Changes to PEBB benefits for 2026

The Public Employees Benefits Board (PEB Board) has authorized the following changes effective January 1, 2026. The Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) Program will provide more information about these and other changes in October before annual open enrollment.

Annual open enrollment dates have changed and are October 27 through November 24, 2025.

If you are a retiree or Medicare COBRA subscriber, visit Changes to PEBB retiree benefits for 2026.

Changes to all PEBB medical plans

• Deductible for Consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs): The IRS raised the minimum deductible for high-deductible health plans to $1,700 for single subscribers and $3,400 for families.
• Health savings accounts (HSAs): The IRS raised the health savings account annual maximum contribution to $4,400 for single subscribers and $8,750 for families.

Medical plan changes

Kaiser Permanente NW

• Hearing aids will no longer be capped at a specific dollar amount. Members must see an in-network provider to receive hearing aids or they will not be covered by the plan, and the member will have to pay for them out of pocket. Members can use the hearing aid benefit every 36 months.
• ClassPass Affinity (access to discounted fitness and wellness perks) will no longer be offered after December 31, 2025.

Kaiser Permanente WA

• Hearing aids will no longer be capped at a specific dollar amount. Members must see an in-network provider to receive hearing aids or they will not be covered by the plan, and the member will have to pay for them out of pocket. Members can use the hearing aid benefit every 36 months.
• ClassPass Affinity (access to discounted fitness and wellness perks) will no longer be offered after December 31, 2025.

Uniform Medical Plan

• UMP Plus–Puget Sound High Value Network (PSHVN) and UMP Plus–UW Medicine Accountable Care Network (ACN) will no longer be offered. If you are enrolled in one of these plans, you must choose a new plan during open enrollment, or you (and your enrolled dependents) will be automatically enrolled in UMP Classic. Learn more.
• Hearing aids will no longer be capped at a specific dollar amount. Members must see an in-network provider to receive hearing aids or they will not be covered by the plan, and the member will have to pay for them out of pocket. Members can use the hearing aid benefit every 36 months.
• Diagnostic and supplemental breast exams are covered without member cost share. This change is effective retroactive to January 1, 2025.

Dental plan changes

Uniform Dental Plan only. These do not apply to the DeltaCare or Willamette Dental plans.
(If you work for a city, tribal government, county, port, hospital, etc., contact your payroll or benefits office to see if your employer offers PEBB dental coverage.)

• Coverage for children: The annual deductible will be removed for children up to age 15.
• TMJ (temporomandibular joint dysfunction) limits will increase to $1,000 annually and $5,000 lifetime.

Flexible spending arrangements (FSAs)

Available to state agency and higher-education employees.

• Flexible spending arrangements (FSAs): The annual maximum contribution for the FSA and Limited Purpose FSA will increase to at least $3,300. (If the IRS announces an additional increase in the maximum contribution limit before the end of open enrollment, the PEBB Program will adopt those changes for 2026.)
• Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) FSA contribution is increasing to $300 and the income limit is increasing to $68,004.

Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP)

Available to state agency and higher-education employees.

• The annual maximum contribution for DCAP will increase to $7,500 for a single person or a married couple filing a joint income tax return and to $3,750 for each married person if filing separate income tax returns.

Long-term disability (LTD) insurance

(If you work for a city, tribal government, county, port, hospital, etc., contact your payroll or benefits office to see if your employer offers PEBB LTD insurance.)

• Employer-paid LTD: The monthly benefit for basic (employer-paid) LTD insurance will increase to $450. This benefit is offered at no cost to all eligible employees as long as their employer offers this benefit.
• Employee-paid LTD rates will decrease by 6 percent.

2026 employee-paid LTD rates

Per $1,000 of coverage

Rule changes

All changes to PEBB rules will be available at PEBB rules and policies and take effect January 1, 2026, unless otherwise noted. Here is a change that might affect you:

• When a subscriber’s dependent becomes eligible for the employer contribution toward PEBB benefits, the subscriber’s dependent will be automatically disenrolled from PEBB retiree insurance coverage.

2026 monthly premiums: employees

The PEB Board has authorized the following monthly premiums for 2026. All figures are rounded to the nearest dollar. If you would like to see if the premiums are different from your current premiums, see 2025 premiums.

State agency and higher-education employees

Employees who work for a city, tribal government, county, port, hospital, etc., must contact their payroll or benefits office to get their monthly premiums.

Notes

• SRDP is state-registered domestic partner.
• Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest offers plans in Clark and Cowlitz counties in Washington and select counties in Oregon.

Subscribers may also have to pay the following monthly premium surcharges.

• Tobacco use premium surcharge if you or any enrolled dependents use tobacco products: $25
• Spouse or state-registered domestic partner coverage premium surcharge if you enroll your spouse or SRDP and they choose not to enroll in another employer-based group medical plan that is comparable to PEBB’s Uniform Medical Plan (UMP) Classic: $50