Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment for 2026 Benefits is Oct. 14 - Nov. 7, 2025

Open Enrollment is your opportunity to make/change your plan elections, add/drop dependents for the upcoming year, and enroll in FSA/HSA. Selections made during Open Enrollment will be effective January 1, 2026. You will be able to make changes in Workday October 14th through November 7th, with a January 1, 2026 effective date.

What's New?

Aetna OAMC PPO Plan Updates - Effective 2026

Beginning January 1, 2026, the Aetna $200 PPO Plan will transition to the Aetna $300 PPO Plan. The in-network deductible will increase from $200/$600 to $300/$900 and must be met before coinsurance applies (except preventive care). At the same time, out-of-pocket costs will decrease: hospitalization and inpatient mental health will move from 20% coinsurance to $0, and emergency room visits will drop from a $100 copay to $0. Prescription coverage will also improve, with mail-order generics reduced from $30 to $20 and formulary brand medications lowered from $60 to $40.

Visit the attachments below for a full comparison of the 2025 and the 2026 plan summaries.

Enhancement/Changes

Vision Service Plan Enhancement – Increased Frame Allowance

County employees will see an increased allowance to their Frame Allowance for all VSP plans.

VSP Core Plan: Increase in frame allowance from $150 to $170
VSP Buy Up Plan: Increase in frame allowance from $200 to $250

Kaiser and Aetna Enhancement - Increased Fertility Benefit

County medical plans will offer expanded infertility coverage in line with California Senate Bill 729, including:

Diagnosis and treatment of infertility
Up to three completed oocyte retrievals
Unlimited embryo transfers

NOTE: Official benefit details and the Evidence of Coverage documents are still being finalized by the providers. We’ll share updates as soon as they become available.

NEW Financial Wellness Platform with Remotiv

This new resource helps you take control of your finances with tools to manage everyday money matters, set goals, and track retirement readiness, access to budgeting and savings tips, and your annual Retirement Readiness Report—all designed to build financial confidence.

If you are not already enrolled, you will still have access to the platform by accessing it through the OKTA chicklet called “Remotiv”, but we do encourage you to sign up for this NO COST benefit during Open Enrollment to receive an annual personalized Financial Wellness Assessment report in 2026.

FSA/HSA

If you wish to continue your Flexible Health or Dependent Care Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA), you must elect an annual amount during each Open Enrollment as this amount will not rollover from the previous plan year.

The maximum amount you may contribute to a Healthcare Flexible Spending Account for the 2026 plan year is $3,300.
The maximum amount you may contribute to a Dependent Day Care Flexible Spending Account is $7,500 a year.
The maximum amount you may contribute to a Health Savings Account (HSA) is $4,400 for individual and $8,750 for family coverage.

Open Enrollment Lunch and Learn Webinar Series

Benefit partners will be hosting 30-minute Presentations and Q&A sessions throughout the entire Open Enrollment period for employees to learn more about your benefits and plan options. Get answers to your benefit questions directly from the carriers!

The schedule along with more information about these sessions will be available at:

https://benefits.smc-hr.org/webinars/

Employee Benefits Guides & Rates