What's Changing for 2027 | Open Enrollment Guide | The George Washington University

Vendor Change: MetLife as GW's Life, Disability, and Leave Administrator

Beginning January 1, 2027, GW will transition from Lincoln Financial to MetLife for Life Insurance, AD&D, Disability, and Leave Administration programs.

This change follows a comprehensive review process focused on enhancing the employee experience while maintaining affordability. There will be no changes to plan designs or employee contributions as a result of this transition, with the exception of Buy-Up Long-Term Disability where some participants may see a modest contribution increase. GW will work closely with MetLife in the coming months to help ensure a smooth transition.

If you do not make any changes to your Life, AD&D or disability benefits during Open Enrollment your current benefit elections will automatically transition to MetLife effective January 1, 2027.

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

Optional Life Insurance

During Open Enrollment, employees who have optional employee life insurance coverage below $250K, or are not yet enrolled, can elect up to an additional $250K of coverage without EOI.

Employees with $250K or more in optional employee life insurance can increase their coverage up to the new GI of $500K without EOI. Here are a couple of examples:

If you are currently enrolled with $100K, you can elect up to $350K without EOI
If you are currently enrolled with $350K, you can elect up to $500K without EOI

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 Health Plan Contribution Increases

Employee contributions for the faculty and staff Medical Plans will increase by 9.5% in 2027 (across all salary bands and plans). The monthly employee contribution increase will range from less than $4 to about $95, depending on your coverage level and salary band. Approximately 64% of full-time medical plan participants will see an increase of less than $20 per month. The GW PPO and GW HSP will continue to be administered by Aetna.

Below are three examples of the monthly medical contribution increase for full-time benefits-eligible employees. Please note: Contribution details for all pay frequencies will soon be available in the Open Enrollment Guide.

If the employee enrolls in the GW HSP or PPO for individual coverage, the average medical contribution increase will be about $4 or $15 per month, respectively, for 2027.
If the employee enrolls in the GW HSP with family coverage, the average medical contribution increase will be about $36 per month for 2027.
If the employee enrolls in the GW PPO with family coverage, the average medical contribution increase will be about $77 per month for 2027.

Note: There will be no changes to the current salary bands.

Our commitment and shared responsibility:
Medical and prescription drug costs continue to rise. Increasing health care costs due to many factors, including higher provider costs, greater utilization of services such as cancer treatment and behavioral health care and the growing use of high-cost prescription drugs, specialty medications and advanced treatments.

GW remains committed to offering competitive health benefits that provide value to you and your family. While medical plan costs have increased at higher levels in recent years than previously experienced, GW has worked to help manage overall program costs and limit the impact on employee contributions.

Importantly, GW's approach to sharing medical plan costs with employees remains unchanged. The university will continue to cover approximately 79% of overall medical plan costs, while employees will contribute approximately 21%, on average.

2027 Dental Contribution Overview

Dental premiums for all GW dental plans are increasing for 2027. As a result, employee contributions will increase for all dental plan options and coverage tiers. Monthly increases will range from approximately $1 to $2 for the DMO, $2 to $5 for the Low PPO, and $3 to $8 for the High PPO, depending on coverage tier. GW will continue to offer the DMO, Low PPO, and High PPO plans through Aetna, with no changes to plan design or coverage for 2027.

IRS Account Based Plan Updates

2027 Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) Contribution Limits

The annual maximum for the Health Care FSA will continue at $3,400.
The annual maximum for the Dependent Day Care FSA will continue at $7,500 (or $3,750 for married individuals filing separately).

2027 Health Savings Account (HSA) Contribution Limits

(combined employee + GW contribution)

For those with individual Health Savings Plan (HSP) coverage, the annual maximum for the HSA will increase by $100 to $4,500.
For those with family HSP coverage, the annual maximum for the HSA will increase by $250 to $9,000.
GW’s HSA matching contribution continues: GW will match dollar for dollar up to $600 for those enrolled for employee-only coverage and up to $1,200 for those covering dependents under the GW Health Savings Plan.

Note: If the IRS announces increases to the FSA maximum amounts noted above during / following the Open Enrollment period and you have elected for 2027, you will be notified via email and have the opportunity to make a change to your election by the deadline provided.

Tip: Take Advantage of an FSA or HSA

With an FSA or HSA, you can set aside pre-tax dollars from your paychecks for eligible healthcare expenses. These accounts can help you cover expected (and unexpected) health expenses while lowering your taxable income, which can save you money.