½ñÈÕ¿´ÁϳԹÏ

2026 Benefits Open Enrollment (Nov 3-17, 2025)

Open Enrollment action items 

Open enrollment is your annual opportunity to review your medical, dental, and flexible spending account benefits and make new choices for the upcoming benefits year which starts on January 1, 2026. You may choose to change from one medical or dental plan to another, add or remove dependents, or enroll in a flexible spending account. 

This year, we will have some co-pay, deductible and other cost changes and our medical plans. The Kaiser Added Choice plan will be replaced by Kaiser Dual Choice. Members in this plan are urged to pay close attention to cost changes. 

Our dental plan cost and coverage will not change. Please take the time to review this page and the documents attached.

Important highlights of medical plan changes for 2026
What action do I need to take during open enrollment?

2026 medical and dental plan out of paycheck costs
Additional Kaiser resources
What if I want to waive coverage this year?
How do I sign up for a flexible spending account?
How can I get help with my benefits?
What if I want to change my 403(b) retirement contribution?

2026 Cost and coverage highlights

Kaiser has simplified their offerings and is providing two plan options to ½ñÈÕ¿´ÁÏ³Ô¹Ï for next year:

• We will continue to offer the Kaiser HMO and a Buy-Up plan.
• The current Buy-Up plan (“Added Choice” three-tier plan) will be replaced with a simpler Kaiser Dual Choice plan, combining Kaiser and in-network benefits.

Most commonly accessed services—including primary care, specialty care, urgent care, alternative care, labs, and prescription drug coverage—will continue to have small copays and not be subject to the deductible. Some copays will reduce slightly in 2026.

• HMO deductible will increase from $250 (individual) / $750 (family) to $750 (individual) / $2,250 (family). The Healthcare Reimbursement Account benefit described below will partially offset this cost. 
• Out-of-pocket maximums will increase:
  • HMO: $3,250 individual / $9,750 family (up from $2,500 individual / $7,500 family)
  • Buy-Up: $5,000 individual / $15,000 family (up from $4,000 individual / $8,000 family)
• Emergency room costs:
  • HMO: moving from a $500 copay to 80% coinsurance after deductible
  • Buy-Up: from a $250 copay to 80% coinsurance after deductible
    • Co-insurance means that, after you meet your deductible, you and the plan share costs. For example, with 80% co-insurance, the plan pays 80% of the cost, and you are responsible for the remaining 20% until out-of-pocket max is met. Once out-of-pocket max is met, members will no longer have medical expenses for that year. 
• Specialty prescriptions: HMO specialty Rx changing from retail copay to a flat fee of $250.
• Adult vision exams: copay increasing from $15 to $20.

Health reimbursement account (HRA)

To help offset higher deductibles, ½ñÈÕ¿´ÁϳԹÏis introducing a new HRA benefit:

• Members pay the first $500 of their deductible.
• Once that is met, ½ñÈÕ¿´ÁϳԹÏcontributes $250 toward the deductible for that member.
• Example: If you and a spouse are both covered, ½ñÈÕ¿´ÁϳԹÏmay contribute up to $500 total if both meet their $500 threshold.
• This funding will occur automatically; no action is required by the covered member.

Employee contributions

• To balance overall plan coverage costs, members who are signed up for employee-only coverage will pay a monthly contribution of $15. 
• ½ñÈÕ¿´ÁϳԹÏwill continue to cover 98% of the employee-only monthly HMO cost.
• Duel-Choice members will see an out of paycheck cost increase and should take a close look at the cost section below prior to finalizing open enrollment changes.

What action do I need to take during open enrollment?

Action is required during open enrollment to:

• Reveiw medical plan changes
• Enroll/re-enroll in a health care or child care flexible spending account (FSA)
• Switch between our medical and/or dental plans
• Add, change or drop coverage for yourself and/or your dependents
• Waive medical coverage for the upcoming year (even if you have waived in previous years)

If you will be making any of these changes, complete this benefits enrollment form [link open November 3]  before 5 pm on November 17. Be sure to click the submit button once you make changes. Once finished, you will receive a confirmation email that your form has been received.

Considering making a change to your enrollment but unsure how it will impact your medical care? Kaiser has a dedicated concierge team to answer your questions. Contact them at:
503-813-1299 or 503-813-3613
kpconcierge-nw@kp.org

Out of paycheck cost

Kaiser HMO medical plan 

*Employees who have family coverage with the Kaiser HMO plan will not be expected to contribute more than 9.5% of the full-time equivalent of their base salary/wage on the first date of the benefit plan year. 

Kaiser Dual Choice buy-up plan

What if I want to waive coverage this year?

If you are eligible for ½ñÈÕ¿´ÁϳԹÏmedical or dental insurance but are covered under a spouse or partner's policy, you may waive Reed's insurance. To waive insurance for the upcoming year, you will need to indicate this on the benefits open enrollment form (open November 3-17).

Flexible Spending Accounts

½ñÈÕ¿´ÁϳԹÏoffers two types of flexible spending accounts, both of which enable you to set aside pre-tax dollars, decreasing your tax bill by decreasing your taxable income. Remember that you must re-enroll in FSA each year. The 2026 FSA Healthcare plan limit is $3,400 and the Dependent Care limit is $7,500. To sign up to contribute in 2026, complete the benefits open enrollment form to choose your contribution amounts.  

The maximum unused balance rollover for 2025 FSA healthcare plans is $660. This will increase to $680 in 2026.

Do you have a current FSA account?  Check your balance and manage your account by logging in to Allegiance .

Do you have the Allegiance FSA app on your mobile device? If not, click here to learn more about this tool and how you can upload receipts and request reimbursement instantly.

What if I want to change my 403(b) retirement contribution?

You are able to enroll in or make changes to your TIAA retirement plan contributions at any time.

If you wish to change the amount you contribute to your retirement account, and click on Manage Contributions on the top of your home screen.

Benefits Open Enrollment Events and Education?

Overview of Kaiser HMO &  Kaiser Dual Choice plan coverage and cost details presented by Kaiser.

• Wednesday, October 29 2025 at noon - Eliot 314
• Wednesday, November 5, 2025 at 11am - Zoom
• Thursday, November 6, 2025 at noon - Eliot 314
• Monday, November 10, 2025 at 4pm - Zoom

If you need help and are unable to make one of the above sessions, please submit a ticket to AskHR or stop by the HR office in Eliot Hall 305

Kaiser office hours 

How do I access my benefits statement?

View your current benefits elections, including a list of your covered dependents by logging into .

Plan documents & resources 

Kasier HMO summary of benefits
Kaiser HMO summary of benefits and coverage 
Kaiser Dual Choice summary of benefits and coverage 
Kaiser Dual Choce summary of benefitshuman_resources/assets/downloads/Kaiser Dual Choice SOB 2026.pdf 
Willamette Dental summary of benefits 
Kaiser dental summary of benefits 
Metlife dental summary of benefits
Kaiser Dual Choice enrollment guide
Kaiser care when you need it
Kaiser no cost and discount programs