Your benefits and COVID-19

Important changes you need to know

As of May 11, 2023, COVID-19 is no longer considered a Public Health Emergency (PHE). As a result, health plans will no longer be mandated to cover COVID-19 tests and services. The good news is that PayPal will be extending your access to these tests and vaccines at no cost to you through December 31, 2023. PayPal wants you to take good care of yourself and your family, including your physical and emotional wellbeing, so be sure to review all of the resources available to you.

Health plan support Emotional wellbeing Important changes to flexible spending accounts

Health plan support

COVID-19 vaccine information

Meritain Health

We will be extending your free access to testing and testing related services through December 31, 2023.

COVID-19 laboratory testing

PayPal will continue to cover COVID-19 laboratory tests administered by a provider at 100% until the end of the year, December 31, 2023.

If you meet the CDC guidelines for testing, and it’s requested by a doctor or pharmacist (either in-person or a telehealth visit), all costs (copayment, coinsurance, deductible) are waived for FDA approved COVID-19 testing in-network or out-of-network. This includes the diagnostic test, which determines if a person is currently infected with COVID-19 and the antibody test which may determine if a person has been exposed to COVID-19. Coverage is effective for dates of service February 4, 2020 through December 31, 2023, the end of the National Health Emergency. There are many different testing scenarios and experiences may vary. While insurance will cover the cost of the test itself, you will want to check with the testing location to see if they will be submitting the claim to insurance or if it is your responsibility to submit the claim.

If you have coverage questions, contact Accolade at 866-406-1338.

COVID-19 vaccine and boosters

COVID-19 vaccines and boosters administered on or after January 1, 2024 will be subject to your Meritain plan’s routine vaccination benefit. However, you may not owe anything if you receive your vaccine or booster at a pharmacy which hasn’t yet run out of its government-funded vaccine supply.

Virtual care

See a top doctor or therapist and receive personalized, high-quality health care via your phone, tablet, or computer — day or night — through Accolade Care. You can schedule same or next-day appointments for urgent needs, or you can schedule an appointment at a time in the future that works for you. Your Care Team is available 24/7. Download the Accolade app (App Store | Google Play) to get started. Virtual visits through Accolade Care are covered under regular plan benefits.

Kaiser Permanente

We will be extending your free access to vaccines, testing and testing related services through December 31, 2023.

COVID-19 laboratory testing, vaccines, and boosters

PayPal will continue to cover COVID-19 vaccines, laboratory testing, and treatment administered at a Kaiser facility at 100% until the end of the year, December 31, 2023.

If you’re diagnosed with COVID-19, additional services, including hospital admission (if applicable), will be covered according to your plan benefits. You won’t have to pay for costs related to COVID-19 testing, including home test kits. Visit the Kaiser COVID-19 page for the latest updates on your Kaiser coverage.

Get the care you need by using telehealth services. 24 / 7 care advice, email, phone, and video visits with your provider are available as alternatives to in-person appointments. Virtual visits using video technology are also available at no cost to members. Call the advice number on your Kaiser Permanente membership card for instructions.

Order prescriptions by mail

Fill your prescriptions through mail-order service, and avoid the pharmacy waiting room. Plus, most mail-order prescriptions come in a 3-month supply for the price of 2 months.

Sign up for your COVID-19 vaccination

Request an appointment at Kaiser Permanente at kp.org/covidvaccine. Please don’t email your doctor for an appointment — your care provider can’t schedule your vaccine appointment. If you don’t have access to kp.org, call 866-454-8855 (northern California), or 833-KP4-CARE or 833-574-2273 (southern California) for assistance. Note: they are currently experiencing high call volumes, so you may experience longer than normal wait times.
Go to your neighborhood pharmacy. Vaccines are available at many local pharmacies at no cost.

For more information on the vaccine, visit kp.org/covidvaccine. You can also call our 24/7 KP COVID Vaccine InfoLine at 855-550-0951 (available in English and Spanish) for regular recorded updates.

CVS Caremark (for Meritain Health plan members)

Emotional wellbeing

Employee Assistance Program

If you’re feeling stressed or worried, speak with a licensed mental health provider through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). All sessions are confidential, and the service is free to you and your family members.

Optum: Call 866-248-4096, or visit liveandworkwell.com and enter access code: PayPalUS, select Behavioral Health Care Search, and respond to the questions about the type of support you’re looking for.
Arbor Family Counseling (Nebraska employees): Call 800-922-7379, or visit arborfamilycounseling.com and enter password: arbor.

These resources from Optum also may be helpful:

Virtual support tools for Kaiser HMO members

myStrength

myStrength is a personalized program that includes interactive activities, in-the-moment coping tools, inspirational resources, and community support.

Track your preferences and goals, current emotional states, and ongoing life events to improve your awareness and change behaviors.

Calm app for self-care

The Calm app uses meditation and mindfulness to help lower stress, reduce anxiety, and improve sleep quality.

Adult Kaiser members can access Calm at kp.org/selfcareapps.

Important changes to flexible spending accounts

2020 & 2021 COVID-19 relief measures for flexible spending accounts ended in the 2022 plan year

In 2021, the US Congress and IRS signed The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA, 2021), bringing temporary financial flexibility regarding flexible spending accounts (FSAs). The temporary relief measures were effective for the 2020 and 2021 plan years due to the global pandemic and ended for the 2022 plan year.

Health Care FSA

The temporary relief measures allowed for the carryover of the entire amount of unused funds in your Health Care FSA to use for eligible expenses in the next plan year. It was in effect for the 2020 and 2021 plan years only. This means that in 2020, your unused funds carried over for your use in 2021 and in 2021, your unused funds carried over to 2022. The deadline to incur (use) eligible expenses using the unused funds was December 31, 2022, as the IRS did not extend these relief measures for the 2022 plan year. The maximum amount of your unused funds permitted to carry over at the end of 2022 was $570.

The IRS has increased the carryover amount in 2023 to $610. This means at the end of 2023, you can carry over up to $610 of your unused amount to use for eligible expenses in 2024.

Are you currently participating in a Health Savings Account (HSA)? You can use your Health Care FSA for eligible dental and vision expenses.

Extended grace period for the Dependent Care FSA

Due to the special COVID-19 provisions in effect during the 2020 and 2021 plan years, PayPal extended the current grace period for participants to incur eligible expenses from 2.5 months to 12 months. If you participated in the Dependent Care FSA plan in 2021, you had until December 31, 2022, to continue to use any unused funds in your Dependent Care FSA from 2021. For 2022, the grace period reverted back to 2.5 months. This means you will have until March 15, 2023, to continue to incur eligible expenses using your unused funds from 2022.

For the 2023 plan year, you will have until March 15, 2024, to continue to incur eligible expenses due to this grace period.

Deadline to file FSA claims

The current deadline date to submit expenses incurred through December 31, 2022, is as follows:

Health Care FSA: December 31, 2023 (for eligible claims incurred between January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022)
Dependent Care FSA: December 31, 2023 (for eligible claims incurred between January 1, 2022, to March 15, 2023)

The 2022 claim filing deadline is normally April 30th of the following year (for expenses incurred in the previous plan year). However, due to the end of the National Emergency period, the deadline for 2022 claims submission was extended to December 31, 2023.

For 2023 claims, the deadline to submit eligible claims will revert to April 30, 2024.

Reimbursements for over-the-counter medications

Don’t forget that you can use your Health Care FSA, Health Savings Account, and / or Health Reimbursement Account to pay for most over-the-counter (OTC) medications and feminine products, without a prescription. And now personal protective equipment (PPE), such as face masks, hand sanitizer, and sanitizing wipes, are eligible for reimbursement. Any eligible expenses can be submitted for reimbursement from the applicable plan administrator’s online claim process. You may also use your account’s debit card to cover these expenses.

Contact Your Benefits Resources™ (YBR)

Contact the benefits administrator, Your Benefits Resources™ (YBR), at 844-474-6641 if you have any questions.

Follow the YBR prompts to identify yourself and then say or select Smart Choice Spending Accounts when prompted.

To view your FSA account online, access YBR (@Work | Log in).