The South Carolina Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA) offers university employees three health plan options:

• Standard Plan -- the Standard Plan has higher premiums but lower deductibles. This means you pay more from each paycheck for your premiums, but you may see less out-of-pocket cost as you receive benefits. If you select the Standard Plan, you may want to consider a Medical Spending Plan through the MoneyPlus program.
  
  
• Savings Plan - the Savings Plan has lower premiums but higher deductibles. You will pay less from each paycheck, but may pay more for health care services as you need them. If you select the Savings Plan, check out the Health Savings Account option offered in the MoneyPlus program.
  
  
• TRICARE Supplement Plan - The TRICARE plan provides secondary coverage for members of the military community who are not eligible for Medicare.

Watch this video to learn more about the differences between the Standard Plan and the Savings Plan.

PEBA offers university employees two options for dental coverage, Basic Dental and Dental Plus:

• State Basic Dental Plan
  • No cost for employee only coverage.
  • Low payroll deductions if you are adding a spouse and/or children.
  • Lower allowed amounts which are the maximum amounts allowed by the plan for a covered service. There is no network for Basic Dental; therefore, your provider can charge you the difference between their cost and the allowed amount.
  • Maximum yearly benefit for a person covered by Basic Dental is $1,000.
• Dental Plus Plan
  
  • Higher payroll deduction.
  • Higher allowed amounts, which are the maximum amounts allowed by the plan for a covered service. Network providers cannot charge you for the difference in their cost and the allowed amount.
  • The maximum yearly benefit for a person covered by Dental Plus is $2,000.

Watch this video to learn more about Basic Dental and Dental Plus.

The State Vision Plan offers coverage for comprehensive eye exams, frames, lenses, and lens options, and contact lens services and materials. The plan uses EyeMed's Select Network that includes private practitioners and optical retailers in South Carolina and nationwide.

 Vision Coverage at Glance

As a USC employee you can select  life insurance for yourself and your family members. Life insurance premiums are determined by the insured’s age on the preceding December 31 and the amount of insurance selected.

• Basic Life Insurance - You are automatically enrolled in Basic Life insurance at no cost if you enroll in health insurance. This policy provides $3,000 in coverage and includes a matching amount of Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance.
  
  
• Optional Life Insurance - Additional coverage is available for active employees. You are guaranteed coverage in $10,000 increments up to three times your salary or $500,000, whichever is less, as a new hire. You can also apply for more coverage, up to $500,000, with medical evidence.
  
  
• Dependent Life Spouse Insurance - You can cover your spouse in $10,000 increments up to a maximum of $100,000 or 50 percent of your own Optional Life amount, whichever is less.
  
  The initial eligibility is $20,000 of guaranteed coverage as a new hire.
  
  If you are not enrolled in Optional Life coverage, you can still choose $10,000 or $20,000 of Dependent Life-Spouse coverage.
  
  With medical evidence you can apply for coverage of more than $20,000 and for coverage not elected when the dependent first becomes eligible under the plan or due to a special eligibility situation.
  
  
• Dependent Life Child(ren) Insurance - You can cover children from live birth to ages 19 or 25 if a child is a full-time student. The benefit is $15,000 per child and coverage is guaranteed. You will pay the same monthly premium regardless of the number of children covered. A child can be covered by only one parent under this plan.

• Basic Long-Term Disability Plan - You are automatically enrolled in Basic Long-Term Disability at no cost if you enroll in health insurance. The maximum benefit is $800 per month. Below is an overview of the coverage:
  • A 90-day benefit waiting period;
  • A monthly benefit¹of 62.5 percent of your pre-disability earnings, reduced by deductible income; and
  • A maximum benefit period to age 65 if you become disabled before age 62. If you become disabled at age 62 or older, the maximum benefit period is based on your age at the time of disability.
• Supplemental Long-Term Disability Plan - Eligible active employees may elect more coverage for additional protection.  The Supplemental Long-Term Disability (SLTD) benefit provides competitive group rates; survivor's benefits for eligible dependents, coverage for injury, physical disease, mental disorder or pregnancy; return-to-work incentive; STLD conversion insurance; cost-of-living adjustment; and lifetime security benefit. Below is an overview of the coverage:

• • A 90-day or 180-day benefit waiting period.
  • A monthly benefit of 65 percent of your pre-disability earnings, reduced by deductible income;
  • A minimum $100 monthly benefit; and
  • A maximum $8,000 monthly benefit.

Monthly premiums are determined by Supplemental Long Term Disability Factors [pdf].

Visit the PEBA website for more information about Long Term Disability Insurance.

MoneyPlus is a tax-favored accounts program that allows you to save money on eligible medical and dependent care costs. 

This video provides an overview of the MoneyPlus Program.

The 2024 Moneyplus Worksheet can help you determine how much to contribute to each type of Money Plus account.

Your MoneyPlus benefit options include:

• Pre-tax Group Insurance - This feature allows you to pay insurance premiums for health, vision, dental and up to $50,000 of Optional Life coverage before taxes come out of your paycheck. With this feature, you benefit from having less taxable income in each of your paychecks, which means you have more spendable income. Once you enroll, you do not need to re-enroll each year.
  
  
• Medical Spending Account - The Standard Plan works great with a Medical Spending Account (MSA).  You can use your MSA to pay for eligible medical expenses, including copayments and coinsurance.
  
  As you have eligible expenses, you can use the ASIFlex Card, which works like a debit card. You can also submit claims for reimbursement.
  
  The yearly amount you elect to contribute to your account will be divided into equal installments and deducted from each paycheck before taxes.
  
  You can use your funds for expenses incurred January 1 to December 31. You have until March 31 to request reimbursement from your previous year's funds. If you have funds left in your account on December 31, you can carry over up to $550 of those funds into the next plan year.
  
  You must re-enroll in your Medical Spending Account each year in order to keep the account active.
  
  
• Dependent Care Spending Account - A Dependent Care Spending Account allows you to pay for daycare costs for children and adults. It cannot be used to pay for dependent medical care. You may submit claims for reimbursements as soon as you have eligible expenses.
  
  You can use your funds for expenses incurred January 1 to March 15 of the following year. You have until March 31 to request reimbursement from your previous year's funds. You will forfeit any unused funds left in your account after the reimbursement deadline.
  
  You must re-enroll in your Dependent Care Spending Account each year in order to keep the account active.
  
  Health Savings Account - The Savings Plan is designed to go hand in hand with a Health Savings Account (HSA). An HSA is essential to help you prepare for your health expenses. With an HSA you can:
  
  • Pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses, such as deductibles and prescriptions
  • Carryover all funds from one year to the next
  • Keep your account if you leave your job or retire
  • Invest your funds to earn investment income tax-free, once your balance reaches $1,000.

Although there is an annual contribution limit, there is no limit to how much you can save in your account.

To complete your enrollment, you must  open a bank account with Central Bank, the HSA custodian bank.

Once you enroll in an HSA, you don't need to re-enroll each year, but you can change your contribution amount anytime throughout the year, up to once per month. 

Learn more about Health Savings Accounts by watching this video.