The City of Columbus continually explores new ways to improve and manage your employee benefits. Our primary goal is to provide you with the opportunity to receive quality healthcare services at a reasonable cost. The City offers the choice between two health plans. Both plans offer access to a broad network of providers through the SIHO Inspire providers, In-Network SIHO Providers, and Out-of-Network providers.
Preventative Services
All in-network preventative services are paid 100%, regardless of which plan you choose. Please check the Benefits Summary for the most up-to-date listing of preventative services.
Your physician’s office must code the office visit or service as preventative to assure you will not be charged a copay.
Preferred Provider Plan or PPO
The Preferred Provider Plan is a traditional plan with three tiers of providers: Inspire, SIHO Network, and Out-of-Network. On this plan, the employee will pay a percentage of the provider’s fee after the deductible has been met. At the same time, a copay for prescriptions are based on brand type (generic, brand, non-formulary) and retail or mail order.
On the PPO plan only, labs are covered 100% at CRH and specified affiliated CRH providers for primary care office visits and outpatient labs.
The Flexible Spending Account or FSA can be utilized if you take the Preferred Provider Plan. The options for this are the Health Care (or medical) FSA to save pre-tax dollars for qualifying medical, dental, or vision expenses and the Dependent Care FSA to save pre-tax dollars for expenses related to care for dependents under 13 years of age. For more information on the FSAs available, please see the FSA page.
Wellness Benefit (for Preferred Provider Plan)
The City of Columbus is adding a benefit for employees and all dependents 18 or older for the 2023 plan year. If you see your primary care provider from October 1st, 2022, to October 1st, 2023, you will receive a deductible credit of $250 for the 2024 plan year (up to a maximum of $500 per family). The City will work with SIHO to identify all members enrolled in the PPO that completed the visit, and the deductible credit will happen automatically. You will not need to submit any paperwork to get the deductible credit as long as your primary care provider submits a claim through your health insurance.
High Deductible Health Plan or HDHP
The High Deductible Health Plan features higher deductibles but lower premium costs. The HDHP also has three tiers of providers: Inspire, SIHO Network, and Out-of-Network. On this plan, the employee will pay a percentage of the provider’s fee after the deductible has been met. Prescriptions will be paid at 100% by the employee until after the deductible is met, and then there is a 20% copay.
The Health Savings Account or HSA can be utilized if you are on a high Deductible plan. The HSA can be used for qualifying medical, dental, or vision expenses. The City is pleased to be able to contribute twice a year to this account for each eligible employee. For more information on the HSA, please see the HSA page.
The Limited Purpose Flexible Spending Account is an option while on the High Deductible plan. This FSA is specialized and can only be spent on dental or vision expenses. For more information on this unique FSA, please see the FSA page.
Wellness Benefit (for High Deductible plan)
The City of Columbus is adding a benefit for employees and all dependents 18 or older for the 2023 plan year. If you see your primary care provider from October 1st, 2022, to October 1st, 2023, you will receive an HSA contribution of $250 paid to the employee’s HSA account in January 2024 (up to a maximum of $500 per family). The City will work with SIHO to identify all members enrolled in the HDHP that completed the visit, and the HSA contribution will happen automatically. You will not need to submit any paperwork to get the HSA contribution.