ERSC → Active Employees → Employee Benefits Open Enrollment

Employee Benefits Open Enrollment:
October 6–31, 2025

Employee Benefits Open Enrollment for the 2026 plan year began Monday, October 6, 2025. Open Enrollment is your chance to review your benefit options, enroll in benefits, make changes to your existing benefits, and elect your 2025 flexible spending account(s) (FSAs). Open Enrollment is held entirely online via MCPS Hub+. All changes made during Open Enrollment are effective January 1, 2026. Keep reading to learn more about your benefit options and for instructions on making changes to your benefits.

Benefits Plan Changes for 2026

• Preferred Care Management will be added to Cigna medical plans. If you are currently enrolled in a Cigna medical plan, your enrollment for 2026 will default to a Cigna medical plan with Preferred Care Management. Under this program, your doctor or medical provider must obtain prior authorization from Cigna before ordering certain procedures. It is important to note that this is not the same as a referral to see a specialist. Preferred Care Management does not require referrals. See a regularly updated list of procedures that require prior authorization. Preferred Care Management also offers patients the support of a nurse advocate to make navigating care simpler and to provide an added layer of support. Learn more here and at in-person Town Hall meetings where you can have your Preferred Care Management questions answered. Keep reading for details.
• Current Cigna medical plans without Preferred Care Management will remain available with a 7 percent increase in employee cost share. Employees will have the option to enroll in the plan without Preferred Care Management during Open Enrollment.
• Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy will be covered under the Cigna medical plans.
• Glucagon-like Peptide 1 Agonists (GLP-1) and weight management programs will be offered to prevent coverage of off-label use of GLP-1 diabetes drugs for weight management while minimizing member disruption.
• Cigna’s Open Access Plus plan annual deductibles will change from $300 (individual)/$600 (family) to $500 (individual)/$1,000 (family) for out-of-network providers.
• Vision plan benefits frequency changes from every 18 months to every 12 months for exams, frames, lenses, and contact lenses.
• Employee contributions toward premiums will increase by 1 percent.

Learn More About Your 2026 Benefits

2026 Open Enrollment Memorandum

Your Benefits at a Glance

2026 Employee Benefit Summary: Contains a detailed summary of all benefits options effective January 1, 2026.

2026 Health Plan Rates: Informs you of the monthly cost to employees of all health plans, factoring in Wellness Initiatives credits or charges, effective January 1, 2026. Note: If you are a new hire enrolling in benefits for the first time during Open Enrollment, the benefit rates you will see in MCPS Hub+ will be for the next calendar year (2026) rather than for the remainder of the current calendar year (2025). See 2025 rates.

2026 Leave Health Plan Rates: Informs you of the cost of all health plans for employees currently on leave, effective January 1, 2026.

Wellness Initiatives program: Provides incentives to help you reduce your health insurance costs. This link takes you to a page with information about the program so you will be ready to take advantage of the rate reductions for 2026.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs): Help you save money on medical expenses and dependent care. This link takes you to a page with information and additional links to help you learn more about FSAs.

• Flexible Spending Accounts: Save Money on Healthcare and Dependent Care!—This online booklet, effective January 1, 2026, contains additional details about FSAs, including the types of expenses for which you can receive reimbursement from an FSA, deadlines for submitting expenses, and the IRS "use it or lose it" rule.
• FSA Election Worksheets and Eligible Expenses Lists—These links provide resources for determining how much to set aside in your medical or dependent care FSA and which expenses are eligible for reimbursement.

Preferred Care Management Town Hall Meetings

ERSC is holding in-person and virtual Town Hall meetings during Open Enrollment to answer questions about Cigna’s Preferred Care Management process. The Town Halls are being held as follows:

Open Enrollment Virtual Assistance

From October 6–31, ERSC is offering individual assistance virtually. You can register for a 15-minute Microsoft Teams session with an ERSC representative. To sign up, do the following:

1. Open the sign-up screen.
2. Read the information.
3. Scroll down to select your preferred date and time.
4. Click the blue Sign Up button. A checkmark will appear.
5. Click the blue Save and Continue button at the bottom of the screen.
6. Provide your name and email address in the spaces provided.
7. To finish, click the brown Sign Up Now button.
8. You will receive an email that confirms your appointment and a reminder email the morning of your appointment with the Microsoft Teams meeting information.

Open Enrollment Benefit Fairs

ERSC will hold three in-person Open Enrollment Benefit Fairs this year. ERSC staff and representatives from the medical, dental, vision, prescription, and FSA plans will be available in-person to answer your benefit questions. The Benefit Fairs will be held as follows:

Take Action!

To enroll in or change your benefits for Fiscal Year 2026, log in to Hub+, and follow these detailed Open Enrollment instructions from the Benefits Employee User Guide. After submitting your benefits plan selections, you will have the option to print a confirmation statement.

Have Questions?

During Open Enrollment, ERSC staff members are available to assist you Monday–Friday. Due to high call volume during this time, you are encouraged to attend one of the health fairs mentioned above. You also may contact ERSC in one of the following ways, listed in recommended order:

1. Virtually through a Microsoft Teams meeting: Sign up for a 15-minute session using the link above.
2. In-person or by email at ERSC@mcpsmd.org:

   • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday—8:00 a.m.–12:45 p.m. and 2:00–4:30 p.m.

   • Wednesday—10:00 a.m.–12:45 p.m. and 2:00–4:30 p.m.

3. By telephone at 240-740-8100:

   • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday—8:00 a.m.–12:45 p.m. and 2:00–4:15 p.m.

   • Wednesday—10:00 a.m.–12:45 p.m. and 2:00–4:15 p.m.