Choate House on the Pace Pleasantville campus
Human Resources

Open Enrollment

Welcome to 2027 Benefits Open Enrollment

Active Open Enrollment: November 9, 2026–November 20, 2026

The Annual Benefits Open Enrollment period begins Monday, November 9, 2026, and ends on Friday, November 20, 2026, for an effective date of January 1, 2027.

Open Enrollment is your annual opportunity to review your benefits, update your elections, and ensure your plans meet your needs for the year ahead.

Open Enrollment is an active enrollment process this year. Active Open Enrollment means you must log in to UKG Ready and submit your elections for 2027.

Please read the 2027 Benefits Guide and this entire webpage for important information.

UKG Ready Dashboard

The 2027 Active Open Enrollment will be handled through your UKG Ready Dashboard.

You can access your UKG Ready Dashboard (Pace Portal > UKG Ready Employee Dashboard > My Benefits > Enrollment > Open Enrollment), starting on November 9, 2026, to begin the Open Enrollment process for calendar year 2027. Please read the step-by-step instructions (PDF) for more information.

  1. Review your current benefit plan elections, dependents, and beneficiaries on UKG Ready.
  2. Make any updates or changes as needed (please see below regarding changes in medical/vision plans, Dental DPPO enhancements, and Employer Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions).
  3. Submit your elections in UKG Ready no later than November 20, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST. There will be no exceptions, so please be mindful of the dates of the Open Enrollment period if you are planning on making any changes or require vision coverage.

Medical, Dental, and Vision

If you do not make any changes during open enrollment, you will be enrolled in the medical and dental plans at the same coverage level you elected for 2026. Effective January 1, 2027, vision coverage will be unbundled from the medical plan options. If you wish to have vision coverage as of January 1, you must elect it separately from your medical plan coverage.

If you already have a separate vision plan coverage election, and don’t wish to enroll in separate medical plan benefits for 2027 or change coverage level, then you do not need to re-elect vision coverage.

If you are keeping the same dental plan and coverage level under the Dental DPPO or Dental DMO plan, there is no need to re-elect the plan or coverage during Open Enrollment.

Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts

Health Care and Dependent Care FSA elections do not roll over. You must re-enroll for 2027, even if you are not making other changes.

What’s New for 2027

Medical Plans

  • Aetna Network Core and Choice Plans: Copays for Urgent Care visits will increase to $50/visit and for Emergency Room visits will increase to $200/visit.
  • Choice Plan: Out-of-network co-insurance will change to 50% after the deductible, and the out-of-network out-of-pocket maximums will increase to $10,000 for individual coverage and $20,000 for family coverage.
  • Consumer Core High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP): The 2027 HDHP deductible will increase to $1,750 (individual) and $3,500 (family).
  • Medical and Vision Coverage will be unbundled. Elections must be made for each benefit plan and coverage level separately.
  • Expanded Clinical & Condition Management: Under all three medical plans, Aetna Personal Health Solutions will be implemented to enhance preventive care, support healthy lifestyles, and provide personalized resources for chronic and emerging health conditions.
  • Transform Oncology: Under all three medical plans, Transform Oncology will be introduced to deliver specialized guidance and advocacy for members undergoing cancer treatment.

The three medical plan options are: Aetna Consumer Core HDHP Plan Summary 2027 (PDF), Aetna Network Core Plan Summary 2027 (PDF) and Aetna Choice Plan Summary 2027 (PDF).

Dental Plans

  • Aetna Dental PPO: Preventive Care will no longer be counted towards the annual maximum limit.

The two dental plan options are: Aetna Dental PPO Plan Summary 2027 (PDF) and Aetna Dental DMO Plan Summary 2027 (PDF).

Vision Plan

  • Vision Coverage will be unbundled from medical plan options. If you want Vision Plan Coverage, you will need to elect it separately from your Medical Plan Coverage.

The vision plan offering is: Aetna Vision Preferred Plan Summary 2027 (PDF).

Health Savings Account (HSA)

  • The IRS HSA contribution limits (combine employee and employer contributions) will increase to:
    • Individual Coverage: $4,500*
    • Family Coverage: $9,000*
    • The combined total of employee and employer contributions cannot exceed the applicable IRS maximum contribution limit.
  • Employer Contribution*: As of January 1, 2027, Pace will add an annual employer contribution to your Health Savings Account (HSA) in the following amount:
    • Individual Coverage: $500
    • Family Coverage: $1,000
  • Contributions will be made, in equal per paycheck installments, throughout the plan year (through December 31).
  • Employee Contribution*: As Pace will be adding a 2027 Employer HSA Contribution, the maximum you can contribute to the HSA is as follows:
    • Individual Coverage: $4,000
    • Family Coverage: $8,000
  • Catch-up Contribution (Age 55+): If you are or will be at least age 55 in 2027, you can contribute an additional $1,000 to your account.

View more information on the health savings account Pace offers through Inspira Financial.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

  • Health Care FSA limit will increase to $3,500
  • Dependent Care FSA limit remains at $7,500 per household (or $3,750 if married and filing separately)
  • Health Care and Dependent Care FSA elections do not roll over. You must re-enroll for 2027 in order to participate in an FSA for the new plan year.

View more information on flexible spending accounts Pace offers through Inspira Financial.

Medical Plan Waiver Reimbursement

Effective January 1, 2027, Pace will no longer provide reimbursement to those who waive medical coverage under one of Pace’s Aetna medical plans.

Life Insurance – Basic and Voluntary

There will be no changes to the life insurance benefits. However, please use the Open Enrollment period as an opportunity to review/designate your Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance beneficiary(ies) in UKG Ready and, if you are also enrolled in (or are enrolling in) Dependent Life Insurance, confirm those who you are covering under the spousal life insurance and/or child life insurance benefits. You must designate in UKG Ready, by name, those who you are covering under the Dependent Life Insurance benefit.

View more information on life insurance Pace offers through Reliance.

Open Enrollment Resources and Education Sessions

  • 2027 Benefits Guide – A comprehensive description of the benefits available for 2027 and applicable annual Notices.
  • Gallagher Advocacy Center - Gallagher Advocacy Center (PDF) – the Gallagher Advocacy Center is available during this Open Enrollment period to provide support with Aetna plan-specific inquiries and to offer detailed plan comparison information to help you choose the best plan(s) for you and your family. Please call (800) 370-4679 for more information. Additionally, if you make contributions to the HSA or are thinking about participating in the Consumer Core HDHP with HSA in 2027, the Gallagher Advocacy Center can assist you in understanding how this plan works and how to calculate contributions, etc.
  • Access the 2027 Open Enrollment webinar - Includes detailed information about the benefits available in 2027, how the plans work and how to enroll.
  • Live Online Open Enrollment Education Sessions – Still have questions? Join one of the live online sessions where we will highlight what’s covered in the 2027 Open Enrollment Webinar and answer questions.
  • Plan Comparisons: Medical Plans - Side-by-Side Comparison (PDF)
  • Aetna Concierge Services Hotline: Aetna Concierge Services (PDF) at 1 (833) 691-1359 (available from 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. in all U.S. time zones) for claims and plan questions.
  • Aetna Networks: For those who will be enrolled in the High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) or in the Network Core Plan as of January 1, 2027, the network is the Aetna Open Access/Aetna Select. For those who will be enrolled in the Choice Plan, the network is the Aetna Choice POS II. The same contracted providers are available in both networks (Aetna is required to offer 2 networks due to the out-of-network benefits associated with the Choice Plan). Once enrolled in the Aetna medical and dental plans, the provider search will be available by logging into the Aetna website. As a reminder, you can also confirm with your provider(s) if they will continue to participate in the Aetna Open Access/Aetna Select (for HDHP and Network Core enrollees) or the Aetna Choice POS II (for Choice Plan enrollees) network during 2027.
  • Per Paycheck Employee Premiums (January 1, 2027–December 31, 2027)
  • Required Legal Notifications (PDF)

Need Help?

For assistance with your enrollment selections, please email the University Benefits office or email Open Enrollment.

Wellness and Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Resources

  • Fitness Reimbursement Program (for Medical Plan Participants) - Aetna offers employees covered under the medical plan up to $200 for visiting the gym 50 times in a 6-month period. Covered spouses/registered domestic partners can receive up to $100 for visiting the gym 50 times in a 6-month period. Find out more about the fitness reimbursement program (PDF).
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

General Reminders

  • Aetna ID Cards For Medical/Prescription Coverage, Virtual ID Card Only for Dental Coverage: Network Core and Choice Plans enrollees will receive new medical ID cards from Aetna this year. For those enrolled in the Consumer Core plan, new ID cards will generate digitally. However, anyone without an email address on file will receive a new physical ID card. If you are a new enrollee, the vision plan ID card will be mailed to your home by “EyeMed.” The vision plan ID card is in the name of the primary insured but can be used for all covered family members. ID cards for the dental plans are available in digital format only and will be accessible by logging into your Aetna account or via the Aetna Health Mobile App (PDF).
  • Qualifying Change in Family Status: All changes made during this Open Enrollment period will take effect on January 1, 2027 and will remain in effect through December 31, 2027. You cannot change your benefit selections until the next Open Enrollment period (which will be in fall 2027 for an effective date of January 1, 2028), unless you experience a qualifying change in family status during the new plan year.
  • Coverage to End of Calendar Year in Which Dependent Turns Age 26: A dependent is eligible for coverage under the medical, dental, and vision plans until the end of the calendar year in which they turn age 26. A dependent who ages off the plans at age 26 will be offered the opportunity to continue medical and dental coverage on COBRA.

Benefits to Consider Throughout the Plan Year (Can Be Changed During the Year)

Benefits Disclaimer

The HR/Benefits website is intended only to provide information for the guidance of Pace University employees. The writers of the content have exercised their best efforts to ensure accuracy of the information, but accuracy is not guaranteed. If there are any discrepancies between the information on the website, verbal representations and the Plan documents, the Plan documents will always govern. The information is subject to change from time to time, and the University reserves the right to change or terminate these Plans at any time. The information contained on the website is not intended to replace the plan documents, nor is the information in any way intended to imply a contract.