Your 2027 insurance benefits open enrollment runs this year from October 29th through November 18th. Even if you don’t plan to make any changes, it can be worth your time to ensure that you are getting the most value out of your benefit package.
Because administrative plans and care provider contracts are renegotiated every year, there is constant movement that changes the value of your election. For example, your current clinic might be at a lower cost level if you switch nothing but your plan administrator (Blue Cross or Health Partners); it’s also possible that your clinic could be more expensive unless you change plan administrators. Similarly, your current clinic cost level may have increased, decreased, or stayed the same for 2027. The renegotiations that hold the systems accountable also require your attention to work properly.
The best ways to know the best combination are to pay attention to the targeted emails that SEGIP will send to you or log in to view your options during the open enrollment period. They will be sending information that is personalized based on your ZIP code and can help you consider what is best for you. (There is a long list of reasons that lead to the complexity of having plan administrators, cost levels, etc, but we will cover that in more detail in the future. But please know that the structure of the Advantage Plan keeps costs approximately 10% below similarly situated plans.)
SEGIP Member Services will extend their hours from 7 am to 7:30 PM on November 10, 12, 16, and 18th to answer any questions you have. They will also be emailing and mailing via USPS more information – make sure your email and physical addresses are current in self-service! There are more mailings than in the past because of data privacy concerns – don’t be surprised about that. There is also information on the SEGIP website and agencies will be doing their own information push.
Some elections (medical/dental, dependent care, transit, and parking expense accounts, for example) must be made every year. Don’t miss out on tax savings.