The annual NUFlex Enrollment period for employee benefits will open on Monday, Oct. 27, at 8 a.m. CDT, giving UNMC employees the opportunity to review their benefits coverage and make any desired changes.
The open enrollment period runs through Friday, Nov. 14, at 5 p.m. CDT.
Like many employers nationwide, the University of Nebraska is seeing significant increases in health insurance costs driven by medical inflation and higher utilization of health care services.
This will be the first increase to plan design costs since 2011.
“The university has worked hard to absorb as much of this increase as possible and to continue offering a strong, competitive benefits package for our employees,” said Anne Barnes, UNMC’s vice chancellor for business, finance and business development and NU’s senior vice president and chief financial officer. “Even so, NU employees will see increases to insurance premiums and some other benefits-related costs in 2026.”
Key changes for 2026 include:
- A 7.25% increase in medical premiums. Employee premium rates for most health insurance plans will increase by $10 to $59 per month for employees.
- Deductibles and out-of-pocket limits for the low, basic and high PPO health plan options will be increasing. There will be a $100 increase to the individual deductibles and $200 increase to the family deductibles for each plan. There will be a $200 increase to the individual out-of-pocket limit and $400 increase to the family out-of-pocket limit for each plan.
- Pharmacy co-pays for the low, basic and high PPO health plan options will be increasing. There will be a $5 increase to the pharmacy co-pays for each plan. If you complete the health risk assessment, the co-pay for generic medications obtained through the plan’s mail service program will remain $0.
- Long Term Disability (LTD) Rates will be decreasing by 25% in 2026.
- The Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) annual contribution limit will be increasing to $7,500
More detailed information on the changes to insurance coverage are outlined in the NUFlex Benefits Newsletter and the NU benefits webpage.
Enrollment assistance available
During the open enrollment period, the UNMC Benefits Office will offer additional assistance to support employees looking at their insurance options for the upcoming year.
Benefits staff will be on hand for three open computer lab sessions in the Lower Storz Pavillion, Training Room LRC7. Employees are welcome to drop in with questions or assistance on their enrollment.
The open lab hours are:
- Wednesday, Oct. 29, 8-10 a.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 4, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Thursday, Nov. 13, 3-5 p.m.
Employees also can contact the benefits office to schedule one-on-one meetings to discuss any issues or questions about benefits. Meetings can be scheduled via email or by calling 402-559-4340.
“We understand that benefits enrollment can feel overwhelming,” said Linda Cunningham, assistant vice chancellor and director of human resources at UNMC. “Our goal is to make this process as smooth and transparent as possible. We encourage everyone to take time to review their options and reach out if they need help.”
Preparing for open enrollment
To prepare for open enrollment, here are steps employees can take ahead of time:
- Log into Firefly to ensure that the user’s password is current. Refer to this step-by-step guide to change their password, contact the Firefly help desk at 402-559-BUZZ (2899) or reach out via email.
- If adding a new dependent, gather dependent verification documents now. Here is a link for those documents.
- If considering using an Employee Plus One plan, review this information prior to enrollment.
- Review life insurance beneficiary designations by logging into Firefly at firefly.nebraska.edu. Click on Employee Self Service and then click on the Life Insurance Beneficiaries tile.
- In Firefly, check if your Permanent Address is up to date. The Permanent Address is where new insurance cards will be mailed. Make sure that this information is up to date so there isn’t a delay in receiving new cards.
Important: Benefit changes must be completed by Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. You will not be able to add or change your benefits after this deadline. If you do not make changes during the enrollment period, you will keep your current benefits and will not be enrolled in the Flexible Spending Accounts.
Other items that need to be completed annually include marking your tobacco/nicotine designation and completing the Health Risk Assessment to receive the increased wellness benefits.
All benefit changes made during NUFlex Benefits enrollment will be effective on Jan. 1, 2026.