Cobra: What's Changing for 2027 | Open Enrollment Guide

What's Changing for 2027

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

Beginning January 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

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.

For more information, please join us for an upcoming webinar with Aetna.

Tip! Want to check if your preferred provider is in-network?

Visit www.Aetna.com and follow these steps:

Click “Find a doctor” at the top of the page.
Under the “Don’t have a member account?”, Select “Plan from an Employer”.
Under "Continue as a Guest", Enter your ZIP code.
On the next screen, under "Select a Plan", scroll to “Aetna Open Access Plans" and select "Aetna Choice POS II (Open Access)” as your plan and click "Continue".

This will help you confirm whether your provider is part of Aetna’s network.

2027 Medical Contribution Overview

COBRA recipients and their dependents under age 65 will see an increase of 9.5% in premiums for 2027. As noted above, GW will continue to offer the GW PPO and HSP medical plans with CVS prescription coverage.

2027 Dental Contribution Overview

Dental premiums for GW’s dental plans are increasing, and as a result contributions for dental coverage will increase for all three dental plan options. COBRA monthly contributions will increase 4% for the DMO; the Low PPO and High PPO will increase 4.9% monthly. The DMO, High PPO and Low PPO plans continue to be offered through Aetna and there will be no coverage or plan design changes for 2027.