Health Benefits

The College offers medical insurance through Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. The Excellus BCBS BluePPO Plan is a network-based program that features an in-network and out-of-network component which offers you a high level of flexibility when seeking covered medical services. The in-network component allows you to choose any provider from the BlueCard program and provides a higher level of benefits. The out-of-network component of the plan provides you with the ability to see any provider of your choice, but at a greater cost. In addition to a national network of providers participating in the BlueCard program, members also have access to doctors and hospitals outside of the United States worldwide though the BlueCross BlueShield Global Core program.

Dental coverage is provided by Guardian and vision coverage by Guardian utilizing the Vision Service Plan (VSP) network. Premiums will be deducted on a before-tax basis.

The Flexible Spending Account (FSA) benefit is administered by PayFlex and provides an opportunity to realize significant tax savings by paying certain qualified expenses with before-tax dollars. The phrase "before-tax dollars" refers to income not subject to FICA, federal or state income taxes. You are already saving money under the Plan by having the premium for your health insurance coverage through the College deducted before taxes. Many individuals also take advantage of additional tax savings by establishing Spending Accounts to pay for qualified medical care and/or dependent care expenses.

During the course of providing you with Health Coverage, Hamilton College has access to information about you that is deemed to be “protected health information”, or PHI, by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA. The procedures outlined in the privacy notice have been added to the Plan to ensure that your PHI is treated with the level of protection required by HIPAA.