PCCFFAP PT Health FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions
Group Health Insurance for Part-Time Faculty
Updated June 2008

Who is eligible?

Part-Time faculty who have taught at least a half-time workload, that is, 1.5 FTE, ina school year. You establish eligibility the year prior to your coverage. For example, part-time faculty who have taught 1.5 FTE from fall 2007 through summer 2008 will receive coverage from the group health insurance plans the following year, from fall 2008 through summer 2009.
The previous period of eligibility was for a calendar year. During the transtion to the new health plans, if you have not met the 1.5 FTE eligibility in the 2007-2008 school year, but earn at least 1.5 FTE in the 2008 calendar year, then you will be able to enroll for group coverage starting January 2009.

How much coverage can I get?

The college will contribute $260 a month towards your premium. The remainder of the premium has to be paid by you. There are three plans available from ODS and one from Kaiser. One plan, the ODS Plan 8, has monthly premiums that begin at only about $307. In that case, the college would pay $260, and the instructor would pay the remaining $47. For more information on premium prices, click here.

What is FTE?

Full-time equivalency is the system for tracking workload. A full-time instructor teaches 1.0 FTE per term for a total of 3.0 FTE per year. Your FTE is on your Faculty Assignment Notice (FAN).

You can calculate your FTE by multiplying the workload factors below by the number of lecture, lecture/lab, and/or lab hours assigned to your class.

Lecture 0.068
Lecture/Lab 0.054
Lab 0.046

For example, a 4 lecture hour class would be 0.272 FTE:
4 X 0.068= 0.272 FTE

A combined 3 lecture hour and 2 lecture/lab hour class would be 0.312 FTE:
3X 0.068= 0.204
2X 0.054= 0.108
Total: 0.312

I taught half-time the previous school year, but I am teaching less than half-time now. Do I still stay covered the entire school year?

Even if you go below half-time, the college will continue paying the $260 monthly employer contribution towards your policy. The college will also continue the $260 monthly employer contribution for up to one term that you are not teaching at all. If you continue not to teach, you will have to cover the full cost of the premium for subsequent terms.

I have purchased my own health insurance and was getting the reimbursement from the union. Can I still continue to do that?

Not if you qualify for the group plans. The reimbursement trust fund now totals $34,800 a year. This is intended as a reimbursement trust for those who fall under the annual 1.5 FTE threshold for the group plans.

How do I continue my coverage in pay periods when I don't receive a paycheck, for example, summer break?

If you are covered by group insurance for the school year, make sure your premiums get paid when you are not teaching. If you do not pay your share of the monthly health insurance premium, then your coverage will be cancelled and your bills will go to the collections department.
Click here for more information on paying the employee contribution during summer break.