Benefits Open Enrollment


 

🚨 Attention Employees! 🚨

Open Enrollment for 2026 benefits starts October 1 and continues through October 31with benefit elections taking effect January 1, 2026. Employees currently enrolled in a medical plan and/or FSA plans must enroll during these dates to ensure coverage continues into 2026. For questions, email or call the Open Enrollment line at 852-0040 that is available from Oct. 1- 31, M-F 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 


Key Dates and Actions:


Why Act Now?

  • NEW! Mandatory Enrollment for New Medical Plans: As part of UofL’s ongoing efforts to modernize and improve our benefit offerings, this year we are moving from five medical plans to three medical plans. Employees will have the choice of the PPO Plan with an HRA, the ULH plan, and the CDHP with an HSA. Employees must choose one of these plans to have medical coverage for 2026.
  • NEW! Tax-Advantaged Spending Accounts: You must enroll or re-enroll in health care or dependent care FSAs for 2026.
    • This year, UofL is offering a Limited Purpose FSA (LPFSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA). If you enroll in the Consumer Driven Health Plan (CDHP) with HSA, you can opt in a Limited Purpose FSA, which can be used for dental and vision expenses. If you want a tax-advantaged account for 2026, you must enroll in one during Open Enrollment. Learn about spending accounts available on the tax-advantaged spending accounts webpage. 
  • Ensure Your Dependent Coverage: Confirm your covered dependents are still eligible for coverage.
  • Deadline: If you don’t enroll by 11:59 p.m., October 31, 2025, you will not have medical coverage or a flexible spending account for 2026. Dental and vision plans and rates will remain the same and will rollover from 2025 to 2026. Additional Term, Spouse and Child Life Insurance plans will rollover to 2026 and will stay the same in 2026 unless you move to a new age band or elect additional coverage amounts.
  • This is your only chance to add, drop, or change your benefit elections and dependents unless you experience a Qualifying Life Event during the year.

 

Discover Your Benefits!

  • UofL is committed to supporting you with tools and resources as you evaluate your options. This year we are introducing a new tool that was created just for you. Our new Decision Pathways will help guide you through the three medical plan options. This tool will ask you questions about your expected healthcare costs and will help guide you to the option that might be right for you and your family. Ultimately, the decision is up to you.
    • You’ll also explore various deductible plan types, including embedded deductible plans (e.g., PPO Plan with HRA and ULH Plan) and aggregate deductible plans (like CDHP). A quick reference video is available to help you easily compare the differences between these options at deductibles.tellmein2.com.
  • View the 2026 Benefit Plan Rates
  • Vision and Dental: Premiums for 2026 will stay the same or have no increase. View the 2026 Benefit Plan Rates and scroll to the bottom for dental and vision rates.
  • Medical Insurance: Plan Options for this year include the PPO Plan with an HRA, the ULH plan, and the CDHP with an HSA. UofL’s medical and prescription costs continue to increase annually. There will be a shared increase in both the university contribution and employee premiums for 2026. Premium increases will vary among medical plans with a 10% cap on maximum increase amount. View the 2026 Benefit Plan Rates for medical rates. 
  • Employee Additional Term Life, Spouse Life, Child Life Insurance: Rates for Additional Term, Spouse, and Child Life Insurance plans will stay the same unless you move to a new age band or elect additional coverage amounts. View the 2026 life insurance rates on the Life Insurance webpage.
    • Additional Life:
      • If you are enrolling for the first time in Additional Life Insurance, MetLife will mail you an Evidence of Insurability (EOI) once Open Enrollment concludes.
      • If you are currently enrolled in Additional Life Insurance, you can go up 1 level without filling out EOI.
    • Spouse Life:
      • You must be enrolled in Additional Life (2 times the amount you want for Spouse Life) to enroll in Spouse Life.
      • If you are enrolling in Spouse Life Insurance for any amount, MetLife will mail you an Evidence of Insurability (EOI) once Open Enrollment concludes.
    • Child Life:
      • If you are enrolling in Child Life Insurance, you must be enrolled in Additional Life Insurance and no EOI is required.
  • EOI forms will be mailed from MetLife after OE closes.
  • Update your life insurance beneficiaries. To add beneficiary designees to your insurance plan(s), please follow the instructions on the “Change Benefits for a Life Event” quick reference guide (QRG) and scroll down to #15.
  • Wellness Incentive: Earn 480 wellness points by November 21, 2025, to qualify for the $40 Get Healthy Now monthly incentive in 2026. Complete the Personal Health Program (PHP) for 200 points and earn the remaining 280 points through various activities. See a full list of point opportunities located on the Get Healthy Now website.

 

Know more about your 2026 Benefit Offerings:

This year, we’re excited to bring you,

HRtalks Benefits

  • September 10 virtual HRtalks Benefits: Open Enrollment Overview
  • September 17 virtual HRtalks Benefits: All About Our Medical Plans for 2026
  • September 24 virtual HRtalks Benefits: All About Health Care Accounts (HRA, HSA, FSA)

To register for the virtual HRtalks sessions, visit the HRtalks webpage. All sessions will be recorded and available on the Recorded Sessions webpage.

 

Open Enrollment Benefit Fairs:

  • October 7, in-person, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Belknap Campus — SAC W201AB
  • October 8, in-person, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. HSC Campus — CTR101/102

 

Open Enrollment 1:1 sessions with Benefits: During Open Enrollment, employees can schedule an in-person or virtual appointment with the Benefits Team. In-person appointments will be held at Cardinal Station, located at 215 Central Avenue, Suite 205, throughout the Open Enrollment period.

 

How to Enroll:

  • System: Workday

View the Workday Open Enrollment Guide or Workday Open Enrollment PowerPoint for step-by-step instructions. Two-employee families, please refer to the Two Employee Family QRG to enroll. 

 

After Enrolling:

  • Double-check your first Workday payslip of 2026 to ensure your benefit deductions are correct.
  • Complete all 480 wellness points by November 21, 2025, to receive the $40 Get Healthy Now monthly incentive for 2026. Go to the Get Healthy Now website for more information.

 

Quick Links:

 

For retirees, please refer to our Retiree Open Enrollment page.

 

Questions about your benefits?
Please email  if you have questions about your benefits or Open Enrollment. Please also refer to our Benefits Definition page for benefits terminology.