MINUTES
EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS COMMITTEE
November 18, 2010
Members Present
Don Clothier
Debbie Copp
Brenda Freese – Chair
Suzanne Gilmore
Frank Lawler
Members Absent
Alisa Dougless
Don Harrison
Chad Johnson
Sue-Anna Miller
Scott Moses
Jannie Porter
Will Wayne
Simone Pulat
Frances Wen
Justin Wert
Ex Officio Members
Barbara Abercrombie - Absent
Julius Hilburn - Absent
Nick Kelly
The meeting was called to order by Brenda Freese at 1:30 pm.
I.
Approval of Minutes
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The October minutes were approved with no changes.
II. Master Record-Keeper Update
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During the November 15th meeting the RPMC voted to add a Vanguard real estate fund to
the core line-up.
The RPMC will meet once more prior to winter break. Although most employee
feedback has been positive, the committee will delay a recommendation to the Regents
until March 2011 in order to address issues submitted through the website.
 Continued discussion of appropriate core line-up funds
 Discussion of ways in which members can keep current fees with no initial cost
 Provide a more detailed explanation of fees
If the item goes to the Regents in March, implementation would be expected in the
Sept./Oct. timeframe.
The FAQ page on the RPMC website is updated regularly, so members can visit the
website to find the most up-to-date information.
III. Enrollment Review
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The use of the online enrollment tool is proving successful. Almost all enrollments were
completed online.
Based on preliminary review of the 2011 open enrollment, only 10%-15% of all
participants made some kind of change.
There were several adult dependents added back into the plan as a result of healthcare
reform.
Questions arose regarding the absence of the Long Term Care benefit on the benefits
confirmation statement. The benefit will not show up because it is a general deduction
that is employee specific and is housed in a separate table within the database.
Comment: Scott Moses suggested that he may propose that computer science do a usability
study as the open enrollment site is not very user friendly.
Response: Nick Kelly indicated that human resources is evaluating a redesign of the front-end of
the system which affects users.
IV. 2012 Benefits Outlook
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President Boren recently sent a memo expressing the need to reduce spending across the
University, one specific area being the benefits area. As a result the EBC will likely be
asked to review some of the same options discussed early in 2010.
Discussions are still ongoing about whether or not OU will go to the market for health,
dental, vision, life, AD&D, and LTD for the 2012 plan year. There is still a possibility
that BlueCross BlueShield will provide a rate guarantee for 2012, but to date that has not
happened.
 If it is determined that we will go to the market, some EBC members will be
asked to serve on the evaluation committee(s)
 As we look ahead, we will look at various plan designs in effort to secure the
highest level of benefits for the lowest possible cost.
 As the HMO continues to rise at 2 times the rate of the PPO there is some
question as to its sustainability in its current form.
 Human Resources will work to add wellness incentives into the 2012 benefits
design. We believe the Wellness program is producing savings and are working
to develop the wellness ROI in order to quantify the results.
V. Other Business
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The committee will not meet in December. The next meeting will be January 20, 2011.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:20 p.m.