GIC will switch dental and vision carriers to Altus and VSP; retiree and plan enhancements announced

The Group Insurance Commission announced it will change dental and vision carriers for certain GIC plans, moving from MetLife and Davis Vision to a contract with Altus Dental and VSP. The change affects the active nonunion employee dental and vision plans and the retiree dental and vision plan.

Cameron McBean, who manages the GIC’s vendor relationships, said the procurement produced lower fully insured premiums, enabling higher annual dental maximums across the three dental plans offered to active nonunion employees and retirees. He also said the vision plan will move to annual exams for participants in the active vision plan; retiree vision discount use will no longer require prepayment with a voucher at Davis Vision.

Key member details announced in the session: - Enrollment will transfer automatically for members currently in MetLife dental plans; no action required by the member to accept the carrier change. - New cards should be mailed in June and coverage will be effective July 1. - Altus will provide a microsite before annual enrollment with provider lookup and plan details. - The retiree dental plan remains available to eligible housing authority retirees, but members who previously declined or dropped retiree dental cannot reenroll. - Active employee dental and vision offerings remain limited to employees not covered by collective bargaining (nonunion/management active employees); unionized employees receive such benefits through collective bargaining.

“Your enrollment will automatically transfer to Altus, without any action on your part,” McBean said. Staff asked members to review the microsite and the Benefit Decision Guide for full plan details before annual enrollment.

GIC staff also reminded members that some eligibility distinctions (for example, higher education employees or housing authority staff) depend on collective‑bargaining coverage and local employer participation.