Open Enrollment

October 9, 2026
Categories: Spotlights
Open Enrollment graphic

The Open Enrollment period for 2027 benefits is Oct. 12 – Nov. 6, 2026.

Important note: The Open Enrollment period has been extended to Friday, Nov. 6. You may still see references to the Friday, Oct. 30, deadline until all materials can be updated.

Learn more about the changes for the 2027 plan year below. Changes will be effective Jan. 1, 2027.

2027 Plan Updates

What’s New?

Tiered Provider Network

Beginning in the 2027 play year, the State Health Plan will introduce a four-tiered provider network.

Your costs will depend on the tier of the provider. You will pay the least when you see a Preferred Provider.

TierCoverage
PreferredYou’ll have lower deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums, and copays than what you are currently paying when you receive care from a preferred provider.
AccessYou’ll generally have the same out-of-pocket costs as you have today but in some cases costs may be lower when you receive care from an access provider.
Non-PreferredYou’ll have significant increases to your out-of-pocket costs when you receive care from a non-preferred provider.
Out-of-NetworkYou’ll continue to have higher out-of-pocket costs when you receive care from an out-of-network provider since these providers are not included in the Plan’s broad, national network.

The following office visit copays are NOT IMPACTED by provider tier placement and will have the same copay as 2026:

  • Behavioral Health
  • Speech
  • Occupational
  • Chiropractor
  • Physical Therapy
  • Urgent Care

Important note on PCPs:

If you would like to change your selected Primary Care Provider (PCP) to a Preferred Provider, you will need to wait until after Jan. 1, 2027, to make that change. If your selected PCP is already noted as a Preferred Provider, you do not need to take any action. As a reminder, PCPs can be changed anytime, and ID cards typically arrive 7-10 days after the change is made.

Use the “Find a Doctor” tool at the top of the State Health Plan website to see if your PCP is in network. Use this guide to learn more.

Check out these resources for more information:

2027 Active Member Plan ComparisonDownload
Tiered Provider Network MapsDownload
Salary-Based Premium Increases

There will be increases to premiums. Active members will have a monthly increase ranging from less than $2 to around $8 for individual coverage and less than $29 to $42 per month for family coverage.

Salary-based premiums only apply to the subscriber-only rate and are based on the subscriber’s current salary (as of the open enrollment period). This amount does not include any bonus pay, longevity pay or overtime pay and is placed in the system by your employer.

Review the 2027 rate sheet

Reminder: The new health insurance premium will be deducted in your first December 2026 paycheck.

Note: Your premium will remain the same for 2027 regardless of future salary adjustments. Completing a tobacco attestation is no longer required to lower your monthly premium.

Prescription Coverage

The formulary (drug list), which determines what medications are covered and what tier they fall under, changes on a quarterly basis, so there is a possibility that you will have changes in your prescription coverage in 2027.

For more information, visit this webpage and scroll down to the Pharmacy Resources section.

Critical Illness Plan Cost Increase

The cost of coverage for critical illness plans has increased. Review the NCFlex Enrollment Guide for more information.

FSA Contribution Limit Changes
  • The Health Care FSA maximum annual contribution is increasing to $3,400, with a $680 rollover balance.
  • The Dependent Care FSA annual limit remains $7,500 per household.
  • Reminder: FSAs require re-enrollment each year.
  • Learn more on the NC Flex website.
Voluntary Life Insurance Cost Decrease

The monthly cost of coverage for employee voluntary life insurance (with matching AD&D rider) has slightly decreased. Review the UNC System Enrollment Guide for more information.

Accidental Death and Dismemberment Plan Cost Decrease

The monthly cost of coverage for employee voluntary AD&D as well as employee and family AD&D has decreased. Review the UNC System Enrollment Guide for more information.

What hasn’t changed?

Two Plan Options

The State Health Plan continues to offer two Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans.

  • The Standard PPO Plan (formerly known as the Base PPO 70/30 Plan)
  • The Plus PPO Plan (formerly known as the Enhanced PPO 80/20 Plan)

Note: Employees wishing to enroll in the Plus PPO Plan MUST TAKE ACTION during open enrollment. Otherwise, if you are already enrolled, you will be auto-enrolled into the Standard PPO Plan.

Dental Rates

MetLife Dental rates for all coverage options will remain the same. Review the 2027 employee cost and coverage details.

No-Cost Surgeries Through Lantern

The Plan is partnering with Lantern, a trusted provider that helps connect Plan members to a high-quality, carefully selected surgeon when you need a planned, non-emergency procedure. There will be no cost ($0) for the surgery for members who use a Lantern provider — no deductibles and no copays. Members will be getting more information directly from Lantern on this benefit.

Learn more
Insulin Cost and Preventative Services Coverage
  • Preferred and non-preferred insulin continues to have a $0 copay for a 30-day supply.
  • Preventive services remain covered at 100% — no copay or deductible — on either plan.

Review the plan summaries on the State Health Plan’s website for the most up-to-date plan details.

Enrollment Platforms

You will use two enrollment platforms to elect benefits. Elections can only be made/changed if you are a new hire, during annual open enrollment or due to a qualifying life event.

eBenefits (Benefitfocus)

You will need to log in to this platform to enroll/make changes to your elections for:

  • Health through the State Health Plan
Log Into eBenefits

Important: After making your elections, you must scroll down to the bottom and click “Save Changes” or your choices will not be recorded.

UNC System Benefits (Empyrean)

You will go here to enroll in/make changes to your elections for:

  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Accident
  • Flexible Spending Accounts
  • UNC Life Insurance
  • UNC Voluntary Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D)
  • UNC Supplemental Disability
  • Cancer and Specified Disease
  • Critical Illness
  • TRICARE Supplement coverage
  • UNC Legal Plans
Log Into UNC System Benefits

Important: Once you log in to the site, you will see a pending event (i.e., Open Enrollment). Click “Continue” and follow the prompts. After you make your enrollment choices, and they are displayed for you to review, you must scroll down and click “Submit My Elections.” One last pop-up message will appear and you must click “Accept” or your choices will not be recorded.

For more information about these two platforms and logging into the systems, please refer to this webpage.

How to enroll

  1. Start reviewing your benefit options now. If you plan to enroll dependents, allow yourself enough time to gather any required documentation, such as dependents’ Social Security numbers and dates of birth.
  2. Log onto both benefit platforms using your NinerNET credentials.
    • eBenefits (Benefitfocus)
      • Update your State Health Plan enrollment from the Standard PPO Plan (70/30) to the Plus PPO Plan (80/20) if you do not want to stay in the Base PPO (70/30) Plan.
      • Verify your dependents. If you are enrolling dependents for the first time, make sure you have their Social Security numbers and approved documentation. For a complete list of approved documents go to List of Required Documentation for Dependent Eligibility.
    • UNC System Benefits (Empyrean)
      • Review and update your beneficiaries if applicable for the Life, AD&D, Cancer, and Critical Illness plans.
      • Enroll in or change any NCFlex plans (dental, vision, accident, cancer, critical illness, or TRICARE supplement), if needed.
      • Enroll or re-enroll in the Flexible Spending Account for health care and/or dependent care.
      • Enroll in the new UNC Legal Plan.
      • To enroll in any UNC Income Protection plans (UNC voluntary life, UNC voluntary AD&D, UNC supplemental disability plans) log in to the UNC Empyrean platform.
  3. Save your enrollment changes.
  4. Review and print your annual enrollment confirmation statements to confirm that you have made your elections.

Securian Voluntary Life and AD&D Plans

The UNC System has partnered with Securian Financial to provide a consolidated life insurance plan that offers coverage for employees, spouses or domestic partners, and dependent children. This includes the UNC Life Insurance and UNC Voluntary Accidental Death and Dismemberment plans.

Any elections you made through the UNC System Benefits (Empyrean) enrollment platform last year—UNC life insurance, UNC voluntary AD&D, UNC supplemental disability—will remain in effect for 2027 unless you made a change during Open Enrollment.

Resources

UNC System Open Enrollment GuideDownload the UNC System Guide

State Health Plan Resources:

NCFlex Open Enrollment GuideDownload the NcFlex Guide

NC Flex Resources:

Events

State Health Plan Webinars

Contact Information for Questions

eBenefits (Benefitfocus):
  • Employees can complete their enrollment over the phone.
  • Call the eBenefits Eligibility and Enrollment Support Center at 855‐859‐0966.
  • Open Enrollment extended hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. EST, and Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. EST.
UNC System Benefits (Empyrean):
  • Employees can also complete their enrollment over the phone.
  • Call the Empyrean University Benefits Service Center at 833-862-1490. The hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. (EST).
Aetna Health Concierge (Customer Service):
Use this contact for questions regarding the tiered provider network
  • Call the Aetna Health Concierge (Customer Service) at 833-690-1037. The hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
UNC Charlotte Benefits Office:
  • Contact the UNC Charlotte Benefits Office through HR Connect for secure, timely support.