Open Enrollment period kicks off with some important enhancements
Effective July 1, 2025, Penn introduces a new wellness partner, Penn Benefit Extras, and a prescription drug formulary. You must take action to secure your Flexible Spending Accounts.
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Penn’s 2025-26 Open Enrollment period opens April 21 and runs through May 9, for the July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, plan year. This is the time for faculty, staff, and postdocs to examine their current benefit elections and make any necessary changes to ensure they have the best selections for themselves and their family.
Open Enrollment will be three weeks this year to give employees additional time to make some important selections.
Sue Sproat, executive director of benefits in Penn’s Division of Human Resources, says there are many exciting changes happening in the upcoming plan year.
“New offerings include a wellness platform partner, WebMD, a prescription formulary, and a voluntary benefits program that now features pet insurance. We encourage everyone to take the time to understand these changes and select the options that best meet their needs and those of their families,” she says.
Vice President of Human Resources Felicia A. Washington says one of the most important changes in benefits enrollment for the upcoming plan year involves affirmatively selecting the amount you would like to contribute to Penn’s Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). Even if you are currently participating in the Health Care FSA or the Dependent Care FSA, prior year’s elections will not roll forward. If employees do not take action to elect FSAs for the upcoming plan year, they will waive the benefit, similar to the waiver of other benefits that are not elected.
Washington says, “I also encourage you to attend the on-campus Benefits Enrollment Fair. It’s a great opportunity to speak directly with Penn HR staff and representatives from our health care providers and wellness partners.”
Sproat urges everyone to pay careful attention to the actions necessary during Open Enrollment.
“It is absolutely imperative that our employees review their account and affirmatively select to re-enroll,” says Sproat.
If you do not re-elect the coverage for the upcoming plan year, you will be defaulted with a $0 annual goal amount, and you will not be able to enroll in the plan until the next Open Enrollment period unless you have a qualifying life event.
To review your account balance and the claims you have submitted for the current year you can go to Health Equity.
The voluntary benefits program called Penn Benefit Extras is administered by Corestream. The benefits include critical illness, accident insurance, hospital indemnity insurance, pet health care options, and identity theft protection. When you purchase one of the plans, and experience an accident, illness, or hospitalization, the plan will pay a lump sum to assist with out-of-pocket costs. You can choose multiple products and have just one payroll deduction.
You must choose critical illness, accident insurance, and hospital indemnity insurance during Open Enrollment, but you can sign up for pet health care options and identity theft protection anytime throughout the year.
The prescription drug plan administered by CVS/Caremark for all medical plans, will provide a preferred formulary to help manage costs and keep coverage affordable. A preferred formulary is an updated list of generic, brand, and specialty medications, covered by your prescription plan. For details on how the formulary works, visit the Open Enrollment webpage.
Also, Penn and Be in the Know will welcome WebMD as its new wellness platform partner in the new plan year. WebMD brings wellness brand recognition and an easy-to-use platform and mobile app, plus an abundance of learning content in various formats and health-enhancing tools like Daily Habits, challenges, coaching, and more. Continue to enjoy Penn’s current platform partner, Personify Health (formerly Virgin Pulse) and their programs, through June 30, 2025, earning you points for Be in the Know 2024-2025, and be sure to spend all earned Rewards Cash by June 30, 2025.
For complete details about all of the upcoming plan changes, visit the Open Enrollment webpage.
The Open Enrollment Benefits Fair will be held on campus on Tuesday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall. A benefits fair will also be held at New Bolton Center on April 21, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Alumni Hall. A series of virtual and on-campus Open Enrollment presentations will also take place. For dates and registration links, visit the Open Enrollment webpage. If you cannot make any of the sessions, you can also learn about the upcoming plan changes by reviewing the Open Enrollment Benefits Presentation.
If you have questions or need assistance during Open Enrollment, please contact Health Advocate at answers@HealthAdvocate.com or call 1-866-799-2329, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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