Open Enrollment: Important medical plan changes for 2026 

Open Enrollment is here, running from 8 a.m. on Oct. 30 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. 

Unfortunately, health care costs are continuing to rise nationwide, and that means your costs at UC may also increase. While disappointing, this is something leaders at UC have monitored and prepared for. To help manage costs, UC will continue to contribute at least 70% of the overall costs of retiree medical premiums and UC Health is absorbing some of their increasing costs instead of passing them along to members. There will also be some big changes: 

• Premiums for some retirees will decrease, and premiums for others will increase significantly. 
• HealthSavings+ is replacing CORE and UC Health Savings Plan. 
• Blue Shield of California will be the new administrator of UC Care and HealthSavings+. 

With so many big changes, it’s important to consider your new choices carefully. There are plenty of resources to help: 

• Your mailed Open Enrollment packet explains medical plan choices, changes and costs. 
• UC’s Open Enrollment website (ucal.us/oe) gives you easy access to details and resources. Visit UC Retirement At Your Service (UCRAYS) to make your changes. 
• Campus Health Care Facilitators (HCFs) will hold information sessions for retirees.

Read answers to frequently asked questions to learn more. 

Open Enrollment for retirees: Frequently asked questions 

1. I’m happy with my current retiree health coverage from UC and I don’t want to make any changes. Do I need to do anything? 

That depends. If you don’t act and you’re enrolled in a UC Medicare plan, your current coverage will continue but your medical plan premiums will change. Premium costs are increasing significantly for some Medicare plans. 

If you don’t act and you or your family members are enrolled in CORE or UC Health Savings Plan, you’ll be enrolled in HealthSavings+ if you’re eligible. If a family member is in Medicare, you’ll be enrolled in UC Care. Review your Open Enrollment packet and visit ucal.us/oe to learn about changes to your plan and costs to make sure you have the right coverage for you. 

2. What’s changing for UC’s Medicare plans this year? 

Anthem will remain the administrator of UC’s Medicare Supplement plans. Blue Shield of California will replace Anthem as the administrator of UC’s non-Medicare PPO plans. 

Premiums are increasing significantly for UC Medicare Choice PPO. UC Medicare Choice and Kaiser Senior Advantage plans will have some higher out-of-pocket costs, including for emergency room visits and hospital stays. 

3. What’s changing for UC’s non-Medicare plans this year? 

HealthSavings+ will replace CORE and UC Health Savings Plan, offering a lower premium and a Health Savings Account with a higher UC contribution — up to $750 annually for single coverage. CORE and UC Health Savings Plan members: You’ll be enrolled in HealthSavings+ unless you choose another plan or you’re in a split Medicare family. If a family member is in Medicare, you’ll be enrolled in UC Care. 

UC non-Medicare plans will continue to cover medications such as GLP-1s for medical needs such as diabetes. Coverage for weight loss will be limited to individuals with a BMI above 40. 

4. What’s changing for UC’s non-medical plans this year? 

UC continues to cover 100% of dental premiums for retirees eligible for the full contribution, and to offer vision, legal and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) coverage for eligible retirees. 

For retirees who do pay part of the premium, dental coverage costs are increasing by 2.5% for the DeltaCare HMO plan and by 2.1% for the PPO plan. In the Dental PPO, out-of-network coverage for select services is increasing from 75% to 80% of allowed amounts. 

There are no changes to vision, legal or AD&D benefits. Vision premiums are increasing by 2% and AD&D premiums are increasing by 10%. 

5. My dentist has left Delta Dental. Have you considered alternatives to Delta Dental? 

We heard from many retirees that their providers are leaving the Delta Dental network. UC conducted a thorough review to determine if another administrator would better serve the UC community. Our review found that Delta does remain our best choice — changing administrators would put over 80,000 of our members’ providers out of network. Instead, UC is expanding coverage for out-of-network providers to make it easier for members to see the dentist of their choice. 

6. I want to change plans this year. What do I need to do? 

You have until Friday, Nov. 21, at 5 p.m. to make changes to your benefits through your UCRAYS (retirementatyourservice.ucop.edu) account. If you’re changing from one Medicare plan to another, there’s another important step — completing your Medicare assignment form for the new medical plan. You’ll receive the form with the confirmation statement sent to your UCRAYS account (if you have one) or mailed to your home (if you don’t have a UCRAYS account). The form is due to UC by Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, and your enrollment is not complete until you’ve submitted it. 

7. I’m not eligible for UC’s full contribution to my retiree medical and dental premiums. How do I know how much I’ll pay in 2026? 

If you are not eligible for the full UC contribution to your premium (referred to as “graduated eligibility”), your costs will be higher than those listed in your Open Enrollment booklet and online. To find your actual 2026 premium costs, log in to your UC Retirement At Your Service (UCRAYS) account or check out the Retiree Health Premium Estimator.

8. I’m considering changing plans this year. How can I figure out which medical plan to choose? 

UC offers a range of medical plans, so it’s a good idea to consider all your options. Plans have different rules, provider networks and costs for care and prescription drugs, so do your homework and consider attending an information session at your location. 

Visit the Open Enrollment website for resources to help you compare your options.