Retiree Open Enrollment
Compare Medical Plans & Costs
Active employees and official retirees can use this tool to compare medical benefits, as well as plan costs.
Find More Information
Open Enrollment is your chance to make changes to your health plan and add or drop dependents from your coverage. Select your benefits from Oct. 23 through Nov. 10 at My Benefits. The choices you make during Open Enrollment are effective Jan. 1, 2024 and cannot be changed unless you have a qualifying life event.
Explore your health benefits to choose the coverage that best fits your needs for 2024.
Jump to the section of your choice:
What's Changing
Upcoming Events
Open Enrollment Tips
Resources
What's Changing: Your Benefits for 2024
Medicare Health Plans
There are no changes to the Medicare plans. If you aren’t changing your medical plan, you do not have to do anything — your coverage will automatically continue in 2024 at the new rates.
If you are enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan or dis-enrolling from a Medicare Advantage plan, you will need to complete an enrollment or dis-enrollment Medicare Advantage Form by Dec. 15.
New Health Plan Administrator for Non-Medicare Plans
We are consolidating our health plan administration to Aetna for all of Stanford’s non-Medicare retiree health plan options, except the Kaiser HMO. Aetna provides a large selection of providers, expanded access to primary care, advocacy services, and affordable outpatient services.
You will be able to access care from a broad network of providers, including Stanford Health Care (SHC), Sutter Health and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) network, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), other local provider groups, and Aetna’s nationwide network.
Non-Medicare Retiree Health Plan Updates
This year, we made changes to our medical plans for active employees, which also affects our retirees under age 65. You will have three medical plan options in 2024 — two nationwide medical plan options administered by Aetna and the Kaiser HMO.
We’re pleased to share that the copay plan (formerly Stanford Health Care Alliance/SHCA plan) and the high deductible health plan (formerly the Healthcare + Savings HDHP) have been redesigned and renamed to the Stanford Select Copay Health Plan and the Stanford Choice High Deductible Health Plan, respectively. Both of these plans expand access to high-value care and offer nationwide coverage, addressing the coverage needs of those who live out of state or have out-of-area dependents.
Moving to a new administrator means that we are discontinuing our relationship with Blue Shield of California, and the Trio plan option is no longer available in 2024.
Default Coverage for Non-Medicare Plans
If you do not make an election during Open Enrollment, you will automatically be enrolled in the following coverage:
| If you are currently enrolled in… | You will automatically receive this plan for 2024 |
| SHCA | Stanford Select Copay Health Plan |
| Healthcare + Savings HDHP | Stanford Choice High Deductible Health Plan |
| Trio | Stanford Select Copay Health Plan |
New ID Cards
If you enroll in the Stanford Select Copay Health Plan or Stanford Choice High Deductible Health Plan, or if you enroll in the Kaiser HMO for the first time, you will receive a new medical ID card in the mail by early Jan. 2024, and a digital ID card will also be available. You must provide your doctor with your new medical plan number starting Jan. 2024.
Your Cost for Coverage
Your cost for coverage may be changing. View the full plan rates for 2024 for details.
Monthly premium payments for retiree health care are made directly to Stanford’s third-party billing administrator, Vita Companies. Enroll in auto-debit using the SurePay program, which allows retirees to have payments for various benefits withheld directly from a personal bank account. For more information about the SurePay program visit Cardinal at Work.
Dental Plan Enhancements
We are enhancing your dental coverage through Delta Dental:
- Diagnostic and preventive claims no longer count toward the Annual Maximum Limit, leaving more dollars available to cover other services.
- The SmileWay benefit through Delta Dental provides free additional cleanings for approved conditions.
Attend an Open Enrollment Event
If you missed the virtual Town Hall providing an overview of Open Enrollment and your benefits options, you can watch the recorded session.
View the recorded session through Zoom
Open Enrollment Tips for Retirees
Can't remember your login to My Benefits? Your username is your SUNet ID (if it’s fewer than 8 digits, add zeros to the front to make it 8 digits). Please note that passwords are reset every three months and your username is your SUNet ID (if it’s fewer than 8 digits, add zeros to the front to make it 8 digits). If you experience trouble logging in or need to reset your password, contact the University HR Service Team at 877-905-2985 or 650-736-2985, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. PT (except during holidays).
How do I know if I’m finished making elections? You can make elections as many times as you need to during Open Enrollment. The My Benefits portal will have a yellow bar for the Open Enrollment event posted for the entire enrollment period. When you hit “Submit” you will see a screen that shows your Confirmation Number. You should also receive a confirmation notice in the mail. Because you can return and make changes multiple times until Open Enrollment closes, you will receive a confirmation email every time you click “Submit.”
Avoid the long phone wait time! Due to the high volume of requests that occur during this time, the University HR Service Team has enlisted additional support from our enrollment administrator to ensure you receive high-quality service and fast response times. Log into the My Benefits portal to submit a request for assistance, or you can call 877-905-2985, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. PT.
Open Enrollment Resources for Retirees
Are you thinking about changing plans this year?
Read about the plans and the process for enrolling or disenrolling from a Medicare Advantage plan.
Are you in a "split family"?
Learn your options when some covered family members are Medicare eligible and some are not yet.
Approaching age 65?
There are some things you should know about changing your benefits.
Have you set up Medicare Crossover Billing?
Streamline your claims processing with Crossover Billing.