As a member of the New Jersey State Health Benefits Program (SHBP), Stockton offers variety of choices for medical/prescription and dental insurance. Health benefits coverage for new hires begins 60 days from the date of employment. Health benefits coverage for faculty with a September 1 start date begins immediately.

If you have a qualifying life event (e.g., marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of a child, loss of coverage elsewhere) please contact benefits@stockton.edu within 30 days of the event date. Any other changes to benefits can be done during the annual open enrollment period held in October.

Full-time, permanent part-time, and adjunct employees may enroll in any of the NJ State Health Benefit plans through Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield or Aetna:

Plan Comparisons

All benefits enrollment is completed through the online Benefitsolver portal. Please follow the instructions below to create an account.

• Creating a Benefitsolver Account to Enroll in Health Benefits
• Documents required to enroll dependents: marriage certificate, child birth certificates, Social Security Cards, most recent 1040 tax form

Resources

• Member Guidebooks for Individual Plans
• Download the Horizon app
• Download the Aetna app

Provider Directories

• Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Aetna

SHBP contribution rates

• Annual Health Care Premium Contribution Calculator - 2025 (Horizon)
• Annual Health Care Premium Contribution Calculator - 2025 (Aetna) 
  • 12 month employees:  divide the annual contribution by 26 to find out your estimated biweekly deduction
  • 10 month employees:  Divide the annual contribution by 22 to find out your estimated biweekly deduction
• CWA members
  • Contribution rates
• IFPTE members, AFT members, and Managers
  • Contribution rates

Additional Resources

• COBRA
• Affordable Care Act Information

For All NJ State Health plans that have prescription coverage, prescription coverage is provided through OptumRx (see information below).

The Group Dental Plan is available to eligible full-time employees.  The program provides a choice between two different plans, the Aetna Dental Expense Plan (PPO) and Dental Plan Organizations (DPOs).  Employees and dependents are prohibited from enrolling in more than one dental plan (Dual Enrollment).

Aetna Dental Expense Plan (PPO)
The Dental Expense Plan is a traditional indemnity plan that allows members to obtain services from any dentist. After a member satisfies a $50 deductible, the member is reimbursed for a percentage of the reasonable and customary charges for the services that are covered under the plan. The Dental Expense Plan has a network of participating providers who offer discounted services. Employees save money by using these providers.

Dental Plan Organizations (DPOs)
The Dental Plan Organizations, or DPOs, are individual companies offering dental services through contracts with a network of dental providers. A DPO member selects a DPO dentist, and the costs of most diagnostic and preventive services are covered in full, although certain services require an additional co-payment. The DPOs operate much like Health Maintenance Organizations in that they will not cover services provided by an out-of-network provider unless there was a proper referral. You must use a dentist who is a member of the DPO you selected or be referred by your DPO dentist.

The University and the employee equally share the cost for participation in either plan.  Premium payments are made through payroll deductions. Employee premiums can be paid on a pretax basis through participation in the Premium Option Plan (POP) of the State's IRC Section 125 Program, Tax$ave. Participation in POP is automatic unless the employee specifically declines enrollment.  

• Dental Plan Rates - 2025
• Participating Employee Dental Plans
• Fact Sheet #37 - Employee Dental Plans
• Dental Plans Member Guidebook

Tax$ave, a benefit program available under Section 125 of the Federal Internal Revenue Code, allows eligible employees to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for certain medical, dental, and dependent care expenses. An eligible employee is any employee who is eligible to participate in the State Health Benefits Program. Tax$ave consists of three separate component plans, and an eligible employee may elect to participate in any combination, all, or none of the plans. The three components of Tax$ave are:

• The Premium Option Plan (POP) allows employees to pay any medical and/or dental premiums that they may have, with pre-tax dollars. 
   
• The Unreimbursed Medical Flexible Spending Account Plan (FSA) allows employees to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for qualified medical, dental and vision expenses not covered by your health or dental insurance (i.e. copayments, coinsurance, and presciption glasses, etc). There is a 60-day waiting period from date of hire.
   
• The Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account Plan (FSA) allows an employee to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for anticipated dependent care expenses (i.e. daycare, after school care, summer camps, etc.). There is a 30-day waiting period from date of hire.

Please keep in mind that reimbursement requests to either the Medical Expense or Dependent Care Spending Accounts must be used no later than March 15th following the end of the calendar year for which the account was established.  Any amounts in your account not claimed by March 15th, will be forfeited.  It is therefore critical that reimbursement requests be submitted as soon as possible after the expense is incurred.

• Tax$ave Fact Sheet #44
• Enroll online for FSAs
• Flexible spending account guide for 2025