Group Health Insurance Information

ANNUAL OPEN ENROLLMENT NOTICE

GIC MEDICAL INSURANCE- Open Enrollment- April 6th to June 1st
Coverage is effective July 1st, 2020.
ALTUS DENTAL INSURANCE- Open Enrollment- April 6th to June 1st
Coverage is effective July 1st, 2020.

*Enrollment Forms must be received by Human Resources on or before the June 1st Deadline*

GIC HEALTH PLAN

 Annual enrollment time is here, giving you the opportunity to review your benefit options and choose a new health plan if you wish. In response to COVID-19, the GIC has extended its deadline to June 1st. If you want to keep your current Group Insurance Commission (GIC) health plan, you do not need to fill out any paperwork; your coverage will continue automatically.  

Current GIC Members who would like to make a change can now submit the enrollment/change form electronically using the following link: bit.ly/mygiclink. You may go to the link, fill in your email address and DOB, and request Form 1MUN. You will receive an email with further instructions. If the GIC does not have your email address on file, this will not work; please contact HR OR submit a paper enrollment form.

New Enrollees must complete the paper enrollment form or contact HR for an electronic form. The paper enrollment form can be found below and can also be downloaded from the GIC website: https://www.mass.gov/doc/form-1mun/download. Please mail your form to Human Resources, 240 Main St., Northampton MA, 01060 OR place it in the mail slot at the Treasurer/Collector’s Office (located at 212 Main St.), to the attention of Human Resources.

Please be sure to include additional documentation if applicable (Marriage certificate for a spouse and birth certificates for eligible dependents).

Do your homework during annual enrollment, even if you think you don’t want to make any changes:

Review The GIC Benefit Decision Guide for benefit and rate changes effective July 1, 2020.

Contact the plans to find out if your doctors and hospitals still participate in your plan. Specify the plan’s full name, such as “Tufts Health Plan Spirit”, not just “Tufts Health Plan”.

Check on copay tier assignments that affect what you pay when you get specialist or hospital services.  Copay tiers can change each July 1 with new data.

The GIC Benefit Decision Guide is an overview of GIC benefits; it is not a comprehensive plan handbook.  There may be other services that you and your family need. Contact each plan to find out details about those benefits. Contact information for each plan is located at the end of the decision guide.

 Completed forms must be received by HR - on or before June 1, 2020.

GIC Open Enrollment Form (PDF)

GIC Open Enrollment Form- Retirees (PDF)

GIC Decision Guide 2020-2021 (PDF)

City of Northampton GIC Rates Effective July 1st (PDF)

GIC Old Rates vs. New Rates (PDF)

ALTUS DENTAL

Open Enrollment for dental insurance has also been extended to June 1st. If you want to keep your current coverage, you do not need to fill out any paperwork; Your coverage will continue automatically. For those who are new to the plan or would like to make a change, the enrollment form is below. You may email this form to cdunham@northamptonma.gov. Otherwise, you may mail it to Human Resources, 240 Main St., Northampton MA, 01060 OR place it in the mail slot at the Treasurer/Collector’s Office (located at 212 Main St.), to the attention of Human Resources. 

The monthly premiums were not increased, therefore the premiums will remain the same for the period July 1, 2020- June 30, 2021.        

·        $43.70 per month - Single

·        $111.09 per month -  Family   

This is the time to make any changes to your dental plan: add, drop, cancel or enroll.

Completed forms must be received by HR - on or before June 1, 2020.

Altus Dental Highlights (PDF)

Altus Dental Enrollment Form

GIC Health Insurance Resources for COVID-19: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/what-you-should-know-about-gic-health-benefits-and-the-covid-19-outbreak

Group Health Insurance


The City currently offers Group Health Insurance to eligible employees and retirees through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC). The City covers 80% of the cost share for HMO plans and 50% for PPO and Indemnity Plans.

New Hires - Newly hired benefited employees have up to 10 days from their date of hire to submit a completed a GIC enrollment form, along with applicable documentation, to the Human Resources Department. New employee coverage begins on the first day of the month following 60 calendar days from the first day of employment, or two calendar months, whichever comes first.

Qualifying Status Change (Qualifying Event) - Employees who have a Qualifying Status Change can enroll in GIC health insurance, cancel coverage, and add or remove spouses and dependents, depending on the type of event . Documentation of the qualifying status change and a completed change form must be submitted to Human Resources so that it is received by the GIC within 60 days  of the event. Please contact Human Resources to see if your event is considered a Qualifying Status Change.

Open Enrollment - Employees and retirees can makes changes to their plans during the open enrollment period. Open Enrollment runs during the month of April, and changes are made effective on the following July 1st.

City Retirees - City Retirees and Survivors who opt to cancel their health insurance coverage cannot rejoin the City's group policy at any time.

Please Contact The Human Resources Department at 413-587-1258 for any questions regarding Group Health Insurance.

Group Health Insurance Documents

Retiree Form: Retiree GIC Enrollment/Change Form (PDF)

Employee Form: Employee GIC Enrollment/Change Form (PDF)

Monthly rates for GIC plans can be found here: GIC Rates 2019-2020 (PDF)

The GIC Decision Guide can be found here: GIC Decision Guide 2019-2020 (PDF)

Copay Reimbursement

 The City will reimburse certain co-pays for employees and retirees on the City's Group Health Insurance:

Process for Reimbursement of Co-Pays (PDF)