Open Enrollment 2027
Open Enrollment is your annual opportunity to review your benefits and make changes for the coming year.
Whether you're enrolling for the first time or updating your current coverage, take time to explore your options and choose the benefits that best support you and your family.
Before you enroll, review the 2027 What's New and Changing Guide. This guide includes:
- Important deadlines
- Plan updates
- Enrollment reminders
- Benefit highlights
- Enrollment checklists
- Step-by-step instructions
Open Enrollment runs from November 2 through November 16, 2026. Elections made during Open Enrollment become effective January 1, 2027.
2027 What's New and Changing Guide
Review the guide for key deadlines, enrollment reminders, benefit updates, and enrollment checklists.
Nov. 2
Eligible employees can begin making benefit elections in Employee Self-Service.
Nov. 16
All benefit elections must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. CT.
Jan. 1
New benefit elections, premiums, and plan changes begin.
Review Your Benefits
- Read the 2027 What's New and Changing Guide (pdf)
- Review your current benefit elections.
- Compare health plan options.
- Review coverage levels and costs.
- Update dependent and beneficiary information.
- Make changes to your benefit elections, if needed.
- Submit your enrollment by 5 p.m. CT on November 16, 2026.
Important
Flexible Spending Accounts
FSA elections do not automatically carry over from year to year.
To participate in a Health Care FSA or Dependent Care FSA in 2027, you must make a new election during Open Enrollment.
Waiving Health Insurance
Employees who waive health insurance must complete their Open Enrollment event and answer the required coverage question to receive the maximum Shared Savings Credits available for 2027.
Employees who do not complete the Open Enrollment process may receive reduced credits.
You Ask. We Answer.
Send your question to the University Benefits Office and receive assistance from a Benefits Specialist.
Health Insurance
- Health plan premiums will increase.
- Pharmacy out-of-pocket maximums will increase.
- UIChoice Level 3 preventive care services will have a 10% coinsurance cost share.
Dental Insurance
- Dental premiums will increase.
- A cost share will now apply to periodontal maintenance therapy services:
- 10% coinsurance for PPO providers
- 20% coinsurance for Premier and non-participating providers
Flexible Spending Accounts
- Health Care FSA contribution limit increases to $3,400
- Dependent Care FSA contribution limit remains $7,500
- Must enroll every year during Open Enrollment. 2026 contribution elections will not carry forward to 2027.
Short-Term Disability
During Open Enrollment, employees may:
- Enroll in or change Short-Term Disability coverage.
- Do so without submitting a Statement of Health
This is a one-time opportunity to enroll or make changes without submitting a statement of health.
2027 Flexible Spending Accounts
Flexible Spending Accounts allow you to pay eligible expenses with pre-tax dollars.
$ 3,400
The Health Care FSA contribution limit increases to $3,400 in 2027.
Use pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible medical, dental, and vision expenses.
$ 7,500
The Dependent Care FSA contribution limit will remain at $7,500 in 2027.
Use pre-tax dollars to help pay eligible child care and dependent care expenses.
MetLife Short-Term Disability
One-Time Enrollment Opportunity for 2027
Short-Term Disability insurance helps protect your income when you are unable to work because of a covered non-work-related illness, injury, or pregnancy.
Key Features
- Replaces up to 60% of eligible earnings
- Benefits begin after:
- 0 days for covered accidents
- 7 days for covered illnesses
- Benefits may continue for up to 13 weeks
- Benefit payments are tax-free
- Choose a monthly benefit amount in $100 increments, from $400 to $5,000 per month, up to 60% of your pre-disability earnings
If you missed the original enrollment period in April, you have another opportunity to enroll in or make changes to your short-term disability coverage during Open Enrollment without submitting a Statement of Health. This special enrollment opportunity is available only during the 2027 Open Enrollment period.
Not sure if Short-Term Disability coverage is right for you? Visit the Short-Term Disability webpage to explore common scenarios, understand how benefits work, review coverage options, and learn how the plan may help protect your income during a covered illness, injury, or pregnancy.
Compare Health Plans
Health plan premiums and pharmacy out-of-pocket maximums are increasing in 2027.
Review available plans and compare costs, coverage levels, and provider access before making your elections.
Reached a Milestone Birthday?
Voluntary Term Life insurance rates increase at ages 40, 50, and 60.
If you reached one of these milestone ages during the year, review your current coverage to ensure it still meets your needs.
Waiving Health Insurance
Employees who waive health insurance for 2027 must complete their Open Enrollment event and answer the required minimum value coverage question.
Employees who do not complete this step may receive reduced Shared Savings Credits.
Consider an FSA
As health care expenses continue to rise, an FSA can help you save money by allowing you to pay eligible expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Consider whether a Health Care FSA or Dependent Care FSA could help reduce your out-of-pocket costs in 2027.
Plan Documents and Forms
What's New and Changing for 2027 Guide (pdf)
- 2027 Open Enrollment Guide - in English (pdf)
- 2027 Open Enrollment Guide - in Spanish (pdf)
- 2027 Open Enrollment Guide - in French (pdf)
- 2027 Open Enrollment Guide - Text Only Version (pdf) - coming soon
2027 Health Plan Comparison (pdf)
Printable Versions
- Health Plan Comparison - in English (pdf)
- Health Plan Comparison - in Spanish (pdf) - coming soon
- Health Plan Comparison - in French (pdf)- coming soon
Prefer to view it online? Visit the UISelect and UIChoice Plan Comparison webpage.
2027 Health Summary of Benefits and Coverage (pdf)
- UISelect Active Employee Blue HMO SBC (pdf) - coming soon
- UIChoice Active Employee Blue POS SBC (pdf) - coming soon
2027 Dental Plan Documents
- Dental II Benefit Summary (pdf) - coming soon
- Summary Plan Description (pdf) - coming soon
Review Your Personal Information
Open enrollment is a good time to review the information on file in Employee Self-Service.
- Beneficiaries
Update beneficiary information as needed. Remember to make the same updates within your mandatory retirement account. - Home Address
Confirm your current mailing address under My Self-Service -> Personal Information. - Health Info Release Form
Review and update the individuals authorized to discuss your benefits and payroll information on your behalf as found under My Self-Service -> Personal Information.
How To Enroll Video
Frequently Asked Questions
My dependent turned 26 this year. What do I need to do?
If your dependent child is not a full-time student and does not qualify as disabled under plan eligibility rules, they are no longer eligible for coverage under your University benefit plans. You must remove them from coverage during the 2027 Open Enrollment period.
What you need to do
Complete your 2027 benefits enrollment and review each benefit election carefully.
- Log in to the benefits enrollment system.
- Review each benefit in which your dependent is currently enrolled:
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Dependent life insurance
- Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D)
- Remove your dependent from each applicable benefit by unchecking the box next to their name.
- Select the blue "Recalculate" button to update your elections.
- Submit your enrollment before the Open Enrollment deadline.
Important
Your dependent child may remain designated as a beneficiary for your life insurance benefits, even if they are no longer eligible for coverage as a dependent.
If your dependent loses eligibility for coverage, we will mail a COBRA continuation coverage offer to them in January 2027. COBRA may allow them to continue coverage independently for a period of time.
I don't need to make any changes. Do I need to do anything?
If you are not planning to make changes to your benefits, most of your current elections will automatically carry forward to 2027. The main exception is Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), which require annual enrollment.
Even if you are not making changes, we encourage you to review your benefits during Open Enrollment to make sure your elections still meet your needs and to be aware of your costs for 2027.
Things to review
- Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
- FSA elections do not automatically continue from year to year.
- If you want to participate in an FSA in 2027, you must enroll during Open Enrollment unless eligible benefit credits are automatically deposited to your account.
- Waived health insurance coverage
- If you waive University health insurance, you must complete the minimum value coverage attestation each year during Open Enrollment.
- If you do not complete and submit this attestation, the amount of University benefit credits you receive will be limited to $500 for the calendar year.
- Personal information
- Review your dependents and beneficiary designations to make sure they are current.
- Plan changes and new opportunities
- Review any changes to benefit plans, premiums, or coverage for 2027.
- Consider whether changes in your personal circumstances may affect your benefit needs.
- Life insurance
- If you reached an age-based rate change this year, your life insurance premiums may increase.
- You may want to compare available life insurance options to determine which coverage best meets your needs.
Final step
If you review your benefits and determine no updates are needed, no further action is required.
I will be having a baby after open enrollment. Do I need to add my baby now?
No. You must wait until after your baby is born to add them to benefits. However, you should still complete your open enrollment event even if you will have a qualifying event between open enrollment and January 1.
What happens after your baby is born?
The birth of a child is a qualifying life event that allows you to update your benefits outside of Open Enrollment.
What you need to do
- Once your child is born, submit a benefits change request through Employee Self-Service within 60 days of the birth.
- After your request is approved, a Family Status Change enrollment event will be available in Employee Self-Service.
- Use this Family Status Change enrollment event to add your child and any other eligible dependents to your benefits coverage.
Coverage effective date
Coverage for your child and any other eligible dependents you may have added will be effective on the first day of the month in which the birth occurred.
Example: If your child is born on December 16, coverage will be effective December 1. This allows eligible medical expenses for both the parent and child to be covered under the plan's provisions.
Important
Be sure to submit your benefits change request within 60 days of the birth. Requests submitted after the deadline may be denied unless another qualifying life event occurs.
For more information about benefits change requests, including eligibility requirements and step-by-step instructions, visit the Change Your Benefits webpage.
My spouse was listed only as a beneficiary, but I want to add them as a covered dependent. Why can't I update their information?
If your spouse was previously entered into the system only as a beneficiary, you may not be able to update or add them as a dependent yourself during enrollment.
To add your spouse as a dependent, contact the Benefits Office at benefits@uiowa.edu.
Be sure to include:
- Your spouse's name
- The date of your marriage
- A request to update your spouse's record from beneficiary status to dependent status
Once we receive your request, the Benefits Office will manually update the record so you can enroll your spouse in eligible benefits.
Voluntary Vision Insurance Enrollment
World Insurance Associates administers enrollment, which runs Jan. 1 - Feb. 28, 2027, with an effective date of April 1.
University Benefits will share additional details once the enrollment period begins.
Benefits Account Overview Explained
The Account Overview shows how your benefit choices affect your paycheck. It summarizes your credits, costs, and any additional deductions.
General Monthly Credit: You receive a monthly credit of $90 from the University to help offset your benefit costs. This amount may change based on what you select.
Total Credits: This is the total amount of credits you are receiving in a month to use toward pre-tax benefit costs - your general credit plus any additional shared savings credits you receive from your benefit selections.
Benefit Costs (Excluding spending accounts): This shows the cost of the benefits you have chosen, before and after tax, with the total of both added together in the last column of the chart. This does not include your spending account allocations, if applicable.
Spending Account Allocations: If you elected to contribute to a Flexible Spending Account, this section shows how much you’ve allocated.
Additional Deduction: This is the amount that will be deducted from your paycheck after applying credits to your elections, if applicable.
Columns
Before Tax: Amount deducted before taxes (reduces your taxable income) - This includes your credits, health, dental, group life, voluntary life, AD&D, and FSA contributions.
After Tax: Amount deducted after taxes - this includes spouse/dependent life and/or any other voluntary benefit you may enroll in.
Total: Combined amount for each category.
What is the biggest difference between UISelect and UIChoice?
The main differences are monthly premiums, out-of-pocket costs, and provider access.
UISelect
- Lower monthly premiums
- Higher deductibles and cost-sharing when you receive care
- Coverage primarily through Iowa providers
- Employees must live in Iowa to enroll
UIChoice
- Higher monthly premiums
- Lower deductibles and cost-sharing when you receive care
- Nationwide provider access
Employees comparing the plans may want to consider whether they prefer lower paycheck deductions or broader provider access and lower costs when receiving care.
Disclaimer
Our website's information describes only the highlights of the plans and does not constitute official plan documents. Additional terms and conditions may apply. If there are any discrepancies between the information contained herein and the official plan documents, the plan documents will govern. For more detailed information regarding any benefit plan, please refer to the applicable plan documents or contact the appropriate benefit vendor or plan administrator using the contact information provided in your enrollment materials or member communications.