Below are official updates from the Benefits Office related to temporary changes to some NYU New York benefits due to the COVID-19 virus. Plan and program changes are emerging and subject to change. You may not be eligible for all benefits below; please consult your Benefits Guide or NYU PeopleLink if you have questions regarding your benefits or eligibility.
Co-Pays for COVID-19 Testing Waived: If you meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for COVID-19 testing and you have a prescription from a doctor, your co-pay for the testing will be waived.
Co-Pays for Virtual Visits Waived Through June 4: Co-pays will be waived for virtual visits through network providers who deliver virtual care, such as live video conferencing, through June 4, 2020. You also have access to NYU Langone virtual urgent care (PDF), which will also have no co-pay through June 4, 2020.
Co-Pays for COVID-19 Testing Waived: If you meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for testing and you have a prescription from a doctor, your co-pay for the cost of testing will be waived. The IRS has issued relief that allows High Deductible Health Plans to cover COVID-19 testing without member cost sharing, without jeopardizing eligibility for a Health Savings Account. Therefore, this cost share waiver applies to all NYU UHC and Oxford medical plans.
Co-Pays for Virtual Visits Waived Through June 4: NYU will waive co-pays for virtual visits available through Amwell, Doctors on Demand, Teladoc (PDF), and NYU Langone virtual urgent care (PDF) through June 4, 2020 for participants in the Oxford HMO Plan and the UHC Value, Advantage, and Choice Plus Plans. UHC anticipates that their claims systems will be updated by April 1, 2020 to reflect the co-pay waiver. Any NYU UHC or Oxford plan member who utilizes a virtual visit between the period of March 6 through April 1 and pays a co-pay will have their claim automatically reprocessed by UHC/Oxford and their co-pay reimbursed.
Participants in the UHC High Deductible Health Plan will receive a waiver of co-insurance for a virtual visit through June 4, 2020.
Posted March 24, 2020 for faculty and employees on international assignment with Aetna International coverage.
Aetna International Virtual Visits
Effective March 18, 2020, vHealth service is available to Aetna International participants for free for a 90-day period. vHealth allows members to speak to an experienced doctor by phone or video. Whether you want to talk about COVID-19 or any other medical concern, you can use the service at any time and from any country. Consultations are completely confidential, unlimited, and available in multiple languages. There are three ways to book a vHealth consultation:
COVID-19 Employee Assistance Resources
Outside of the U.S., members have access to Aetna International's Employee Assistance Program by calling the number on the back of your member ID card. You can also connect via iConnectYou (PDF), which provides access to clinical counselors at any time for personalized, telephonic counseling support for stress and anxiety. Download the app, enter your country code, and you will be able to connect via toll-free local phone numbers, video, online chat, or SMS. Review the member guide (PDF) to learn your country code information.
Aetna International is providing free access to myStrength, our highly interactive, personalized tool that helps address depression, anxiety, stress, and more:
Emailed March 17, 2020 to eligible faculty and employees participating in the CVS Caremark pharmacy benefit.
As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread, we understand you may have concerns about accessing prescription medications for yourself or loved ones – especially those with a chronic or complex condition.
CVS Caremark has informed the University about the steps it is taking to protect member access to medication. We are pleased to share this information below. You are encouraged to refill maintenance medications with a 90-day supply (or up to the plan maximum).
Relaxed Refill Restrictions: CVS Pharmacy is temporarily waiving early refill limits on 30-day prescriptions for maintenance medications at any in-network pharmacy. You can now fill maintenance medication prescriptions ahead of schedule.
Free Home Delivery: CVS Pharmacy has waived charges for home delivery of all prescription medications. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages people at higher risk for COVID-19 complications to stay at home as much as possible, so this convenient option can help you avoid coming to the pharmacy for refills or new maintenance prescriptions. As always, there is no charge for delivery of prescriptions filled by CVS Caremark Mail Service pharmacy, when you choose mail.
If you have any questions, please call CVS Health Customer Care at 800-421-5501.
On or about March 19, 2020, WageWorks will email participants in the commuter benefits program with information related to the following. Updated March 30, 2020 with a reminder email from the NYU Benefits Office for participants to review their May 2020 commuter benefit order by April 4, 2020.
WageWorks is working to ensure continuity for NYU commuter benefits, assembling a response team and partnering with transit and parking providers. Regular established pass return and refund policies remain in effect. If and when transit and parking providers make changes to their policies in response to COVID-19, updates will be provided to participants by WageWorks.
Upcoming Orders: You may have questions about your current and pending commuter election options. At this time, the fulfillment of your upcoming commuter order for April 2020 will go forward as usual. The fourth of the month is the deadline for the following benefit month in order to give time for passes, electronic funds loading to cards, and orders delivered through the United States Postal Service to arrive by the first of the month. We suggest plan participants modify future or recurring orders accordingly if working from home. To make order changes for the May 2020 benefit month, you have until April 4, 2020 to login to http://www.wageworks.com and change your order or call WageWorks at 877-WAGEWORKS (877-924-3967) to cancel your order for you.
WageWorks Commuter Card Plan Participants: Balances on the WageWorks Commuter Card will remain until depleted so plan participants can still access them at a later time. Plan participants working remotely can modify their elections on http://www.wageworks.com in order to avoid building up a high balance on the card while not in use.
Transit Pass Elections: The various transit agencies WageWorks partners with have differing refund policies and requirements which WageWorks can help you navigate or you may contact your transit agency directly. Plan participants are advised to modify future orders accordingly on http://www.wageworks.com while they are working remotely so that any recurring orders are cancelled as needed.
If you have any questions, please contact WageWorks at 877-WAGEWORKS (877-924-3967).
March 30, 2020 Reminder: Review Your May 2020 Commuter Benefit Order Soon
As a reminder, the deadline to modify your commuter benefit order for the May 2020 benefit month is Saturday, April 4, 2020.
To change or cancel your order, login to wageworks.com or call 877-WAGEWORKS (877-924-3967). No action is required if you do not wish to make changes.
For the most up-to-date information on specific transit and parking providers' responses to the Coronavirus, please visit wageworks.com/commuter-COVID or call 877-WAGEWORKS (877-924-3967).
If you have any questions, please contact PeopleLink, NYU’s benefits and payroll service center, at askpeoplelink@nyu.edu or 212-992-LINK (5465).
Posted March 18, 2020 for eligible faculty and employees. Updated March 25, 2020 with April webinars. Updated March 26, 2020 with new UnitedHealthcare (UHC) mental health support for all faculty and employees.
Carebridge, the free, confidential, professional link to guidance and counseling, remains available and at your service as NYU's employee assistance program benefit. Call 800-437-0911 to consult with a board-certified counselor at any time. In addition, related resources provided by Carebridge include:
Webinars:
Articles:
Posted March 18, 2020 for eligible faculty and employees.
Although all in-person sessions of the one-on-one financial planning consultations with the financial experts of TIAA are cancelled, personalized consultations by phone or virtually continue at this time. Arrange a telephone meeting as you normally would schedule an in-person meeting by visiting https://tiaa.org/schedulenow; the confirmed meeting will then be converted to a phone meeting. Or, learn how to schedule a video conference session (PDF).
Register to join two new webinars presented by TIAA to learn more about recent market activity and concerns:
Posted March 18, 2020 for eligible full-time faculty, administrators, and professional research staff. Updated March 23, 2020 with program information. Updated April 3, 2020 with April webinars.
As of March 23, 2020, Bright Horizons has deactivated this program. Bright Horizons is continuing to add to their in-home back-up care network of providers and arrange quality care options. In the event that eligible participants are unable to secure usual back-up care through Bright Horizons (username: NYU / password: Benefits4You) because of school closures or lack of caregiver, Bright Horizons will offer Crisis Care Assist. Crisis Care Assist allows use of your own personal network – a relative, neighbor, friend, or sitter – and a reimbursement of $100.00 per day. Please note that any use of Crisis Care Assist will count toward your ten available days of subsidized back-up care visits.
Webinars for parents to keep children (ages 8 and younger) learning:
Posted March 13, 2020 on Health Screenings for eligible faculty, employees, and retirees.
All on-campus health screenings scheduled for April 2020 – skin cancer and bone density – are cancelled.
Additional information on LiveSmart programs for the spring semester is forthcoming. Check back soon.