The below message was sent to faculty and staff on October 30, 2026.
Dear Colleagues,
Open Enrollment for the January 1, 2027, to December 31, 2027, plan year will take place Wednesday, November 4 through Wednesday, November 18. During this time, eligible employees may elect, change, or waive medical, dental, vision, flexible spending account(s) ("FSA"), and supplemental life insurance benefits through Workday. We encourage you to explore the 2027 Benefits Guidebook as a resource to help you understand your options and choose the plans and coverage that best meet your needs.
Note: Changes to health savings account (HSA), transit savings account, and retirement plan contributions are not linked to open enrollment and may be made anytime, up to once per month. You may change your retirement contribution through the TIAA website; HSA and Transit changes are made in Workday.
Open Enrollment is your opportunity to make changes to your plans and coverage for any reason—or no reason at all. Outside of open enrollment, changes are generally permitted only if you experience a qualifying life event, such as the birth or adoption of a child, marriage, divorce, or loss of coverage under a spouse's plan. If you experience a qualifying life event, please contact Human Resources within 31 days of the event to discuss your options and complete any necessary changes. Because benefit enrollment is subject to strict IRS guidelines, once the open enrollment window closes, we are unable to make exceptions absent a qualifying event, so please be sure to submit your elections in Workday during the Nov. 4 – Nov. 18 enrollment period.
Please review highlights and join us for our open enrollment events, outlined in more detail below.
What's New for 2027:
- New medical coverage option: Employee + Child. Employees covering one child can now choose this tier on our medical plans and pay a lower premium than those in the Employee + Children tier.
- Progyny Family Building and Reproductive Health benefits: Progyny is a fertility, family building, and women’s health benefits program. Progyny benefits include comprehensive coverage for preconception, trying to conceive, fertility and family building, pregnancy, postpartum, menopause, and midlife care.
- Introducing AblePay, a no-cost option that may save you up to 13% on out-of-pocket medical expenses.
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA) enrollment for the healthcare and dependent care FSAs is now combined with the open enrollment period for our other benefit plans; there will no longer be a stand-alone FSA enrollment period. FSA elections must be completed in Workday, Nov 4 – Nov 18. The 2027 healthcare FSA limit has not yet been announced by the IRS. (Currently, you may contribute up to $3,400 per year.)
- To align with the payroll schedule, benefit premiums for employees paid biweekly will occur biweekly (26 pay periods per year), replacing the current structure of semi-monthly premium payments (24 pay periods per year).
- Orthodontia coverage (child + adult) is now available on both dental plans.
- College-provided life insurance is increasing from $50,000 maximum to 1x salary, with a minimum of $50,000 and a maximum of $100,000. Please note, Internal Revenue Code Section 79 provides a tax exclusion for the first $50,000 of employer-provided life insurance coverage. The imputed cost of coverage above $50,000 must be included as income and is subject to required payroll taxes.
Plan Year Transition: In September, we completed a mini-open enrollment for benefits effective Nov-Dec 2026. The 2-month enrollment period bridges the transition period as we shift our benefits plan year from: November - October to: January – December. Our new, calendar-year structure offers the following advantages:
- One enrollment period. Flexible Spending Account (FSA) elections will take place alongside elections for our other benefits, eliminating the need for a separate FSA enrollment period.
- Health Spending Account (HSA) elections will follow the calendar year used for statutory contribution limits.
- W-2, ACA, and other annual benefit and tax reporting will follow the same calendar-year schedule.
- Our enrollment period will align with timing used by many other employers (e.g. the spouse of a Bryn Mawr employee's annual open enrollment period).
Open Enrollment Dates & Events. Have questions/need assistance? We're here to help and support you throughout the process. Please join us at our upcoming events:
- 11/4/26: This is the first day to elect your benefits and update your covered dependents in Workday, for the January – December 2027 benefit year.
- 11/5/26 (1:00 PM – 2:00 PM): Open Enrollment Webinar. Click here to join the Zoom session.(This presentation will be recorded for those unable to join us at the scheduled time.)
- 11/6/26 (10:00 AM – 11:00 AM): Stop by virtually with questions about Open Enrollment – no appointment needed. Click here to join the Zoom session.
- 11/10/26 (1:00 PM – 2:00 PM): Stop by virtually with questions about Open Enrollment – no appointment needed. Click here to join the Zoom session.
- 11/12/26 (12:30 PM – 2:30 PM): Stop by the Dorothy Vernon Room with your questions and/or to receive assistance with entering your benefit elections in Workday.
- 11/12/26 (2:30 PM – 3:30 PM): Qualified High-Deductible Health Plan + Health Savings Account Webinar. Click here to join the Zoom session. (This presentation will be recorded for those unable to join us at the scheduled time.)
- 11/16/26 (3:00 PM – 5:00 PM): Stop by Dalton 300 with your questions and/or to receive assistance with entering your benefit elections in Workday.
- 11/18/26 This is the final day to elect your benefits and update your covered dependents in Workday, for the January - December 2027 benefit year. Our next open enrollment will take place in November 2027 for the plan year beginning January 1, 2028.
For more information on Bryn Mawr College benefits, visit our Bryn Mawr College Benefits page. Also, please join us in welcoming Lee Crane to the HR team. Lee will be joining us on Nov. 5th as a Benefits & Wellness Specialist and brings 12+ years of HR/Benefits experience. You may reach Lee at ext. 5219 or lcrane1@brynmawr.edu.
Kind regards,
Erin
Erin Murray
Director, Employment & Benefits
610-526-5244
610-526-5261
benefits@brynmawr.edu
