2025 WELS VEBA Health Plan Limited Open Enrollment

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WELS VEBA provides health benefits for workers at WELS and ELS calling bodies across the country.  The above video provides information on the important advantages of WELS VEBA.  A flyer highlighting the main points discussed in the video is available for download here.  We encourage you to share this video and flyer with fellow workers and leaders at your organization as you make future health coverage decisions.

The WELS VEBA Commission is pleased to offer a limited open enrollment for the WELS VEBA Group Health Care Plan for the 2025 plan year.  The limited open enrollment is available to eligible workers at sponsoring organizations with at least one active worker enrolled in medical benefits under the WELS VEBA health plan.  Enrollment will open on November 1, 2024 and run through December 2, 2024.

If you would like to enroll in WELS VEBA or make a change to your current WELS VEBA coverage, you can do so via the WELS Benefits Service Center website at https://wels.bswift.com or by calling 1-800-487-8322 (option 1) beginning on November 1, 2024.  Please carefully consider this opportunity to enroll in WELS VEBA, as the VEBA Commission does not hold an open enrollment every year.

Information regarding the 2025 limited open enrollment and WELS VEBA benefits is available in the 2025 WELS VEBA Benefits Guide.

The WELS VEBA Commission has also announced that the 2025 premium rates for WELS VEBA medical benefits will increase by an average of 7%, although the actual rate change will vary by sponsoring organization.  The 7% increase is necessary to ensure that the plan maintains adequate long-term reserves, particularly given inflation-related increases in the cost of health care.  Please consult with your sponsoring organization as you make changes in benefit coverage to discuss the impact on its financial resources and any additional financial obligation which you may incur.  WELS VEBA health plan rates for 2025 are available here on the Benefit Plans website.

WELS Benefit Plans Office

2025 WELS VEBA Health Plan Rates

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The 2025 premium rates for the WELS VEBA Group Health Care Plan are now available. To find the 2025 premium rates for the plan options available in your area, visit the 2025 health rates page.

The 2025 rates will increase by 7% for all plan options due primarily to continued cost inflation (i.e., “trend”) for health care services and prescription drugs. In addition, the geographic rate regions and regional rating factors will change for all areas beginning in 2025. This means that the total 2025 health rate change for each sponsoring organization will be a combination of the 7% trend increase and the organization’s new regional rating factor. The total 2025 health rate change will therefore vary by organization and range from a 0.7% decrease to an 18.9% increase.

The WELS VEBA Commission approved the new rate regions and rating factors so that WELS VEBA rates will better reflect current health care costs across the country. The health care industry has changed significantly since the current WELS VEBA rate regions were developed approximately 15 years ago, and improved data has allowed the WELS VEBA actuaries to better assess the relative differences in health care costs across local markets. The new regional rating factors will be implemented over three years (2025 through 2027) to spread out the financial impacts to sponsoring organizations. Due to this three-year transition period, please note that the regional rating factor change that will apply to each sponsoring organization’s rates for 2025 will also apply to that sponsoring organization’s 2026 and 2027 rates. The estimated regional rating factor that will be applied annually for 2025 through 2027 is provided on each rate region’s 2025 health rates page.

The Plan 3 deductible amounts will increase to $3,300/individual and $6,600/family to remain compliant for use with Health Savings Accounts in 2025. No significant changes to covered services or health benefits are anticipated for 2025.

The WELS VEBA Commission approved a limited open enrollment period this fall for new coverage effective January 1, 2025. Eligible workers serving at sponsoring organizations that participate in WELS VEBA will have the opportunity to enroll for new coverage or make changes to their existing WELS VEBA coverage. Limited open enrollment materials will be mailed to eligible workers and sponsoring organizations by the end of October.

View 2025 health rates