SEB Board approves changes to UMP hearing aid benefit

On June 1, 2023, the School Employees Benefits Board (SEB Board) met. Members attended in person at the Health Care Authority (HCA) building in Olympia and remotely. The meeting was open to the public both in person and via Zoom.

Meeting recap

Highlights are listed below. See the briefing book for all presentation materials.

The Board approved the following resolution:

SEBB 2023-05 — UMP Hearing Instruments: Beginning January 1, 2024, prescribed hearing instruments in all Uniform Medical Plan (UMP) plans will be covered up to $3,000 per ear with hearing loss, at least every 36 months, without member cost share. Coverage for members enrolled in UMP Achieve 1, UMP Achieve 2, and UMP Plus is not subject to the member meeting the plan deductible. Coverage for members enrolled in UMP High Deductible is subject to the member meeting the plan deductible.

HCA staff introduced the following proposed resolutions (a vote on these will be scheduled for the next board meeting):

  • SEBB 2023-06 — UMP High Deductible IRS Plan Minimum Deductible: For plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, HCA shall set the annual deductible for the UMP High Deductible health plan at the minimum annual deductible level established by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to qualify the plan as a high-deductible health plan, without further action from this Board.
  • SEBB 2023-07 — UMP Over-the-counter COVID-19 Tests: Beginning July 1, 2023, all Uniform Medical Plan (UMP) plans will cover up to two over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic tests per member per month, up to $12 per test, without member cost-share. If the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issues future guidance that requires the deductible to be met prior to plan payment for over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic tests in high-deductible health plans, the UMP High Deductible plan shall be amended to comply with IRS guidance without further action from this Board.

HCA staff provided presentations on the following:

  • Follow-up for the UMP hearing instrument benefit to provide more information about coverage and how House Bill 1222 is being implemented. The presentation included comparisons of how neighboring states cover hearing instruments.
  • Change to IRS requirements for the minimum deductible for UMP High Deductible to $1,600 for single subscribers and $3,200 for families for 2024.
  • Insight into how the Kaiser Permanente of Washington First Fill program was implemented for 2023.
  • Progress on the Federal Public Health Emergency unwind process.

The Board met in executive session before the meeting adjourned.

Next meeting

The next public meeting of the SEB Board is scheduled for June 22, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Board members and the public may attend in person (masks are recommended) or virtually via Zoom. A link or call-in number for virtual attendance will be noted on the meeting agenda and posted on the SEB Board Meetings and materials webpage.