Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment is from March 31 - April 21, 2026

 
 

FY27 Open Enrollment

Use this website as a guide to help you with Open Enrollment. If you have any questions, please reach out to benefits at ua-benefits@alaska.edu or (907) 450-8242.

Enrollment Guide

FY27 Enrollment Guide

 

Knowing which form to use...

There are three (3) forms for Open Enrollment. Review the information below. Not every employee will need to complete all forms.

Table of Contents

Forms - Available on March 31st

Changes made during Open Enrollment will be effective on July 1, 2026.
Forms must be submitted between 8:00am AKST on March 31 - 5:00pm AKST on April 21, 2026. Late forms are not accepted.

Open Enrollment NextGen Form

Who Submits a Form

 

Submit a form if you are...

→ Enrolling in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

FSA elections stop every year on June 30. To enroll in or continue an FSA, a form must be submitted. More information on FSAs can be found here.

→ Updating your benefits or dependents

Elections are fixed for the plan year with the exception of life events. If you need to change your plan(s) or your covered dependent(s), a form must be submitted.

What happens if no form is submitted?

→ No changes to your benefits or dependents

ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å Benefits will make no changes to your current enrollment(s) and dependents (as long as the dependents remain eligible on the plan). 

 

→ No Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

The health care, flexible spending, and dependent care FSAs must be positively elected each year. If no form is submitted, you will not have any FSA after June 30.

ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å Benefits will automatically update Supplemental Life Insurance age brackets should an employee and/or spouse age into the next bracket on July 1, 2026. You do not need to submit a form to request this change.

A quick note about Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)...

FSAs elections are for the plan year only. Submit an Open Enrollment form to have an FSA on July 1, 2026. FSA elections during Open Enrollment are active from July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027, as long as you remain eligible for the benefit as an employee. More information on FSAs can be found here.

 

 

Ready to enroll?

 

 

Preparing for Open Enrollment

 

Step 1 - Mark your calendar

Open Enrollment begins at 8:00am AKST on Tuesday, March 31st and will end at 5:00 pm AKST on Tuesday, April 21, 2026.  Late forms are not accepted.

 

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Step 2  - Review current benefits and any new materials

FY27 Enrollment Guide


Check your current benefits on

  • Click on Employee Profile > Employee Dashboard > Benefits > Current Summary > Select


Plan information and materials

Attend a training (or two!)


→

Step 3 - Know your plan

Open Enrollment is your time to... 

  • review all current benefits and make changes for the new plan year
  • enroll or update your medical, dental, vision, and supplemental coverages
  • enroll in an FSA for next plan year (July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027)
  • update your covered spouse/FIP and/or child(ren)
  • update supplemental coverages including life insurance, Corestream, MASA, etc. 

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Step 4 - Gather your documents

If adding a new dependent not currently covered on your plan, you are required to provide documentation (i.e. marriage certificate, FIP affidavit, birth certificate, etc). Be prepared with digital versions of any documentation before starting your Open Enrollment form. 

Step 5 - Complete your forms

Ready to enroll?

Education & Training

We have both live and on-demand training available for employees to support their decisions during Open Enrollment. Sign up / watch using the myÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å links below or by reviewing our Benefits calendar.

 

TouchCare (live and on-demand)

A note about TouchCare...

Who is TouchCare?
TouchCare is your health care advocate.

What can TouchCare do?
Need personal help deciding on what plan is right for you? ! Schedule a 30-minute consultation with one of their specialists. Contact them today for questions surrounding Open Enrollment, provider searches, billing issues, price transparency, and more.

How to reach TouchCare

On-demand training and resources

 

Ready to enroll?

 

 

Plan Changes

Updates to Premiums

Updates to Premiums

There are changes to the biweekly premiums for medical plans beginning July 1, 2026. There are no changes to the premiums for dental and vision plans.

Premera Health Hub

Premera Health Hub

The Premera Health Hub will be available at no cost to members beginning July 1, 2026. 

The Health Hub puts health at your fingertips by matching your health goals to proven on-line programs. Programs come with the tools you need to be successful, like connected devices, premium apps, and expert advice. The Health Hub will include:

Thyme Care Cancer Support

Thyme Care Cancer Support

Thyme Care Cancer Support will be available at no cost to members dealing with a cancer diagnosis starting July 1, 2026.

When a member is faced with a cancer diagnosis, the path forward can be daunting. To support our members in navigating the healthcare system, accessing care, and improving outcomes, Premera has added Cancer Support in partnership with Thyme Care. Thyme Care is there to help members with:

  • Support for all cancer types
  • Support for both those who received a cancer diagnosis along with their caregivers
  • Talk to experts 24/7

Enhanced Case Management (Wellframe)

Enhanced Case Management (Wellframe)

Enhanced Case Management will be available at no cost to members starting July 1, 2026.

Enhanced Case Management is a mobile health program includes tips for navigating the healthcare system, resources for mental health support, and useful health management tools, such as:

  • Medication management
  • Pain management
  • Physical activity tracker
  • Nutrition guidance
  • And more!

Omada (virtual physical therapy)

Omada (virtual physical therapy)

Omada will sunset on June 30, 2026. Review the Premera Health Hub for virtual physical therapy starting July 1, 2026.

 

Reminders...

Reminders...

On January 1, 2026...

On October 1, 2025...

 

Ready to enroll?

 

 

Medical, Dental, Pharmacy, and Vision Resources and Rates

Medical Plan Resources & Rates

Pharmacy Plan Resources & Rates

  • The pharmacy benefit and rates are built into the medical rates
  • Pharmacy details

Dental Plan Resources & Rates

Vision Plan Resources & Rates

 

 

Ready to enroll?

 

 

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) 

Want to learn more about the difference between FSAs and HSAs?
Review page 23 of the Enrollment Guide | Attend TouchCare's training on FSA vs. HSA on April 21st

 

HSA

Enroll in or update your HSA at any time during the plan year as long as you are otherwise eligible. 

Calendar year contribution limits.

 

 

 

 

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Contribution limits

  • Based on calendar year (January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026)

CY2026 limits

  • $4,400 for an individual
  • $8,750 for a family
  • $1,000 additional catch-up if over 55

Health Care FSA

Required enrollment each year during Open Enrollment. Full amount elected available on day 1.

Plan year contribution limits.

Health Care FSA (HC FSA)

Contribution limits

  • Based on plan year (July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027)

FY2027 limits

  • $3,400 

Dependent Care FSA

Required enrollment each year during Open Enrollment. Account balance increases as biweekly contributions are made.

Calendar year contribution limits.

Dependent Care FSA (DC FSA)

Contribution limits

  • Based on calendar year (January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026)

CY2026 limits

  • $7,500 if married and filing jointly 
  • $3,750 if married and filing separately

Limited Purpose FSA

Required enrollment each year during Open Enrollment. Full amount elected available on day 1. Must be enrolled in a HDHP and contributing to a ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å HSA at the same time to be eligible.

Plan year contribution limits.

Limited Purpose FSA (LP FSA)

Contribution limits

  • Based on plan year (July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027)

FY2027 

  • $3,400 

 

Ready to enroll?

 

 

Supplemental Life & Voluntary Benefits Resources and Rates

Training on these topics can be found in the training section of this webpage.

Supplemental Life Insurance

Supplemental Life Insurance

Supplemental life insurance is available to benefit-eligible employees who wish to purchase additional employee coverage beyond the $100,000 Basic ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å-Paid Life Insurance Policy. Supplemental life plans are also available for both spouses/FIPs and/or children.

Important reminder: Keep your beneficiaries up to date for your life insurance plans. To confirm current beneficiaries, login to your to locate your most recently submitted beneficiary form. To update your beneficiary, complete a new beneficiary designation NextGen form.

Reminders about Basic Life Insurance

  • All benefit-eligible employees are provided with $100,000 of basic life insurance
  • Benefit-eligible employees are automatically covered under this policy as of their first day of employment
  • This is paid by the University 
  • Employees pay the imputed tax on this benefit and more information is on our basic life insurance webpage
  • This plan cannot be changed (increased, reduced, stopped)
  • Additional coverage available via supplemental life insurance

Guaranteed Issue on Supplemental Life Purchases

  • Employees under 65 can enroll in $200,000 without Evidence of Insurability (EOI)
  • Employees over 65 can enroll in $100,000 without EOI
  • Spouse/FIPs under 65 can enroll in $50,000 without EOI
  • Spouse/FIPs over 65 can enroll in $20,000 without EOI
  • All children in the family under 26 are covered by one benefit of $10,000 (no EOI ever required)

Supplemental Life Rates

FY27 Supplemental Life Insurance Rates

Supplemental Life Resources

Enroll in Supplemental Life 

Enroll in the NextGen Open Enrollment Form. Find the link to enroll in Supplemental Life here.

Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D)

 

Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D)

AD&D is available to benefit-eligible employees who wish to purchase coverage for themselves or their family to protect them in the event of an accidental injury or death.

AD&D Rates

  • Employee only $2.64
  • Employee and Family $5.27

AD&D Resources

Enroll in AD&D

Enroll in the NextGen Open Enrollment Form. Find the link to enroll in AD&D here.

Voluntary Benefits - Powered by Corestream

Voluntary Benefits - Powered by Corestream

Corestream provides several benefits along with a deals program.

Hartford Hospital Indemnity Insurance (Corestream)

Protect yourself with (1) Accident, (2) Critical Illness and (3) Hospital Indemnity Insurance with Hartford to  help provide financial support so you can focus on what’s important – getting better! You can enroll in each of these three coverages separately. This includes:

  • a lump sum payment made directly to you
  • ability to use the money to cover deductibles, childcare, daily expenses, or anything else you see fit
  • a group rate savings on coverage for you and your eligible family member

Legalshield Legal Insurance (Corestream)

Having legal insurance can help you be prepared for any legal undertakings. This includes:

  • 24/7 direct access to a dedicated law firm
  • document review and preparation, wills, trusts, traffic matters and more
  • convenient mobile app for easy legal access, document upload and support

Allstate Identity Theft (Corestream)

You don't have to face identity theft alone. With Allstate, you can:

  • enroll yourself and your family in identity theft protection
  • have peace of mind with social, credit and identity monitoring
  • access digital exposure reports
  • and enjoy full service, U.S.-based remediation support

ASPCA Pet Insurance (Corestream)

(not available thru payroll deduction)
Protect your pet and your wallet with affordable pet health insurance. This includes:

  • a choice of reimbursement options and customizable plans
  • coverage for accidents, illnesses, preventative care and more
  • the ability to see any licensed vet, specialist, or emergency clinic you want

Corestream deals 

Discover great deals on everything from cars and computers to theme parks and hotels. This includes hundreds of discounts for local and national retailers with new deals added every month. Review Corestream deals on our webpage.

Corestream Rates

Rates vary depending on the product you are enrolling in.

Corestream Resources

Want to learn more about Corestream? Review page 32 of the Enrollment Guide.

Enroll in Corestream

Enroll in these benefits by going to ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å's Benefit Enhancement Program website. These benefits cannot be enrolled in through the NextGen Open Enrollment form. Find the link to enroll in Corestream here.

Air & Ground Emergency Transportation - MASA

Air & Ground Emergency Transportation - MASA

MASA protects families against uncovered costs for emergency transportation. With MASA, there is no "out-of-network" ambulance. Just sent them the bill and they will work to ensure charges are covered and even pay you an indemnity benefit. ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å employees have exclusive access to a special bundled plan: Emergent Plus bundled with Indemnity Plus. 

MASA Rates*

  • $24.75 per month employee only
  • $37.50 per month family

*This benefit is not currently available through payroll deduction. You will need to set up payment with MASA through Paylogix. To enroll in this benefit, log into ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å's MASA Program website (Paylogix) with your SSO. This site will be active from March 31st - April 21, 2026.

Enroll in MASA

Enroll in these benefits by going to ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å's MASA Program website (Paylogix). These benefits cannot be enrolled in through the NextGen Open Enrollment form. Find the link to enroll in MASA here.

 

 

Ready to enroll?

 

 

Our Benefit Vendors

 

Use the arrows to scroll through our vendors and their contact information.

 

 

 

Ready to enroll?

 

 

Additional Helpful Resources

 

Definitions


AD&D allows you to cover yourself or your family and provides financial protection in the event of an accident.


Basic Life Insurance is automatically provided to all benefit eligible employees. There is no need to enroll or request this coverage. This provides financial protection to your beneficiary in the event of your death. This is now a taxable benefit to ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å employees.
Financially Interdependent Partner (FIP)
A FIP is a non-married domestic partner. Certain requirements are needed to designate someone as your FIP. FIPs are treated as spouses in our plan. FIP deductions for health care will come out post-tax. A is required.

There are three types of FSAs - (1) health care, (2) dependent care and (3) limited purpose paired with a Health Savings Account (HSA). Each of these accounts allow you to set aside pre-tax dollars for medical expenses (health care), daycare expenses (dependent care), and dental and vision expenses (limited purpose with qualifying HSA). These accounts are use-it-or-lose-it.

HSA are meant to be additional savings accounts for qualified medical expenses. The HSA is only available on qualifying health care plans. At ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å, our qualifying plan is our HDHP. If you are not sure if you are on a plan that is eligible for the HSA, please reach out to .
Life Event
A life event includes marriage, divorce, birth, adoption, gain or loss of other coverage, gain or loss of employment, etc. These life events allow you to change your health care plan within 30 days after the life event date. This is the only time you are able to make changes to your health care outside of Open Enrollment. More information on life events can be found on our .

LTD is automatically provided to all benefit eligible employees. There is no need to enroll or request this coverage. This benefit helps provide financial protection to ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å employees should they experience an illness or disability that prevents them from earning an income for 90+ days. 
Open Enrollment
Open enrollment occurs each spring. This is the only time you can make any changes to your health care unless you experience a life event. All changes made during Open Enrollment will be active on the following July 1. This year's Open Enrollment is from March 31st - April 21st, 2026.
Short-term Disability (STD)
STD is provided automatically to all benefit eligible employees. There is no need to enroll or request this coverage. This benefit helps provide financial protection to ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å employees should they experience an illness or disability that prevents them from earning an income for 14+ days. 

This coverage allows you to enroll yourself, your spouse, and/or your child(ren). Life Insurance provides financial protection in the event of an unexpected death of a family member.

NextGen Open Enrollment Form Tips & Tricks

Logic Driven
The NextGen Open Enrollment form is logic driven. You will be shown pages/information based on your answers. This means you may see different pages and/or messages than another employee.

Save your progress
You can save your progress and continue your form later. To do so, log in to the NextGen Dashboard with your SSO. Once you log in, click on "my forms" in the upper right followed by "pending and draft forms."

Read carefully
Be sure to set aside some dedicated time to work through the form leave enough time to ask questions in order to submit by the 5pm deadline on April 21st, 2026.

Questions
If you have questions on the NextGen form or run into technical difficulties, please email ua-benefits@alaska.edu or call us at (907) 450-8242.

 

Ready to enroll?

 

 

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question that does not appear here, please email us at ua-benefits@alaska.edu.

That depends.

Forms are required for the following groups:

  1. Any employee who needs to make an update to their plans or dependents as of July 1
  2. Any employee who wants to have any of the three Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) after June 30.

If you are not a member of one of the three groups above, you do not need to complete a form.

No changes
If you do not submit a form, there will be no changes to your current coverage(s) and/or dependents (spouse, FIP, or children) as long as the dependents enrolled are still qualified dependents.

No FSA
You will not have any  Flexible Spending Account (FSA) after June 30 - even if you are currently enrolled in one of the FSA plans.

Review Current Coverages
If you need to review your current coverage(s), please review . 

ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å Benefits will automatically update Supplemental Life Insurance age brackets should an employee and/or spouse age into the next bracket on July 1.

TouchCare is your health care advocate. They will assist with any questions you have on our plans, help you decide which plan works best for you and your family, and will help break down the differences between the options. .

Additionally, TouchCare will assist at any time if you have questions on the bills you have received, locating a provider, price-shopping for certain services (i.e. an x-ray) and more.

No. Your coverage will remain as it is and currently enrolled members will remain enrolled (as long as they remain eligible for the plan).

No.  Your coverage will remain waived unless you actively opt into a plan during Open Enrollment or within 30 days of a Life Event.

Generally, no. However, there are some specific circumstances to take into consideration.

Wanting a different coverage beginning July 1
You do not need to do an Open Enrollment form unless you are electing one coverage now on your new employee election form and want a separate new coverage beginning July 1 (i.e. enrolling in Copay medical from your start date until June 30 and then wanting to switch to Premium medical on July 1).

If no Open Enrollment form is submitted
If no Open Enrollment form is submitted, then the coverage you elect as a new employee will continue automatically into the next plan year that starts on July 1 (except for FSAs). 

FSAs
New employees electing an FSA with their new employee form only will have access to the FSA between their coverage start date and June 30 - unless an active election is made for the FY27 plan year via the new employee form or the Open Enrollment form.

30 days to submit new employee form
As a reminder, all new employees must submit a new employee form electing their coverage. More information can be found on our new employee webpage.

If you have questions, please reach out to ua-benefits@alaska.edu or call us at (907) 450-8242.

Temporary employees are eligible for certain benefits and have their own Open Enrollment process in April and October of each year. Temporary employees do not participate in this Open Enrollment. 
Any changes made during Open Enrollment will be effective on the following July 1. 
Our plan year runs from July 1 through June 30 each year.

All employees are on a 26 pay period (12 month) deduction schedule regardless of contract length.

Employees who experience leave without pay, enter an off-contract status, or do not generate enough pay to cover their deductions, will accrue arrears for missed deductions.

40% Arrears
Arrears will generate for the following benefits and will be repaid at 40% of the current biweekly deduction. This means employees with arrears will pay their regular biweekly deduction  and pay an additional 40% of that same biweekly deduction. This creates a 140% deduction and will continue until the arrears balance is paid off. When the balance is paid, the deduction will return to the regular biweekly deduction (100%). 

  1. Medical
  2. Dental
  3. Vision
  4. Supplemental Life (employee, spouse/FIP, and child(ren))
  5. Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D)

100% Arrears
Arrears will generate for the following benefits and will be repaid at 100% of the current biweekly deduction. This means employees with arrears will pay their regular biweekly deduction  and pay an additional 100% of that same biweekly deduction. This creates a 200% deduction and will continue until the arrears balance is paid off. When the balance is paid, the deduction will return to the regular biweekly deduction (100%). 

  1. Flexible Spending Account (FSA) - health care
  2. FSA - limited purpose
  3. Voluntary benefits elected through Corestream

Deductions with No Arrears
Arrears will not generate for the following:

  1. FSA - dependent care
  2. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
  3. Pet insurance through Corestream (self-billed through ASPCA)
  4. MASA benefits (self-billed through Paylogix)

A dependent is anyone other than the employee that is covered on your plan. This can include a spouse, Financially Interdependent Partner (FIP), or dependent child under the age of 26. 

If you are enrolling a dependent who is not currently enrolled, you are required to provide the backup documentation to prove the relationship. If the dependent is currently enrolled at the time you submit your form, you do not need to provide backup documentation again. 

You will need to reach out to Benefits at ua-benefits@alaska.edu or call us at (907) 450-8242. Open Enrollment forms can only be submitted once. The benefits team can review and work with you on re-submitting.  

 

Ready to enroll?

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