Administered by Blue Shield of California (medical) and Navitus (pharmacy); supported by Accolade Health Care Advocate
HealthSavings+ is a new PPO plan for 2026 that is compatible with a tax-advantaged Health Savings Account (HSA). If you were a CORE or UC Health Savings Plan member and did not choose another plan for 2026 during Open Enrollment, you and your currently enrolled family members were automatically enrolled in HealthSavings+ if you’re eligible.
Please note: If you are a retiree and your household includes both Medicare and non-Medicare members, HealthSavings+ is not available to you. If you did not make any medical plan changes during Open Enrollment, the non-Medicare members are enrolled in UC Care, and Medicare members remain enrolled in the Medicare PPO plan.
How the plan works
Accolade helps you navigate your medical plan and is your first stop for questions about your benefits. You can reach Accolade at (866) 406-1182 (Monday–Friday, 5 a.m.–8 p.m. PT). Find all your plan details on the UC Faculty and Staff PPO plans website.
If you are an employee, your pretax contributions to the HSA are taken from your paycheck, lowering your tax bill. You may contact HealthEquity to arrange an alternative method of payment. For 2026, the IRS limits HSA contributions to $4,400 for individual coverage and $8,750 for family coverage. People age 55 and over can make an additional “catch-up” contribution of $1,000.
If you are a retiree, you can make post-tax HSA contributions only. Contact HealthEquity to arrange contributions.
Covered dependents under HealthSavings+ should contact HealthEquity if they want to establish their own HSA. See IRS Publication 969 on the requirements to be eligible and qualify for an HSA contribution.
UC contributes up to $750 per year for individual coverage and up to $1,500 for family coverage.
You may choose any doctor or care facility worldwide. You pay less for care within the Anthem Preferred network.
Please note: When HealthEquity establishes the HSA, it is required by law to verify the identity of participants. To comply with this requirement, UC will provide information including your full legal name, residential address in the U.S., date of birth and social security number or other government-issued identification number.
The IRS and UC have rules in place that limit who can enroll in this plan. This quiz can help you determine if you’re eligible and if HealthSavings+ is right for you.
You are not eligible to enroll in HealthSavings+ if you:
Are already enrolled in Medicare.
Are a retiree who was not enrolled in HealthSavings+ while you were employed by UC. Please note: If you or a covered family member ages into Medicare while enrolled in HealthSavings+, you’ll have a Period of Initial Eligibility to enroll in another medical plan.
Are covering a family member who is enrolled in Medicare.
Plan to enroll in UC’s Health Flexible Spending Account (FSA). IRS rules limit the use of both accounts simultaneously.
Best fit for you if:
You want direct access to most providers without the need for referrals
You want federal tax-free savings for current and future health care costs
You are able to risk incurring greater out-of-pocket costs
You want to build retirement savings for future health care costs for you and your eligible family members
You and/or your family members live outside California
When considering your medical plan costs, consider both your monthly premium and the costs of care. ALEX will ask you a few questions to help you estimate how much you may need to spend.
$2,500 deductible ($5,000 for more than one person)
30% coinsurance for office visits and hospital stays
$6,700 out-of-pocket maximum ($13,400 for more than one person).
Out-of-network care:
$4,000 deductible ($8,000 for more than one person)
50% coinsurance for office visits and hospital stays; please note that members pay 50% of the allowed amount for services, plus any billed charges that exceed the allowed amount
$8,000 out-of-pocket maximum ($16,000 for more than one person)
