Health & Welfare Benefits
As a new associate, your health benefits will begin on the first of the month following 3 months of service with Choice. Our extensive Health and Welfare benefit package consists of:
Medical Coverage — Medical insurance covers health care costs for you and your dependents in the event of illness or injury. Our medical program is offered through Aetna's Preferred Provider Organization (PPO). Associates may choose to enroll in the high or low option. Both options cover the same treatments, services and tests, but at different levels. With both options, associates may visit a physician within the Aetna network or see a physician of their own choosing. The plan pays a greater benefit for visits to participating providers.
Prescription Coverage — Enrollment in the medical plan automatically includes three-tiered prescription drug coverage. With this plan, you will pay less for generic drugs than brand-name drugs; maintenance medications purchased through mail order are available at even greater discount.
Dental Coverage — Our dental insurance, offered through Aetna's PDO (Preferred Dentist Organization), covers preventative and diagnostic services for you and your eligible dependents. Orthodontic benefits are available for dependent children.
Vision Coverage — The Choice vision plan is offered through VSP, a leading vision coverage provider. The plan provides coverage to you and your eligible dependents for routine eye exams, contracts, glasses and much more.
Life Insurance — Life insurance pays benefits to designated beneficiaries upon your death or that of your spouse or dependent children. Choice provides, at no cost to you, life insurance coverage of one times your annual base pay for you, $2,000 coverage for your spouse and $1,000 coverage for each of your eligible dependent children. You may purchase additional life insurance coverage for yourself, your spouse and your children if you wish.
Accident Death & Dismemberment Insurance — Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage provides a benefit if you, or your covered spouse or child, are seriously injured or die as a result of an accident. Choice provides AD&D coverage of one times your annual base pay at no cost to you. You may purchase additional AD&D coverage for yourself, your spouse, and your children if you wish.
Flexible Spending Accounts — Choice Hotels offers two reimbursement accounts, the Health Care Reimbursement Account and the Child and Elder Care Reimbursement Account. You may fund these spending accounts with pre-tax dollars, exempt from federal, state (in most cases) and Social Security taxes. By reimbursing yourself from your pre-tax savings account, you are able to pay these expenses tax-free.
Some of the eligible expenses for the Health Care Reimbursement Account include out of pocket health care expenses such as deductibles, co-payments, and certain over-the-counter medications, weight-loss programs and smoking cessation products.
Funds placed in the Child and Elder Care Reimbursement Account can be used for day care expenses, nursery school, care for an elderly dependent or summer camp tuition.
Disability — Choice offers disability coverage to provide income protection in the event of an unexpected illness or injury that keeps you from working. Your coverage may vary based on your position and length of service with the Company.
Long Term Care — Choice offers this very important coverage at very competitive rates. Long Term Care coverage provides a daily benefit to you when you are no longer able to care for yourself. When enrolling, you choose a daily benefit of $50, $100 or $200. If you cannot perform two of the six activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, toileting or continence), this benefit is paid to you. This coverage is available to you, your spouse, parents (in-law), grandparents (in-law), and adult children.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) — Choice recognizes that there are times when associates may face difficult challenges. Choice's EAP is a confidential, third-party, referral program designed to help associates and family members with a wide variety of issues, including financial concerns, alcohol or drug problems, marital problems, illness, or emotional stress.
