This week, UAB begins rolling out information about open enrollment to provide benefit-eligible employees time to review upcoming changes and make informed decisions for themselves and their families.
1. Open enrollment runs from Oct. 16-Nov. 2
UAB’s annual open enrollment for benefits will begin at 7 a.m. Friday, Oct. 16, and conclude at 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2. Eligible employees can choose among health, dental and vision insurance plans, plus voluntary life, accident, critical-illness, and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, along with tax-deferred spending accounts for health and dependent care for 2027. (See this PDF for a list of benefit-eligible employees; opens in a new window.) You can review all the information you need in the open enrollment toolkit anytime on the UAB for Me portal.
2. Action is required
This is an active open enrollment, which means any benefit-eligible employee who does not select a 2027 healthcare plan option during the enrollment period will not have UAB-provided healthcare coverage (medical, dental, vision) beginning January 2027. Detailed offerings of these plans will be provided in the coming weeks to better enable you to make the best choice for your household.
During the enrollment process, employees will be required to add or update their emergency contact information. An employee’s emergency contact information will be kept confidential and will be used only in the event of an emergency. By providing emergency contact information, you authorize UAB HR/UAB management to contact your emergency contact person(s) should you have an emergency while working at UAB.
3. Modest increase in medical premium rates; dental and vision premium rates will not increase
Although inflation continues to increase healthcare costs at UAB and nationwide, UAB is happy to announce that dental and vision premium rates will not increase for 2027. There will be a modest increase in premium rates for health plans.
This year, UAB is expanding access to its Premium Assistance program for eligible employees on a UAB health plan; the subsidy will now be available to employees whose household income, based on family size, is 2.5 times the federal poverty level or less.
4. No other cost increases for 2027
Thanks to diligent efforts on the part of the UAB Benefits office and employee-led Benefits and Wellness Committee, co-pays and other plan options will not see increases in 2027. The employer-to-employee contribution ratio continues to remain above historic averages in order to keep these costs down. UAB will contribute more than 76 percent of costs.
5. Detailed information will be available in the coming weeks
Look for more articles in the Reporter specific to various benefit plan offerings over the next few weeks. Also note that detailed open enrollment information is available now in the UAB for Me portal.
Live virtual educational sessions explaining 2027 open enrollment information and benefits changes will be held from 9-10 a.m. Sept. 23, 1-2 p.m. Sept. 30, 1-2 p.m. Oct. 8 and 11 a.m.-noon Oct. 9. Register to attend here.
Meanwhile, contact your school/department HR consultant or the UAB Benefits office at