Open Enrollment 2027 Begins Oct. 5

Benefit-eligible George Washington University faculty and staff will have the opportunity to add, remove or change benefit elections during the annual Open Enrollment period, opening this year on Oct. 5 and closing at 8 p.m. (EDT) Oct. 23. Most changes will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.

Below is a summary of the changes to the 2027 benefits program offerings, including the administrative vendor change and contribution changes. Additional details are available in the 2027 Benefits Overview.

Vendor Change: MetLife as GW's Life, Disability and Leave Administrator

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2027, GW will transition from Lincoln Financial to MetLife for Life Insurance, AD&D, Disability and Leave administration programs.

This change follows a comprehensive review process focused on enhancing the employee experience. There will be no changes to plan designs or employee contributions as a result of this transition, with the exception of buy-up long-term disability, where some participants may see a modest contribution increase. GW will work closely with MetLife in the coming months to help ensure a smooth transition.

If participants do not make any changes to their life, AD&D, or disability benefits during Open Enrollment, their current benefit elections will automatically transition to MetLife effective Jan. 1, 2027.

For more information, join a webinar with MetLife at 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9.

Expanded Medical Services Under the GW Health Savings Plan (HSP)

Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, several services currently covered only under the GW PPO medical plan will also be covered under the GW Health Savings Plan (HSP), including:

• Bariatric surgery
• Hearing aids and cochlear implants
• Fertility services through Progyny
• Breast reduction when medically necessary

These enhancements give employees greater flexibility when selecting medical coverage. By expanding benefits under the GW HSP, employees can access more covered services and evaluate plan options based on their anticipated health care needs and overall health care spending preferences.

Join an upcoming webinar with Aetna for more information.

2027 Health Plan Contribution Increases

Employee contributions for the faculty and staff medical plans will increase by 9.5% in 2027 (across all salaries and plans). The monthly employee contribution increase will range from less than $4 to about $95, depending on your coverage level and salary band. Approximately 64% of full-time medical plan participants will see an increase of less than $20 per month. The GW PPO and GW HSP will continue to be administered by Aetna.

GW's approach to sharing medical plan costs with employees remains unchanged. The university will continue to cover approximately 79% of overall medical plan costs, while employees will contribute 21% on average.

Commitment and Shared Responsibility: Medical and prescription drug costs continue to rise. Increasing health care costs are due to many factors, including higher provider costs, greater use of services such as cancer treatment, behavioral health care and the growing use of high-cost prescriptions, specialty medications and advanced treatments.

GW remains committed to offering competitive health benefits that provide value to you and your family. While medical plan costs have increased at higher levels in recent years than previously experienced, GW has worked to help manage overall program costs and limit the impact on employee contributions.

Dental contributions will increase for all dental plan options and coverage tiers. Monthly increases will range from approximately $1 to $2 for the DMO, $2 to $5 for the low PPO, and $3 to $8 for the high PPO, depending on coverage tier. GW will continue to offer the plans through Aetna, with no changes to plan design or coverage for 2027.

Onsite Dental Clinic Coming to GW: Convenient dental care is coming to Western Market. Onsite Dental will open a new clinic at 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in late fall. The clinic will be in-network under all three GW Aetna dental plans and will provide faculty, staff and eligible dependents with access to comprehensive dental care on campus. Additional details regarding scheduling and clinic operations will be shared in the coming months.

Vision contributions for participating faculty and staff will not increase in 2027. The basic and enhanced vision plans will continue to be offered through UnitedHealthcare, and there will be no changes in coverage or plan design.

Tax-Advantage Accounts

The IRS annual maximum for health savings account (HSA) contributions will increase by $100 to $4,500 for individual coverage and by $250 to $9,000 for family coverage for 2027.*

The GW match for the HSA continues in 2027. GW will match dollar for dollar up to $600 for those enrolled for employee-only coverage and up to $1,200 for those covering dependents under the GW Health Savings Plan (HSP).

• * Employees who are age 55 or older any time in 2027 may contribute up to an additional $1,000 to their HSA.

The current annual maximum for the health care FSA will continue at $3,400. The current annual maximum for the Dependent Day Care FSA will continue at $7,500 (or $3,750 for married individuals filing separately).

Note: If the IRS announces increases to the FSA maximum amounts noted above during/following the Open Enrollment period, participants who have made an election for 2027 will be notified via email and have the opportunity to make a change to the election by the deadline provided.

Open Enrollment In-Person Fests and Virtual Events

GW will offer both in-person and virtual support during this year's Open Enrollment period. Community members are invited to join Open Enrollment Fests, Benefits Enrollment Support Drop-In sessions and webinar series to learn more about 2027 benefits and explore opportunities to connect with Aetna for personalized support. Open Enrollment Fests activities differ among each fest and range from complimentary vision screenings andvaccine clinics to the Human Resource Management & Development Fall Social, massages and more!

View theOpen Enrollment Events calendar to register for a virtual Coffee Chat session, vendor partner webinars and learn more about upcoming events.

Flu and COVID Vaccine Clinics

In partnership with Safeway, flu and COVID vaccine clinics will be held on campus in October, including on the open enrollment fest dates. Those who wish to receive their vaccine(s) at one of the clinics are strongly encouraged to register in advance. Insurance information will be collected during the registration process. GW employees enrolled on a GW medical plan should have their Aetna ID card available when registering.

Employees covered by a GW medical plan can also visit area pharmacies and convenience care clinics to receive a flu shot and COVID shot at no cost. If visiting one of these, employees should present their CVS Caremark ID card.

Support is Available

The GW Benefits Call Center at 833-698-0324 is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday. Community members may also contact the Benefits office at benefitsgwu [dot] edu (benefits[at]gwu[dot]edu), from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday with questions regarding any of GW's employee benefits.