Change your coverage

Learn the requirements to make changes to your PEBB coverage. University of Washington employees must make changes through Workday.

Before you make a change to your health plan

Before you make a change, it is important to:

Make sure the health plan is available in your area.
Check the plan’s provider directory or contact your plan to make sure your provider is in the plan’s network.
Compare monthly plan costs (premiums).
Compare benefits and your costs for care (deductibles, coinsurance, and/or copays).

How to make changes

You must submit the appropriate form(s) to your personnel, payroll, or benefits office during the PEBB Program's annual open enrollment or when a special open enrollment event occurs, within the PEBB Program’s timelines.

Note: University of Washington employees must make changes through Workday.

To make a change during the PEBB Program’s annual open enrollment:

Your personnel, payroll, or benefits office must receive the appropriate Employee Enrollment/Change form between November 1 and 30. You may also make some changes using My Account.

To make a change when a special open enrollment event occurs:

Your personnel, payroll, or benefits office must receive the appropriate Employee Enrollment/Change form no later than 60 days after the event that created the special open enrollment along with proof of the event that created the special open enrollment (See PEBB Program Policy Addendum 45-2A for a list of valid documents). If adding a newborn or newly adopted child, and adding the child increases your premium, your employer must receive this form no later than 12 months after the birth or adoption.

Also, if you or your eligible dependent are interested in enrolling in a PEBB Medicare supplement plan, you have 6 months from the date of your enrollment in Medicare Part B to enroll.

Changes you can make any time

You can make some changes during the year without a special open enrollment event.

Note: University of Washington employees must make changes through Workday.

Change your name and/or address. Use the Employee Enrollment/Change form.
Remove dependent(s) from coverage due to loss of eligibility (required). Your personnel, payroll, or benefits office must receive a complete Employee Enrollment/Change form no later than 60 days after the event.
Change your life insurance beneficiary information. See the Life insurance page for details.
Apply for, cancel (terminate), or change coverage amounts for optional life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance. See the Life insurance page for details.
Apply for, cancel (terminate), or change auto or home insurance coverage. See the Auto & home insurance page for details.
Enroll in, cancel (terminate), or increase or decrease the waiting period for optional long-term disability coverage. Use the Long-Term Disability Enrollment/Change form. If you request to decrease the waiting period or enroll in optional LTD coverage later than 31 days after becoming eligible for PEBB benefits, you must also complete the Long-Term Disability Evidence of Insurability form. See the Long-term disability insurance page for details.
Start, stop, or change your contribution to your health savings account (HSA). Use the Employee Authorization for Payroll Deduction to Health Savings Account form.
Change your HSA beneficiary information. Use the Health Savings Account Beneficiary Designation form.

Plan change requirements

You can only change medical or dental plans during the PEBB Program's annual open enrollment (November 1 through 30) or if you a special open enrollment event occurs.
All eligible dependents must enroll in the same health plan. (Dependents can have different providers.)
If you have a provider you want to stay with, contact the new plan or check the plan’s provider directory to make sure your provider is in that plan’s network.
You may be enrolled in only one PEBB medical or dental plan. If you and your spouse or state-registered domestic partner are both eligible subscribers, you need to choose which of you will cover yourselves and your eligible children (including adult children who are also eligible for PEBB coverage as an employee). Enrolled dependents will be listed on one account, not both. However, you must enroll in dental, basic life insurance, and basic LTD insurance under your own account.

Special open enrollment

Certain events let you make account changes (like changing a health plan or enrolling a dependent) outside of annual open enrollment. We call these special open enrollment events.

You must provide proof of the event that created the special open enrollment (for example, a marriage or birth certificate) along with the Enrollment/Change form to your personnel, payroll, or benefits office no later than 60 days after the event.

These changes may be allowed as a special open enrollment:

If this event happens...	Add dependent	Remove dependent	Change PEBB medical and/or dental plan	Waive PEBB medical coverage	Enroll after waiving PEBB medical coverage
Marriage, registering a domestic partner, as defined by Washington Administrative Code 182-12-260(2), birth, adoption, or assuming a legal obligation for total or partial support in anticipation of adoption.	Yes¹	Yes²	Yes	Yes	Yes
Child becomes eligible as an extended dependent through legal custody or legal guardianship.	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
Employee or dependent loses eligibility for other coverage under a group health plan or through health insurance, as defined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
Employee has a change in employment status that affects the employee's eligibility for their employer contribution toward their employer-based group health plan.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Employee's dependent has a change in their own employment status that affects their eligibility for the employer contribution under their employer-based group health plan.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Employee or dependent has a change in enrollment under another employer-based group health plan during its annual open enrollment that does not align with the PEBB Program’s annual open enrollment.	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Employee's dependent moves from outside the United States to live within the United States, or from within the United States to live outside of the United States.	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Employee or dependent has a change in residence that affects health plan availability.	No	No	Yes	No	No
A court order requires the employee or any other individual to provide a health plan for an eligible child of the employee.	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Employee or dependent becomes entitled to or loses eligibility for Medicaid or a state Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Employee or a dependent becomes eligible for a state premium assistance subsidy for PEBB health plan from Medicaid or a state CHIP.	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
Employee or dependent becomes entitled to and enrolls in or loses eligibility for Medicare, or enrolls in or terminates enrollment in a Medicare Part D plan. Note: Waiving PEBB medical is only allowed if enrolling in Medicare. Enrolling after having waived PEBB medical is only allowed if lost eligibility for Medicare.	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Employee's or dependent’s current health plan becomes unavailable because the employee or dependent is no longer eligible for a health savings account (HSA).	No	No	Yes	No	No
Employee or dependent experiences a disruption of care that could function as a reduction in benefits for the employee or their dependent for a specific condition or ongoing course of treatment (requires approval by the PEBB Program).	No	No	Yes, if approved by PEBB	No	No
Employee or dependent becomes eligible and enrolls in a TRICARE plan, or loses eligibility for a TRICARE plan.	No	No	No	Yes	Yes

¹Subscriber may add only the new spouse, state-registered domestic partner, or child(ren) of the spouse or partner. Existing dependents may not be added.

²Subscriber may only remove a dependent from PEBB coverage if the dependent enrolls in the new spouse’s or state-registered domestic partner’s plan.

For more details about the changes you can make during these events, see PEBB Program Policy Addendum 45-2A and refer to the following Washington Administrative Code (WAC) sections:

The PEBB Program's annual open enrollment

From November 1 through 30 each year, you can make changes to your PEBB account that will take effect January 1 of the following year.

During open enrollment you can:

Change medical or dental plans.
Enroll or remove eligible dependents.
Enroll in a medical plan, if you previously waived PEBB medical for other employer-based group medical insurance coverage, a TRICARE plan, or Medicare.
Waive enrollment in PEBB medical if you have or are enrolling in other employer-based group medical insurance, a TRICARE plan, or Medicare effective January 1. (Coverage through the Health Benefit Exchange is not group coverage.)
Enroll or reenroll in a Medical Flexible Spending Arrangement (PEBB benefits-eligible state agency and higher-education employees only).
Enroll or reenroll in the Dependent Care Assistance Program (PEBB benefits-eligible state agency and higher-education employees only).
Change your election under the state’s premium payment plan.

Changes you can make online

During the PEBB Program's annual open enrollment you can make changes online using My Account. Note: University of Washington employees must make changes through Workday.

You can:

Change your medical and/or dental plan(s).
Waive medical coverage if you are enrolled in other employer-based group medical insurance coverage, a TRICARE plan, or Medicare (coverage through the Health Benefit Exchange is not group coverage).
Remove dependents from your coverage.

Please print or save your confirmation page when you’ve completed your changes. Check back in two business days to verify the coverage you selected and your spousal or state-registered domestic partner coverage attestation is correct.

When you submit an online plan change, please wait two business days to make any additional online plan changes.