment Program.
What is the SmartHealth Wellness Incentive of $50 towards my deductible?
Whether you inspire students, offer essential administrative support, or provide valuable services, the work you do matters, which is why you need to be your best – both on and off the clock. That is why we offer you SmartHealth.
How do I qualify?
Follow the steps below to qualify for the $50 wellness incentive during the SEBB Program's first annual open enrollment.
- Starting October 1, use SEBB My Account to enroll in benefits.
- Go to SmartHealth and select Get Started.
- Complete the SmartHealth Well-being Assessment by November 15 to qualify for the $50 wellness incentive (applied in January 2020).
How you receive the incentive depends on the type of SEBB medical plan you choose.
- High-deductible health plans: A one-time deposit into the subscriber's health savings account (HSA) in January 2020.
- All other plans: A reduction to the subscriber's SEBB medical plan deductible in January 2020.
Only subscribers enrolled in SEBB medical coverage can qualify for the SmartHealth wellness incentive.
Are you waiving medical coverage? You can still access SmartHealth, but you won't be eligible for the SmartHealth wellness incentive.
How do I create a SEBB My Account? (See pictures below)
- Visit SEBB My Account: myaccount.hca.wa.gov and click the green Login to SEBB My Account button under Employee/Subscriber. You’ll be directed to SecureAccess Washington (SAW).
- Click Sign up to create a SAW account. (If you already have a SAW account, enter your username and password and skip to step 5.) Enter your name, email address, a username, and password. Remember to save your username and password in a safe place so you don’t forget it the next time you log in.
- Check the box to indicate you’re not a robot, click Submit, and follow the link to activate your account.
- Check your email for a message from SAW. Click on the confirmation link, then close the Account Activated! browser window that opens, and return to your original window. Follow the instructions on the screen to finish creating your account.
- You will be redirected back to SEBB My Account. Enter your last name, date of birth, and last four digits of your Social Security number. Click Verify my information.
- Select your security questions and answers. You’ll be directed to the SEBB My Account dashboard.
- You're ready to enroll!
Help with SEBB My Account:
Call 1-855-548-3100 from 7 a.m to 9 p.m, Monday - Friday and 10 a.m to 4 p.m, Saturday for help with:
- SecureAccess Washington(SAW) registration
- SEBB My Account screen navigation
- Uploading documents
*Google Chrome is the preferred browser, but Edge, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari will also work.
SEBB Program Facebook Live event October 8
- 5 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 8
Watch on our Facebook page or our YouTube channel and be sure to follow us to keep up on the latest SEBB news from HCA.
Tuesday, Oct 8, 2019, 05:00 PM
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Questions?
Learn More hca.wa.gov/sebb-employee OR HR Benefits Page.
Email: adamy.sara@wenatcheeschools.org
Website: https://www.wenatcheeschools.org/hr/health-benefits
Location: 235 Sunset Avenue, Wenatchee, WA, USA
Phone: (509) 663-8161 33224