About The Cost Estimator Tools

Plan cost estimator tools are designed to help you to select the most appropriate plan for you and your family's needs by estimating your total out of pocket costs in 2009. Estimator tools available to you include:

• Health Plan Cost Estimator
• Medical Reimbursement Account Estimator
• Limited Purpose Medical Reimbursement Account Estimator
• Dependent Care Reimbursement Account Estimator
• Dental Plan Cost Estimator

You can run as many different estimates as you like, and they are all confidential; no one from the state or any other entity is monitoring how individuals are using the cost estimator tools.

Health Plan Cost Estimator

The Health Plan Cost Estimator is designed to give you a general idea of what your costs might be under each of the options based on:

• The services you think you and other covered family members will use.
• The average cost of care for network and non-network care in Florida. Keep in mind that if you select an HMO, medical care outside the HMO network is not covered.

As you use the Health Plan Cost Estimator and consider the results it provides, keep in mind that it provides an estimate rather than a precise calculation of your costs for the coming year. There are several reasons for that:

• Your actual cost will depend on the actual services you receive. Most people cannot predict exactly what medical services they will need in the coming year.
• The estimator does not include all possible services you could receive. It includes the services most commonly considered by individuals in selecting a plan, but provides a limited list to help keep the process of using the estimator simple and quick.
• The estimator applies costs to the deductible based on the coverage category you select. For example: If you select family coverage, all costs are applied to the family deductible. This is the way the Health Investor plans actually work, but for the current PPO, this tool could overstate the amount that would actually apply to your deductible.
• Plan limits and allowances are NOT considered. This estimator does not track individual limits on benefits such as the 26-visit annual allowance for chiropractic care visits, for example, so these limits or allowances are not reflected in the results.
• The estimator does not take Medicare coverage into account. All benefits shown in the estimator are based on the plans paying primary coverage; if you are a Medicare retiree, the plans pay benefits secondary to Medicare coverage.

The estimator will also help you determine the possible value of the Health Savings Account (HSA) - based on estimated annual contributions from you, if any, and the state. Keep in mind that:

• The state will make contributions to an HSA monthly for active employees', just for the months you are enrolled in one of the state's Health Investor medical options.
• If you are a new hire starting with the state part way through the year, the tool may overstate what the state will contribute for the rest of the calendar year, as the state’s contribution is divided evenly over the months of the year; as a new hire you may contribute up to the difference between the state’s actual contributions and the annual total contribution maximum.

Reimbursement Account Estimators

If you are an active employee, when you finish estimating your health plan costs, you also can use the results with the Medical Reimbursement Account Estimator or the Limited Purpose Medical Reimbursement Account Estimator to help you decide whether one of those accounts can save you money. The Medical Reimbursement Account is available only if you select the Standard PPO or a Standard HMO; the Limited Purpose Medical Reimbursement Account is available only if you select a Health Investor Medical Plan and the Health Savings Account.

The Dependent Care Reimbursement Account Estimator helps you make the same decision about using an FSA to pay your eligible dependent day care expenses with pre-tax dollars.

All three estimators provide estimated federal income tax and FICA savings.

As you consider the Reimbursement Account Estimator results, keep in mind that you will forfeit or lose any money you don't use before the end of the plan year, so it's important to carefully estimate your likely expenses for calendar year 2009 before setting your FSA contributions for the year. For 2008 and 2009, the state has extended the claim year for FSAs – allowing you to use the account for expenses incurred up to March 15 of the following year. For the 2009 plan year, you must file claims by April 15, 2010 for expenses from January 1, 2009 through March 15, 2010.

Dental Plan Cost Estimator

Similar to the Health Plan Cost Estimator, the Dental Plan Cost Estimator is designed to give you a general idea of what your out-of-pocket dental costs might be in the coming plan year under different dental plans. The Estimator allows you to compare costs across three plans at a time based on:

• The services you think you and other covered family members will use.
• The average cost of care for network and non-network care in Florida. Keep in mind that if you select an HMO, medical care outside the HMO network is not covered.

As you use the Dental Plan Cost Estimator and consider the results it provides, keep in mind that it provides an estimate rather than a precise calculation of your costs for the coming year. There are several reasons for that:

• Your actual cost will depend on the actual services you receive. Most people cannot predict exactly what medical services they will need in the coming year.
• The estimator does not include all possible services you could receive. It includes the services most commonly considered by individuals in selecting a plan, but provides a limited list to help keep the process of using the estimator simple and quick.
• The estimator applies costs to the deductible based on the coverage category you select. For example: If you select family coverage, all costs are applied to the family deductible.
• Plan limits and allowances are NOT considered. This estimator does not track individual limits on benefits so these limits or allowances are not reflected in the results.