Annual Enrollment 2026

What’s New For 2026

Annual Enrollment is your chance to choose your benefits for the 2026 calendar year. Please see highlights below of what will change in 2026.

• Verify Your Covered Dependents: Action Required! Log in to Workday to make your benefit elections. If you’re currently covering dependents, you must complete your enrollment and confirm their continued eligibility for 2026. Otherwise, they will be removed from coverage effective January 1, 2026, and your coverage level will be changed to ‘Employee Only’ coverage. (No supporting documentation is required for existing dependents.)
• Hinge Health: Get personalized support for joint and muscle pain through a digital musculoskeletal (MSK) care program led by licensed physical therapists. Available at no additional cost to individuals enrolled in either medical plan. Obtain more information in January by logging into your BCBSIL.com account.
• Maven Fertility and Family Building Support: Virtual support is available to guide you through every step of your family-building journey—whether you’re trying to conceive, exploring fertility treatments like IUI, IVF, or egg freezing, or navigating your options. It is available at no additional cost to individuals enrolled in either medical plan.
• Virtual Visits: The IRS has restored the ability to provide virtual visits at 100% coverage under both medical plans. That means you will pay nothing out of your pocket when you use MDLive, and in some instances, your own in-network providers. Use virtual visits for non-emergency medical concerns, behavioral health support, and more!
• Medical and Dental Premiums:
  • Medical inflation is averaging between 7% and 10% this year, and the CF medical plan has experienced its largest cost increase in the past five years. As a result, medical premiums will increase by 4%.
  • Dental claims are also higher, resulting in a 5% rise in dental premiums.  However, there will be no change to your vision premiums.
• Medical Plan: Deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums will increase for both the Advantage and Standard PPO. You will receive new medical ID cards reflecting new deductible and out-of-pocket maximums.
• Health Savings Account (HSA): IRS annual maximum contribution limits are increasing to:
  • Individual: $4,400 ($100 increase)
  • Family: $8,750 ($200 increase)

  The HSA is available to those enrolled in the Advantage PPO with HSA medical plan and you MUST enroll in the HSA to receive the company contribution of $250 employee only / $500 family, which is funded in January. You do not need to contribute to qualify for the company contribution.

• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Limits:
  • Health Care and Limited Purpose Health Care FSAs: The 2026 Health Care Flexible Spending Account annual contribution limit is $3,400 and the maximum carry-over amount is $680 (amount you can carry over into 2027).  These limits apply to the general Health Care FSA and the Limited Purpose Health Care FSA.
  •  Dependent Care FSA: Limit will increase from $5,000 to $7,500.

• Spouse Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance: Coverage amounts after age 65 will be reduced by 35%. There is no longer a limit for voluntary AD&D coverage.
• 401(k)
  • You can contribute up to 75% of your eligible earnings on a combined pre-tax, after-tax or Roth basis.  The projected contribution limit for 2026 is up to $24,500 in pre-tax and/or Roth contributions.  If you are age 50 or older, the projected annual catch-up contribution is $8,000.
  • Catch-up Contributions: Beginning January 1, 2026, under the SECURE 2.0 legislation, employees aged 50 and older who earned more than $145,000 in FICA wages during 2025 will be required to make their 401(k) catch-up contributions as Roth (after-tax) contributions, rather than traditional pre-tax contributions.

Review your benefits and take action during Annual Enrollment:

• Add or drop dependents and review dependents you are currently covering. At the end of the enrollment process, be sure to check the box to confirm your covered dependents remain eligible for coverage in 2026. If you do not complete this step, your dependents will be dropped from coverage in 2026. If you are adding new dependents, supporting documentation is required.
• Enroll in or change your current medical, dental or vision elections for 2026. This includes adding or dropping dependents. If you are adding new dependents, supporting documentation is required.
• Contribute to the Health Care, Limited Purpose Health Care or Dependent Care Flexible Spending. Your 2025 election amounts will not carry forward to 2026.
• Elect to contribute to the Health Savings Account (HSA) for 2026, if eligible. Your 2025 election amount will not carry forward to 2026. Also, you MUST enroll in the HSA to receive the employer contribution of $250 for employee-only coverage or $500 for family coverage.
• Evaluate your life insurance needs and decide if you want to change your coverage. During this Annual Enrollment you can enroll in or increase your and your spouse’s voluntary life. If you add or increase your voluntary employee or spouse life coverage, evidence of insurability (EOI) is required.

Annual Enrollment is your yearly opportunity to enroll in benefits for 2026, make changes to your current elections or add/drop dependents. These choices are effective January 1 through December 31, 2026. Annual Enrollment is the only time you can enroll in or make changes to your benefits, unless you experience a qualifying life event, such as marriage or birth of a child.