Healthcare Reform Update for 2014

The Affordable Care Act (healthcare reform law) continues to bring big changes to the U.S. healthcare system.

IMMEDIATE ELIGIBILITY FOR HEALTH AND INSURANCE BENEFITS

Starting January 1, 2014, employees are eligible as of their hire date for Company-subsidized medical, dental and vision coverage as well as the following benefits: life insurance, Group Legal and Flexible Spending Accounts. The six-month waiting period has been eliminated.

Please note:

• Company-subsidized medical, dental and vision coverage does not apply to part-time employees scheduled to work fewer than 17 hours per week.
• The six-month waiting period to be eligible for the Sickness and Accident Disability Benefit Plan, the Long-Term Disability (LTD) Plan for Occupational Employees and the Company match to the 401(k) plan will continue unchanged.
• CSIs are not eligible for Company-subsidized dental and vision coverage, for the Sickness and Accident Disability Benefit Plan or for the LTD Plan for Occupational Employees.

MVP of New York HMO Will No Longer Be Offered

One of our HMOs — MVP of New York — will not be available for 2014. If you are currently enrolled in this HMO, you will need to choose another medical plan option for 2014.

Change to Medical Coverage if You Are Receiving Long-Term Disability (LTD) Benefits

Effective as of July 1, 2013, participants receiving LTD benefits are no longer eligible for medical coverage under the Alcatel-Lucent Medical Expense Plan for Occupational Employees. Instead, these individuals are eligible for medical coverage under the Alcatel-Lucent Medical Expense Plan for Retired Employees as of July 1, 2013. LTD participants may enroll into and continue such coverage until the end of the month in which LTD benefits end or until the end of the month in which the LTD participant turns age 65, whichever comes first.

Updates to the YBR Website

The YBR website at http://digital.alight.com/alcatel-lucent was updated in May 2013. If you have not visited YBR since the update, you will notice some changes when you log on.

ENHANCED SECURITY

The first time you log on from a particular device (for example, a computer or mobile device), you will be prompted to choose and answer a new series of security questions. This will register your device with the YBR website.

The next time you log on from the same device, the prompt will not appear, and you will be taken directly to the YBR website homepage. But if you access the YBR website from another device, the first time you log on you will be prompted to answer the security questions on file. This will register your “secondary” device with the YBR website.

These enhancements are designed to provide additional protection to your personal information. The information you supply will not be shared.

SIMPLIFIED PROCESS FOR ADDING A NEW DEPENDENT TO YOUR COVERAGE

You will see a new step in the annual open enrollment process for adding a new dependent to your Alcatel-Lucent benefits coverage. See “Using YBR” for more information.

Thanks to You, Our Green Initiatives Are Working!

Were you one of the more than 100,000 participants who did not request an Annual Open Enrollment Kit last year? Thank you and congratulations! By "going green," you helped save more than 2 million sheets of paper.

As part of our corporate commitment to the environment, we will continue to provide more of your benefits information online instead of in print. So if you have not yet signed up to receive communications from the Alcatel-Lucent Benefits Center electronically, please take a few moments to do so now.

You do not need to wait until annual open enrollment. Just log on to the YBR website anytime. Select "Your Profile" and click "Personal Information." Follow the steps to provide your preferred email address and update your preferred method of delivery.