SMC Employee Benefits

Swedish offers a competitive benefit package designed to provide employees a wide range of health, financial and career-oriented benefits. 

Eligibility

Employees are eligible for the benefit plan if they are at an FTE (full-time equivalent) of .5 or above. Health-care coverage begins on the first day of the month following the date of hire. Eligible dependents, including a domestic partner, may also be covered under Swedish’s comprehensive health-care benefits. Dependents may also be eligible for life insurance coverage.

Swedish provides a way to reduce the employee's taxes. The employee's portion of the monthly health-care premium is paid with pre-tax payroll deductions. This decreases the employee's taxable income and therefore decreases taxes paid. Additional ways to save on taxes can be explored through the Flexible Spending Accounts.

Medical

Swedish offers eligible employees the choice of three health-care plans. Two of them are preferred-provider organizations (PPOs). Choices include Swedish Advantage PPO, Swedish Standard PPO and the Swedish Consumer Choice Plan. In an effort to promote and sustain an employee's health and well-being, each plan covers physician’s services, hospitalization, laboratory charges, prescriptions, vision and other medical needs.

Dental

Swedish works with Washington Dental Service (WDS) to provide a comprehensive dental plan. The plan covers 100% of the charges for preventative care and a significant portion of the expenses for other dental work, after the annual deductible has been satisfied. Orthodontia coverage is an additional benefit under the dental plan. The plan provides a maximum lifetime benefit of $1,500 for orthodontic services.

Flexible Spending Accounts

Swedish recognizes that dependent-care and health-care expenses can significantly contribute to the costs associated with working. Paying these costs with pre-tax dollars can reduce the employee’s actual out-of-pocket costs. Health-Care and Dependent-Care Flexible Spending Accounts take advantage of federal legislation that allows employees to pay their portion of qualified expenses with tax-free earnings.

Basic life insurance

The Swedish life insurance plan provides basic term life coverage of one times the employee’s annual salary. Additional coverage of up to six times the employee's annual salary can be purchased through the Supplemental and Dependent Life Plans.

Long-term disability insurance

The Swedish long-term disability plan will help replace lost income if an injury or illness prevents an employee from working 180 days or longer. Swedish provides a basic benefit equal to 50 percent of one's income, up to a maximum of $1,000 per month. The supplemental plan allows the employee to purchase additional coverage with the option to pay the premium with either pre-tax or post-tax earnings.

401(k) Plan

The Swedish retirement plan is a 401(k) plan.

403(b)

The 403(b) program offers an avenue for additional retirement savings on a tax-deferred basis through payroll deduction. Swedish offers four companies to choose from — Fidelity, Symetra Financial (formerly Safeco), Lincoln and ING.

Credit Union

The SHARE Credit Union is a full-service, not-for-profit financial cooperative. It offers its members savings, checking, holiday accounts, certificates of deposits, loans, and VISA credit and debit cards. Automatic payroll deductions can be made directly to the employee's credit union checking or savings account.

Tuition reimbursement

Swedish employees who are working toward a degree that may be used for career advancement within Swedish can receive up to 80-percent tuition reimbursement at a maximum of $2,800 per year. Employees taking classes toward a certification can receive up to 80-percent reimbursement at a maximum of $1,500. Employees pursuing degrees in high-demand health-care fields may be eligible for Swedish’s enhanced tuition reimbursement program.

Employee Advancement Center
Swedish is committed to helping its employees advance their careers. Through the Employee Advancement Center, employees have access to:

• Confidential one-on-one, career-planning sessions
• Career-assessment tools that help employees identify careers that best match their personality and interests
• Résumé-development assistance
• Computer work stations
• An extensive library of books, audio tapes and videotapes on career development
• Tuition reimbursement program

Employee Assistance Program

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) — offered through Wellspring EAP, Inc. — helps employees and their families identify and resolve personal problems. The EAP provides up to three visits with a counselor for an assessment and, if necessary, assists with a referral for further care. The EAP can assist with many types of concerns, including parenting, family conflict, relationship issues, elder-care concerns, legal/financial questions, substance abuse and stress.

Time off

Swedish recognizes that taking time off enables an employee to maintain a proper work/life balance. Swedish offers its eligible employees vacation and sick leave, or an annual leave.

Holidays

Swedish recognizes the following holidays:

• New Year's Day
• Presidents' Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day
• Birthday Holiday