UniFLEX: Flexible Benefits for Individual Needs

What is UniFLEX?
UniFLEX is a flexible benefits package offered to employees which is comprised of two types of benefits: healthcare and income protection.

What is the philosophy behind UniFLEX and the other benefits offered by UHS?
The UniFLEX benefits program supports our commitment to Service Excellence by offering flexible, competitive and comprehensive programs. By competitive, we mean our benefits compare well within our industry and market place. By flexible, we mean you can select benefits that are right for you at any stage in your life. By comprehensive, we mean UniFLEX benefits offer access to providers, affordability and a variety of coverage. We are also committed to providing you with quality service and with information and tools to make well-informed benefits decisions.

Who is eligible for UniFLEX?
You are eligible for UniFLEX if you are a Lakeside employee who is regularly scheduled to work at least 20 hours a week and are not a member of a collective bargaining group. You are eligible, however, if you are covered by a collective bargaining agreement that includes eligibility for these benefits.

When do benefits become effective?
Benefits become effective 30 days after your date of hire.

How does UniFLEX work?
When you are hired, you receive a personalized enrollment worksheet that reflects your benefit choices and related cost. UniFLEX offers a wide range of healthcare, life insurance and disability benefits to help meet the diverse needs of Lakeside employees and their families.

What does coverage cost?
Lakeside pays a substantial portion of the cost of benefits by contributing to medical, dental and income protection benefits, such as life insurance. Generally, the higher the benefit level, the higher your cost. You also have the option to decline certain benefits or to select coverage at a lower level than the Lakeside allowance for that benefit.
If the cost of your benefit choices is more than the allowance you received from Lakeside, you will pay the difference. If the cost of your choices is less than your allowance, you will receive the leftover dollars as taxable cash in your pay during the year.
Your contributions, if any, are paid with pre-tax deductions from your paycheck before federal, Social Security, and most state taxes are withheld. This helps lower your taxable income and your cost for coverage. Four coverage options, supplemental life, dependent life insurance, short-term disability and long-term disability are paid with post-tax contributions.

What are the health benefits choices?
Medical. Most locations offer two basic options that cover the same supplies and services but have different deductibles, co-payments and out-of-pocket maximums. Each plan has a United Healthcare preferred provider organization feature, preventive care benefits, a lifetime maximum of $1,000,000 and a prescription drug benefit offering discounts at local pharmacies and a mail-order service. Lakeside also offers a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) option through Aetna.