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myHR: April 16, 2025

Penn Benefits Open Enrollment Starts April 21

Penn’s Benefits Open Enrollment is your annual opportunity to make changes to your health plans, life insurance, and flexible spending accounts. Open Enrollment will be held Monday, April 21-Friday, May 9, 2025. Before it begins, we encourage benefits-eligible faculty, staff, and postdoctoral researchers and fellows eligible for the Penn Postdoc Benefits Plan to take this time to learn about the upcoming 2025-2026 plan year. This year Penn welcomes NRSA Fellows to the Postdoc Benefits Plan.

There are many exciting changes for the new plan year. One of the most important is that if you participate in a Flexible Spending Account you must re-enroll in your Health Care and/or Dependent Care FSA to continue participation in the plan. New offerings include a new wellness platform partner, WebMD, a prescription formulary administered by CVS/caremark, and a voluntary benefits program called Penn Benefit Extras that features pet insurance. For details about each of the plan changes, read the “Plan Changes Effective July 1, 2025” article in this newsletter. 

Be sure to carefully review your Benefits Enrollment Guide for 2025-2026. Regular full-time faculty and staff and regular part-time and ACA-eligible faculty and staff can visit the Open Enrollment webpage to download their benefits enrollment guide. Postdocs and NRSA Fellows can visit the Postdoctoral Researchers and Fellows webpage for a copy of their guide.

Faculty, staff, postdocs, and NRSA Fellows can also gather information about the new plan year at the Open Enrollment Benefits Fair on April 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Houston Hall, Bodek Lounge. A benefits fair will also be held at New Bolton Center on April 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Alumni Hall.

If you are unable to make a benefits fair, you can review the 2025-2026 Open Enrollment Benefits presentation, benefit comparison charts, contribution charts, and more. This information will help you understand your benefit options so you can make informed decisions that are right for you and your family.

Plan Changes Effective July 1, 2025

One of the most important steps faculty, staff, and postdocs take during the Open Enrollment period is to get familiar with the upcoming plan changes. There are several changes for the 2025-2026 plan year that will affect flexible spending accounts, prescription drug coverage, and medical, dental, and vision rates. In the upcoming plan year, Penn will welcome NRSA Fellows to the Postdoc Benefits Plan, offer a new voluntary benefits program called Penn Benefit Extras administered by Corestream, and launch its partnership with a new wellness platform partner, WebMD.

Additionally, Independence Blue Cross is upgrading its platform, so all Keystone and Penn Care PPO plan participants will receive new ID cards in the mail. All plan participants will receive a new CVS card for prescription drug coverage.  

You should review all the plan changes before enrolling or making changes to your elections. Once you have determined the benefits that are right for you and your family, you can make changes to your benefits coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in Workday. Changes can only be made during Open Enrollment, unless you have a qualifying life event.

You can review all of the 2025-2026 plan changes below. Faculty, staff, postdocs, and NRSA Fellows should also review their respective enrollment guides for specific plan options and details about which changes apply to you.

Re-elect to Continue Participating in Flexible Spending Accounts

Effective July 1, 2025, you will need to re-elect your Health Care and/or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts to continue coverage in the new plan year. Note: NRSA Fellows are not eligible to participate in the Flexible Spending Accounts.

  • Unlike your medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, which rolls over to the next plan year if you don’t make changes, you must re-elect your Flexible Spending Account this year if you wish to continue participation in the plan.
  • If you do not re-elect the coverage for the upcoming plan year, your goal amount from the current plan year will not roll over to the new plan year. You will be defaulted with a $0 annual goal amount, and you will not be able to enroll in the plan until the next Open Enrollment period unless you have a qualifying life event.
  • Please log in to Workday to review and re-elect your FSA. If you need assistance, please contact Health Advocate at 1-866-799-2329.

Contribution and Rollover Amounts Increase for Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts

The maximum contribution you can make to your Health Care FSA is increasing from $3,200 to $3,300. The rollover amount will also increase from $640 to $660. You have until June 30, 2026 (end of the plan year) to incur expenses and until September 30, 2026, to submit eligible claims for services you received before June 30. Any remaining balance you have over $660 will be forfeited.

There are no changes to the Dependent Care FSA. Due to IRS guidelines, you must use all available funds by the end of the plan year deadline, or you will forfeit any remaining balance. You have until September 15 of the following plan year to incur expenses, and until September 30 of the following plan year to submit eligible claims. 

For example, if you enroll in a Dependent Care FSA during the 2025-2026 plan year, you’ll have until September 15, 2026 to incur expenses and until September 30, 2026 to submit eligible expenses for reimbursement. 

Visit the Flexible Spending Accounts webpage for more FSA details and single-sign-on access to HealthEquity.

Revisions to Prescription Drug Coverage

The prescription drug plan, administered by CVS/caremark for all medical plans, will provide a preferred formulary to help manage costs and keep coverage affordable. A preferred formulary is an updated list of generic, brand, and specialty medications, covered by your prescription plan. The drugs in the formulary are determined by judgment of physicians and pharmacists, based on existing medical evidence. Drugs not included in the preferred formulary will be replaced with a clinical equivalent alternative under the preferred formulary. Participants using medications impacted by this change, as well as providers prescribing medications impacted, will be contacted 60 days prior to their next fill, so they can work with CVS/caremark to avoid any interruptions. Work with your provider to ensure that the medication being prescribed is on the approved formulary list.

  • If you are clinically unable to use one of the alternatives selected your provider can request an exception.
  • If you and your provider do not select an alternative, or an exception is not approved, the medication will not be covered.

New Voluntary Benefits Offering with Corestream

Penn will offer a new voluntary benefits program called Penn Benefit Extras, administered by Corestream. The benefits include critical illness, accident insurance, hospital indemnity insurance, pet health care options, and identity theft protection. When you purchase one of the plans, and experience an accident, illness, or hospitalization, the plan will pay a lump sum to assist with out-of-pocket costs.

  • You can choose multiple products and have just one payroll deduction.
  • You must elect critical illness, accident insurance, and hospital indemnity insurance during Open Enrollment, but you can sign up for pet health care options and identity theft protection anytime throughout the year.

New Wellness Platform Partner, WebMD

Effective July 1, 2025, Penn and Be in the Know welcome a new wellness platform partner, WebMD. Kickoff Be in the Know 2025-2026 with fresh programs and resources to engage in your health and enhance your overall well-being.  WebMD brings wellness brand recognition and an easy-to-use platform and mobile app, plus an abundance of learning content in various formats and health-enhancing tools like Daily Habits, challenges, coaching, and more. Continue to enjoy Penn’s current platform partner, Personify Health (formerly Virgin Pulse) and their programs, through June 30, 2025, earning you points for Be in the Know 2024-2025, and be sure to spend all earned Rewards Cash by June 30, 2025.

Medical Plan Rates, Dental Rates, and Copays

For medical, dental, and vision rates, review the Medical, Dental, and Vision rates for 2025-2026 chart in the Benefits Enrollment Guide or visit the Open Enrollment webpage.

  • PennCare/Personal Choice PPO, Aetna Choice POS II, and Keystone/AmeriHealth HMO will have a $5 increase in copays for primary care and specialty care. For a list of new copays, check the individual health plan charts in the Benefits Enrollment Guide.
  • Copays for Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse will remain the same.

Aetna High Deductible Health Plan Raises Deductibles

Due to IRS guidelines, the Aetna High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with a Health Savings Account (HSA) will increase its deductible for individuals from $1,600 $1,650 and for families from $3,200 to $3,300.                                                       

If you have any questions about any of the upcoming plan changes, please contact Health Advocate at answers@HealthAdvocate.com or call 1-866-799-2329, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Enrolling and Making Changes During Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment is the ideal time for you to enroll in one of Penn’s benefits plans or consider changing elections if you need coverage that better meets your needs and your family’s current needs. From April 21 through May 9, you can enroll or make changes to your health and life insurance benefits coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the Benefits, Comp and Pay Hub in Workday.

To access the hub, click on “View All Apps” or “Menu” from your homepage, then select “Benefits, Comp and Pay Hub” from the Apps menu. Please remember to print a confirmation statement for your records. Read the Self-Service: Manage, View and Change Your Benefits Workday tip sheet for instructions.

Some of the changes you may need to make during Open Enrollment include:

  • Enrolling in a healthcare plan for the first time or dropping an existing plan.
  • Switching to a different medical, dental, or vision plan.
  • Increasing or decreasing your life insurance coverage.
  • Re-enrolling in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or changing how much you contribute. If you have an FSA now, you will have to re-select your monthly and annual contribution or your goal amount will default to $0 for the next plan year. Whether you are making a first-time election or currently have an FSA, those eligible to participate in an FSA must take action.
  • Adding or dropping a dependent from your benefits coverage. If you add a new dependent, under Penn’s plan rules, you will need to verify your dependents eligibility in Workday by submitting the appropriate documents when you enroll. 

You should also review your life insurance beneficiary information, confirm its accuracy for all elections, and update it if necessary. To make this update, log into Workday. You can also contact Health Advocate at answers@HealthAdvocate.com or call 1-866-799-2329, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. If you need to update your retirement plan beneficiaries, log in to your retirement planning account through Penn’s TIAA.org SSO link.

What Happens If You Don’t Make Changes?

If you don’t make changes during Open Enrollment, your current elections will roll over when the new plan year starts on July 1, 2025. 

What If You Waive Coverage?

Under the Affordable Care Act, if you waive your University coverage, you are still responsible for obtaining coverage through some other source. For example, you can obtain coverage through a spouse’s plan, your parent’s plan (if you are under age 26), or via the Health Insurance Marketplace.

When Are Changes Effective?

Whether you decide to make no changes to your current Penn benefits, or you choose different plan options, the elections you make during Open Enrollment will be effective on July 1, 2025, and stay in effect until June 30, 2026. 

Making Changes After Enrollment

You cannot make changes to your healthcare benefits elections after the Open Enrollment period unless you experience a qualifying life event. Qualifying life events include the birth or adoption of a child, marriage, divorce or separation, death of a dependent, and change in your dependent’s eligibility for benefits.

Keep in mind that the IRS limits the types of changes you can make for qualifying life events. If you experience a qualifying life event, please contact Health Advocate at answers@HealthAdvocate.com or call 1-866-799-2329, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Resources for Choosing Benefits Coverage

Penn provides a variety of resources for faculty, staff, postdocs, and NRSA Fellows to learn about the available benefits programs, compare plans, and choose options that best meet your healthcare needs. 

Below are details about each of the available resources. Before you enroll or make changes to your current elections, review these materials to help with your coverage decisions.

Benefits Presentation

Penn provides several virtual and on-campus Open Enrollment presentations. For a list of dates and links to register, please visit the Open Enrollment webpage. If you are unable to make one of the presentations you can still get the information you need about the upcoming plan year changes, plan options, rates, and more by downloading the 2025-2026 Open Enrollment Benefits presentation.

Benefits Fairs

The Open Enrollment Benefits Fair will be held on campus on Tuesday, April 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall. Penn HR staff, representatives from Penn’s healthcare providers, and wellness partners will be there to answer your questions. 

A benefits fair will also be held at New Bolton Center on April 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Alumni Hall.

Benefits Enrollment Guides

The Benefits Enrollment Guide provides a summary of the benefits programs available to all benefits-eligible full-time faculty and staff, part-time and ACA benefits-eligible staff,  postdoctoral researchers and fellows, and NRSA Fellows. Click on the links below to download your Benefits Enrollment Guide (Note: NRSA Fellows should refer to the Postdoctoral Researchers and Fellows Benefits Enrollment Guide): 

Full-time Benefits Enrollment Guide

Part-time & ACA Eligible Benefits Enrollment Guide

Postdoctoral Researchers and Fellows Benefits Enrollment Guide

If you have questions about Open Enrollment, contact Health Advocate at answers@HealthAdvocate.com or call 1-866-799-2329, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Retirement Planning All Year Long

Eligible faculty and staff can review and change their Penn retirement savings plan elections during the Open Enrollment period, but also at any time of the year.

Update your plan beneficiaries, increase your contributions, revise your investment mix, or just check your elections when the time is right for you at TIAA.org.