Sewanee Benefits

Open Enrollment

This is your opportunity to review your benefits, make changes, and add or remove eligible family members. Any changes you make during this Open Enrollment period will be effective July 1, 2026 and remain in place through June 30, 2027 unless you experience a qualified status change.

What you need to know

Your benefit elections will run from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. This is the plan year for the benefits you choose during Open Enrollment.

Your medical and pharmacy deductible and out-of-pocket maximum will still reset on January 1. Your elections change on July 1, but your deductible and out-of-pocket maximum do not reset until January 1.

Open Enrollment is passive, but please review your information. If you want to keep your current benefits, you do not have to make changes. However, we ask that you still log in to Employee Navigator to review your elections, confirm your dependents, and check your beneficiaries.

FSA elections do not carry over. If you want a Health Care FSA or Dependent Care FSA for the upcoming plan year, you must log in to Employee Navigator and make a new election.

How this year works

This timeline may help explain the difference between your benefit election period and your medical and pharmacy accumulators (deductible and out-of-pocket maximum).

May 6 – May 29
Open Enrollment
Review your options and make any changes in Employee Navigator.
July 1, 2026
Elections Begin
Your benefit elections for the new plan year become effective. Your deductible and out-of-pocket maximum will not reset.
January 1, 2027
Deductible Resets
Your deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums reset and begin a new calendar-year accumulation period.
June 30, 2027
Plan Year Ends
Your July 1 benefit elections reach the end of the current plan year and will be replaced by the elections made during the next Open Enrollment period.

Coverage updates

What changed and what did not change

Area What changed? What did not change?
Medical No plan design changes BCBST continues; current plan options continue; employee rates continue without increase (unless moving to new rate tier or changing your plan elections)
Pharmacy Moving to MedImpact Prescription coverage remains part of the health plan
Dental New enhanced option; base plan cost decreases Delta Dental continues; current plan option continues
Vision Cost decreases Delta Vision continues; current plan option continues
HSA Administrator moves to Pinnacle University HSA contributions continue
FSA Administrator moves to Pinnacle; new election required Health Care and Dependent Care FSA options continue; eligible employees will continue to receive University contributions to their DCFSA for eligible children attending SCC
Life / LTD Guaranteed issue opportunity USAble Life continues
Voluntary Benefits Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity added Optional employee-paid coverage

Medical Coverage

Carrier: Coverage will continue with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST).
Network: The plan will continue utilizing BCBST’s Network S.
Plan Design: Current plan options will continue unchanged. That means three plans, no deductible changes, no out-of-pocket maximum changes, and no copay changes.
Cost: Your paycheck deductions for coverage will not increase through June 2027 unless you elect a richer benefit option, add members to your plan, or move into a new salary tier.
Medical Premiums and Salary Tiers: Medical premiums are based on salary tiers. Because annual salary increases normally take effect on July 1 and have not yet been finalized, Employee Navigator only reflects the premium tier you're currently in rather than what may apply after July 1. Your final premium tier will be based on your actual salary once increases are confirmed. If your actual salary does move you into the next tier, you will be notified and your rate will be adjusted accordingly.

Pharmacy Coverage

Administrator: Prescription coverage will move to MedImpact beginning July 1. Your medical plan will still be through BCBST, but prescription drug coverage will be managed by MedImpact.
ID Cards: If you are enrolled in medical coverage, you will receive a separate ID card to use at the pharmacy.
Why This Is Changing: This change is to help protect the long-term sustainability of the health plan. Prescription drug costs continue to rise, and pharmacy coverage is one of the most important areas for thoughtful plan management. MedImpact gives us more flexibility and better tools to manage experience and costs while continuing to support access.
Review Process: Because of our prior experience with disruption, we approached this change carefully. We reviewed the potential impact on current prescription usage, including where medications may be covered without issue, where some additional steps may be needed, and where a member could experience change.
Participating Pharmacies: Pharmacy access was an important part of the review. Based on the participating pharmacy information available to us, MedImpact appears to provide strong access and a good fit for our employee population, including access that seems to align well with our move back to BCBST.
What Is Not Changing: If your medications are administered in your medical provider’s office, those medications will continue to be covered under medical coverage and are not impacted by this change.
Covered Drugs and Approvals: The large majority of employees are expected to experience little disruption (a new card at the pharmacy or shift to new mail-order provider). However, some prescriptions may be affected by formulary differences, prior authorization requirements, pharmacy network differences, or preferred alternatives.
Direct Outreach: If we identify that you or a covered family member may be affected, we will reach out directly. We will help you understand what is changing, what steps may be needed, and how to avoid disruption where possible. More information will be available soon. In the meantime, if you have specific questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Dental Coverage

Carrier: Coverage will continue with Delta Dental of Tennessee.
What’s New: An enhanced option with additional coverage has been added.
Annual Maximum: The new enhanced option has a $2,000 annual maximum benefit, while the base option remains at $1,000.
Cost: The cost of the current base dental plan will decrease.

Vision Coverage

Carrier: Coverage will continue with Delta Vision of Tennessee, a partnership with VSP.
Plan Design: Vision coverage continues as a routine eye care and hardware benefit.
Cost: The cost of the vision plan will decrease.

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Administrator: The HSA administrator will move from Flores & Associates to Pinnacle.
Transition: Additional information will be provided to current HSA holders to help facilitate transfers, if desired.
University Contributions: Monthly HSA contributions from Sewanee will continue for those enrolled in the HSA-Eligible Plan.
Monthly Contribution Amounts:
    Employee Only = $100
    Employee + Spouse = $150
    Employee + Child(ren) = $150
    Family = $200
Contribution Flexibility: You may make, change, or stop your own payroll HSA contributions at any time during the plan year.
2026 IRS Limits: The total contribution limit is $4,400 for self-only coverage and $8,750 for family coverage, with an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution for employees age 55 and older.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

Administrator: The FSA administrator will move from Flores & Associates to Pinnacle.
Run-Out Period: Current FSA holders will receive additional information, and the run-out period for current elections will remain with Flores.
Action Required: If you want to participate as of July 1, 2026, you must log in to Employee Navigator and make elections for both the Health Care and Dependent Care FSA.
2026 Health Care FSA Limit: $3,400.
2026 Dependent Care FSA Limit: $7,500.

Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability

Guaranteed Issue Opportunity: If you previously waived this coverage for yourself or your dependents, you may elect coverage this year up to the guaranteed issue amount with no health questions asked.
Guaranteed Issue Amounts:
    Employee = up to $200,000
    Spouse = up to $50,000 or half of the employee amount, whichever is less
    Dependent Children = $10,000.
Carrier and Structure: The current plan and pricing with USAble Life will continue unchanged.
Premium Reminder: Employees enrolled in voluntary life coverage who move into a new age bracket may see premium changes. Those adjustments, if applicable, are reflected in Employee Navigator.
Beneficiaries: Open Enrollment is a good time to review and update your beneficiaries.

New coverage options

Accident Coverage

What It Is: Accident Insurance provides a cash payment directly to you if you or a covered family member has a covered accident.
How It Can Help: It can help with out-of-pocket costs that often come with an accident, such as deductibles, copays, travel, child care, or time away from work.

Critical Illness Coverage

What It Is: Critical Illness Insurance provides a cash payment directly to you if you or a covered family member is diagnosed with a covered serious illness, such as cancer, a heart attack, or a stroke.
How It Can Help: The cash benefit can be used for medical bills or everyday expenses in whatever way is most helpful to you.
Additional Feature: This coverage also includes a wellness benefit for certain preventive screenings.

Hospital Indemnity Coverage

What It Is: Hospital Indemnity Insurance provides a cash payment directly to you if you or a covered family member has a covered hospital stay.
How It Can Help: It is meant to help with extra costs that can come with a hospital visit, including deductibles, copays, child care, or lost income.
Additional Feature: This coverage also includes a wellness benefit for certain preventive screenings.

Common questions

Open Enrollment is a little different this year because your elections will follow a July 1 to June 30 plan year while your medical and pharmacy accumulators still follow the calendar year.

Plan year and deductibles
What does it mean that the plan year is July 1 to June 30?
It means the benefit elections you make during this Open Enrollment will be effective July 1 and remain in place through June 30 of the following year, unless you have a qualified status change.
What does it mean that deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums still run on a calendar year?
It means your deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums still reset on January 1 each year, even though your benefit elections stay in place from July 1 through June 30.
What this may look like in real life
If I meet my deductible in the fall, what happens in January?
Your deductible and out-of-pocket maximum will reset on January 1. That means even if you met them in the fall, you would begin a new accumulator year in January.
What happens if I change plans during Open Enrollment and the deductible or out-of-pocket maximum is different?
Your new plan election will take effect July 1, and any deductible and out-of-pocket maximum amount you have already accumulated this calendar year will transfer to your new plan. You will not start over on July 1.

Example 1: Moving from the Base PPO to the HSA-Eligible Plan
Patty is enrolled in the Base PPO through June 30. By the end of June, she has already satisfied $1,800 of her individual deductible and $2,400 of her individual out-of-pocket maximum for the calendar year.

During Open Enrollment, Patty elects the HSA-Eligible Plan effective July 1. Because accumulated amounts transfer, her $1,800 deductible accumulation and $2,400 out-of-pocket accumulation carry into the new plan.

The HSA-Eligible Plan has a $3,500 individual deductible and a $6,000 individual out-of-pocket maximum. That means from July through December, Patty would have:
    • $1,700 remaining toward the deductible
    • $3,600 remaining toward the out-of-pocket maximum

Example 2: Moving from the Base PPO to the Buy-Up PPO
Marcus is also enrolled in the Base PPO through June 30. By the end of June, he has already satisfied $1,800 of his individual deductible and $2,400 of his individual out-of-pocket maximum for the calendar year.

During Open Enrollment, Marcus elects the Buy-Up PPO effective July 1. Because accumulated amounts transfer, his $1,800 deductible accumulation and $2,400 out-of-pocket accumulation carry into the new plan.

The Buy-Up PPO has a $1,000 individual deductible and a $5,000 individual out-of-pocket maximum. That means from July through December, Marcus would have:
    • $0 remaining toward the deductible, because he already exceeded the new plan’s deductible
    • $2,600 remaining toward the out-of-pocket maximum

In both examples, the deductible and out-of-pocket maximum still reset on January 1, when the new calendar-year accumulator period begins.
Why is this important when choosing a plan?
If you expect frequent care, expensive prescriptions, or planned procedures later in the year, it helps to remember that your deductible and out-of-pocket maximum will still restart in January.
Enrollment and next steps
Will I need to enroll again in January?
No. Your elections made during this Open Enrollment will stay in effect through June 30 unless you have a qualified status change.
Can I change my elections after Open Enrollment ends?
In most cases, no. After Open Enrollment closes, changes generally can only be made if you experience a qualified status change.
Why does Employee Navigator show a different medical contribution amount?
Medical premiums are based on salary tiers. Because annual salary increases normally take effect on July 1 and have not yet been finalized, Employee Navigator has been updated only to reflect the premium tier we reasonably expect may apply after July 1. You will not see a projected salary amount. Your final premium tier will be based on your actual salary once increases are confirmed.
Will I get new ID cards?
Yes. If you are enrolled in the medical plan, you will receive an updated medical card and a separate card for use at the pharmacy.
HSA, FSA, and planning ahead
Does the accumulator issue affect the HSA?
No. The HSA is a separate savings account operating under calendar year IRS limits.
Does this affect FSA elections?
Yes. If you want to participate in the Health Care FSA or Dependent Care FSA for the new plan year, you must re-enroll during Open Enrollment.

Your FSA election will apply to the full plan year from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.

For the Health Care FSA, your full annual election amount will be available to you as of July 1, even though your payroll deductions will occur throughout the plan year.

Example: If you elect the maximum Health Care FSA amount of $3,400, the full $3,400 will be available for eligible expenses beginning July 1, 2026, for use during the plan year ending June 30, 2027.

If you want either FSA, be sure to make your election in Employee Navigator during Open Enrollment.

Take action

Get started with enrollment self-service

Log in to Employee Navigator to make elections by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 29.

For assistance using enrollment self-service, please review the Open Enrollment Guide.

Get personalized support

If you would like personalized assistance, please email us at benefits@sewanee.edu, call us at 931.598.1381, or drop by our offices at 1300 University Avenue.

Need help?

If you need help using self-service or would like more personalized support, we are here to help you navigate Open Enrollment.

Email us at benefits@sewanee.edu, call 931.598.1381, or stop by 1300 University Avenue.