Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment for your 2026 benefits is Tuesday, October 7 – Monday, October 20. This is your one-time annual chance to newly elect or change your Starr benefits for the upcoming year. Don’t miss out!

If you have a Health Savings Account (HSA) or use a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), you must re-enroll in your account to activate your contributions for the 2026 plan year.

Carefully review this site to familiarize yourself with your options so you’re prepared to choose — and use — the benefits that meet you and your family’s needs and lifestyle for 2026. 

The Starr Benefits Program is available to all regular, active employees scheduled to work at least 28 hours per week. In addition to enrolling yourself, you may enroll your eligible dependents for medical, dental, vision and dependent life insurance. Certain voluntary benefits are also available to you and your eligible dependents. You can find details on your coverage throughout this site.

If your spouse/domestic partner is eligible for medical coverage under their employer-provided plan, and you elect to cover them under the Starr medical plan, your premium will be increased by $100 per month and deducted from your pay on a post-tax basis. The surcharge will be waived if your spouse/domestic partner is one of the following:

• A Starr employee
• Unemployed
• Self-employed
• Not eligible for medical coverage from their employer
• Retired

Note: If you elect medical coverage at the employee only or employee + children level, you still must complete the spousal certification by selecting “No, I’m not covering a spouse.”

• Current medical plan options will continue:
  • Aetna Consumer-Directed Health Plan (CDHP), Aetna Managed Choice (POS), Kaiser HMO for eligible CA & GA residents
• Plan design changes to your Aetna POS and CDHP medical and prescription drug plans:
  • Aetna POS plans: You will see changes to your share of in- and out-of-network coinsurance, and increases to your in-network out-of-pocket maximums, and in- and out-of-network deductibles.
  • Aetna CDHP plans: You will see increases to your in- and out-of-network out-of-pocket maximums.
  • Your Aetna prescription drug copays for retail and specialty medications will increase in 2026.
• Contributions will increase for Medical plans and Dental plans
• IRS contribution limits and maximums are increasing for 2026:
  • Health Savings Account (HSA): The HSA maximums for 2026 are increasing. The new maximums are $4,400 for employee only coverage and $8,750 for all other cover levels. Starr’s company contribution will be made as a lump sum deposit to your HSA account in February 2026 ($500 for employee only coverage or $1,000 for all other coverage levels).
  • Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA): The Dependent Care FSA maximum for 2026 is increasing to $7,500 (up from $5,000).
  • Commuter Expense Reimbursement Account (CERA): The CERA maximum for 2026 is increasing to $335 (up from $325).
• CVS Weight Loss Management Program:
  • Individuals on GLP-1 medications for weight loss (not for diabetes) must enroll and engage in this program for their GLP-1s to be covered. This program offers a holistic approach to weight management, combining lifestyle and nutrition counseling with advanced digital tools and clinical oversight, to provide sustainable weight loss solutions that maximize the efficacy of weight loss medications while minimizing side effects.

Important note on 2026 Payroll Schedule: Starting in 2026, payroll will shift from a bi-weekly (26 pay periods per year) to a semi-monthly (24 pay periods per year) schedule. Paycheck amounts will appear higher due to receiving two fewer checks per year. As a result, premium deductions for benefits (medical, dental, vision) will also change, since they will now be spread across fewer pay periods. Be sure to review your budgets and automatic payments accordingly.

To bring your benefits to life, you first need to fully understand them. Consider all of your benefit options for 2026, and then think about your needs:

• Review this Open Enrollment page for any changes coming for next year.
• Read about your benefits on this site to make an informed decision about your 2026 benefits elections.
• Attend an onsite or virtual meeting.

Use Open Enrollment as an opportunity to take a fresh look at your needs and benefits options before deciding on coverage for 2026. Compare your options carefully and choose the ones that meet your health care needs:

• Review the side-by-side comparisons and decision tips in the Health section.
• Use the Medical Plan Cost Estimator to compare costs and coverage of various medical plans. The calculator factors in the care you expect to need in 2026, plus your Spending and Savings Accounts, if applicable.

Enrolling is easy! Make sure to enroll between October 7 and October 20:

• Sign in to your Workday account from any Internet-enabled device and click the inbox icon in the upper right corner of your screen. Then select the “Open Enrollment” task to get started!
• If you do not enroll by October 20, most of your active 2025 benefits will roll over into 2026, at 2026 contribution rates, with the exception of your FSA and HSA. If you would like to make contributions to an FSA or HSA (or receive the Starr contribution to your HSA), you need to actively re-enroll and elect the per-paycheck contributions for 2026.
  • Note: Starr’s company contribution will be made as a lump sum deposit to your HSA account in February 2026 ($500 for employee only coverage or $1,000 for all other coverage levels). 
• For 2026, the maximum IRS-allowed total annual contribution for HSA accounts is $4,400 for employee-only coverage and $8,750 for all other coverage levels. Plus, if you are 55 or older you can add an additional $1,000 in catch-up contributions.
• For 2026, the Dependent Care FSAs maximum IRS-allowed total annual contribution will be $7,500.
• For 2026, the IRS monthly maximum for the Commuter Expense Reimbursement Account (CERA) program will be $335 / Parking Expenses $335 / Transit (bus, train, subway, or ferry).
• Be sure your dependent information is correct and up to date.
• As part of the enrollment process, if you elect any medical coverage, you must complete the spousal certification process in Workday. You are not able to complete your enrollment without this certification. Please check your partner’s eligibility carefully before enrolling him or her in Starr coverage. Starr reserves the right to conduct a dependent audit to verify your certification. If you elect medical coverage at the employee only or employee + children level, you still must “elect” the spousal surcharge. Once elected in Workday, you should select “No, I’m not covering a spouse.”

Make an Informed Choice with the Medical Plan Cost Estimator (MPCE)

Use this easy-to-use online decision-support tool to help you choose the medical plan option that best meets your needs. Just enter a few personal facts about yourself and the medical services you expect to use in the coming year. Then the tool will help you:

• Compare your estimated annual premiums and out-of-pocket costs under all Starr medical plan options.
• See how contributions to a tax-free health account such as the HSA (with the CDHP) or the FSA (with the Aetna Managed Choice POS plan or, in some zip codes of CA and GA, the Kaiser HMO), can benefit you and offset your medical expenses.

Use the “Guided Tour” experience to complete your comparison in a few easy steps or the “Do It Yourself” experience to create more detailed and personalized cost estimates.

The MPCE is completely confidential; none of the information you enter or results you receive are stored on the tool, and they cannot be accessed by Starr. For this reason, you cannot save information on the tool. If you wish to keep the results you’ve modeled, be sure to print them out for future reference.

To use the MPCE, go to the Medical Plan Cost Estimator and follow the simple instructions to begin comparing.