Employees who receive compensation from the University of Iowa may be eligible for temporary health and dental insurance.

Eligibility

The temporary employee must:

• be anticipated to work 50 percent or greater time,
• and be appointed for at least six months.

Other scenarios of eligibility:

• A temporary faculty member employed for an entire semester is eligible, even though a semester falls short of the six-month requirement.

Regular full-time employees may purchase temporary insurance to help cover the first month of hire until they become benefit-eligible on the first of the month after their hire date.

Who is not eligible to purchase insurance?

Employees who do not receive compensation from the University of Iowa are not eligible to purchase insurance through the university. 

Contact the University Benefits Office to determine eligibility and request temporary insurance enrollment forms.

Plans Available

Health Insurance

There are two health plans to choose from:

•  UISelect; 
  • The employee must have a permanent residing address in Iowa.
  • Lower premiums and higher out-of-pocket costs if used.
  • The plan only covers Level 1 and 2 providers; it does not cover medical providers outside of Iowa, except in emergencies or with Doc on Demand.
  • Traditional deductible plan.
  • 3-tier drug plan, generics are free.
•  UIChoice; 
  • higher premiums, and lower out-of-pocket costs.
  • Level 1, 2, and 3 providers; plan covers nationwide. 
  • Deductible only applies to inpatient hospital services.
  • 4-tier drug plan, generics are free.

Dental Insurance

There is one dental plan:

• Dental II
  • Seek care from almost any dentist you wish. 
  • 3-tier provider network within Delta Dental of Iowa.
  • No annual deductible.
  • $2,000 max annual benefit with up to $4,000 carryover.
  • Two diagnostic/preventative visits per year.
  • Orthodontia coverage for children and adults.

Employee Purchases Insurance

A Temporary employee who is eligible and wants to purchase health and/or dental insurance through the University will need to do the following:

1. Contact the University Benefits Office at benefits@uiowa.edu for a temporary employee insurance enrollment packet to be emailed to you. 
2. The employee will complete the necessary paperwork and send it back to the University Benefits Office for processing.
3. The University Billing Office will bill the employee their monthly premiums either by U-bill, or they may fill out the ACH form with the Billing Office which will allow premiums to be automatically deducted from a bank account. Unfortunately, Temp Insurance premiums cannot be payroll deducted. 
4. Approximately two weeks after submitting your completed enrollment information, the employee should receive insurance card(s) mailed to the home address that our office has on file. To avoid delays, please ensure that the home address is up-to-date in Employee Self Service.

Departments Contribute to Insurance

Departments may contribute to the cost of temporary insurance by determining they will cover the total cost or partial cost of health and dental insurance for the temporary employee.

The department's contribution selection must be the same as the employee's coverage selection.

Please submit the workflow form for processing to enroll your temporary employee into health and dental insurance with your contribution. 

Enroll Your Temp Employee

Retirement Plan Election

Due to employment with the University of Iowa, employees must participate in a retirement plan, either the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) or the University Funded Retirement Plan through TIAA. 

Review the Mandatory Retirement Plan Comparison

The employee will have 60 days from their hire date to elect one of the mandatory retirement plans within Employee Self Service. Your enrollment is irrevocable and cannot change during your employment with the University of Iowa.

1. Log in to Employee Self Service with your HawkID and password.
2. Select the "Benefits & Wellness" link
3. Select the "Retirement Enrollment" link in the "Retirement" section.
4. Every employee automatically defaults to IPERS. Therefore, if you want to stay in IPERS, you do not need to do anything further.
5. If you prefer to enroll in TIAA, select the Enroll in TIAA button.
6. If you do not make an election within 60 days of your hire date, you will default into IPERS, and you will not be able to change this election unless you experience a 31 or more break in service here at the university.

After enrolling in your mandatory retirement plan, do not forget to create your online account with that retirement plan vendor. Your online account with IPERS or TIAA is where you will need to update your account and beneficiary information. 

The following classifications of employees are exempt from retirement plan participation:

• Adjunct Faculty
• Most fellowships
• House staff
• Students
• Employment with the University of fewer than six months in length

Do you have questions?

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