Total Rewards (Compensation and Benefits)

The University of Delaware is separating from the State of Delaware’s Group Health Insurance Plan, starting July 1, 2025, to begin offering a self-funded healthcare plan for University faculty, staff and retirees.

Management of the following benefit plans will shift to the University of Delaware:

• Medical insurance

  • Highmark First State Basic 

  • Highmark Comprehensive PPO

  • Aetna CDH Gold

  • Aetna HMO

  • Highmark Special Medicfill (medicare supplement)

• Prescription drug

  • CVS Caremark

• Employee Assistance Program 

  • Vendor TBD

• Retiree Dental insurance

  • Vendor TBD

The University will begin managing its benefit plans on the following dates:

• Active employees: The plan year begins July 1, 2025.

• UD retiree Dental and pre-65 medical: The plan year begins July 1, 2025.

• UD retiree Special Medicfill: The plan year begins Jan. 1, 2026.

The University of Delaware is committed to providing our employees and retirees with the best benefits package. In our current model of participating in the State of Delaware’s Group Health Insurance Plan, we do not have decision-making discretion and autonomy to tailor our coverage to the best meet the needs of our population. Further, the current University rates are decided based upon the claims that all State of Delaware participants incur, versus just University of Delaware participants, which can inflate premiums to cover the broad population of the state. Lastly, the University has been concerned about recent, significant and unexpected rate increases in the state’s system, which have been particularly stark in the last two years, and with greater increases anticipated over the next several years. Therefore, after careful consideration coupled with the feedback of many stakeholders, the University decided to move to a self-funded healthcare plan to secure discretion in decision-making to best meet the needs of our population, to align rate premiums with university employee experiences, and to obtain more control over cost management.

This decision was made with great care and consideration following a yearlong process led by UD Human Resources, accounting for the collective and individual perspectives of our employees and retirees, while also exploring alternative options and consulting with industry experts. The University engaged a benefits broker with extensive experience working with higher education institutions to conduct a four-year medical and prescription claims analysis, comparing the State of Delaware’s plan and a projected self-insured model. The University also conducted a benchmarking study, consulted the Benefits and Cost Containment Committee, and led a comprehensive request-for-proposals process to solicit vendors.

Yes. Management of our benefit plans will allow the University to:

• Improve the healthcare and employee experience.

  • A self-funded plan provides better access to data, through which the University can gather detailed insights, help identify trends and cost drivers, and enable cost-containment strategies and better decision-making.

• Provide more control over our plan’s design.

  • In this model, the University has decision-making discretion and autonomy to tailor its coverage options and benefits to best meet the needs of our population, providing better coverage and potentially reducing unnecessary expenses. The University also has the ability to negotiate networks through direct provider relationships that can improve costs and quality of services.

• Support more-sustainably priced coverage. 

  • The University has been concerned about recent, significant and unexpected rate increases in the state’s system, which have been particularly stark in the last two years, and with greater increases anticipated over the next several years. With a self-funded plan, the University can better project future budget impacts. Additionally, the University is only responsible for the claims that our participants incur, rather than inflated premiums to cover the broad population of the state.

Yes. President Assanis has appointed a University-wide Benefits Advisory Committee (BAC) that will consider and make recommendations on benefits provided to employees, such as healthcare. The membership of the BAC will consist of nine representatives from Human Resources (2), the American Association of University Professors (2), non-unionized staff (2), AFSCME unions (1 from each local) and the Fraternal Order of Police (1). BAC will be co-chaired by representatives from HR and AAUP-UD; members of the BAC will be selected or elected by their constituencies as they see fit. The BAC may make recommendations to the administration on any issue involving benefits.

Open enrollment for the 2025-26 plan year is from May 1–16, 2025.

All benefits-eligible employees will be required to make a benefits election during the open enrollment period. If you do not make an election during this period, it could result in delays or a lapse of coverage. The HR team will be diligently monitoring enrollment activity and following up with employees as needed to try and ensure that elections are made within the enrollment period.

Highmark, Aetna, and CVS Caremark will issue new cards to participants in the plan.

No employee at the University will have access to individual claims data. No one at UD will be able to see individual claims data. The University of Delaware remains compliant with the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

We do not anticipate any gaps in coverage for employees who make benefits elections within the open enrollment period.

The University of Delaware will not make any medical or prescription vendor, plan design or employee contribution changes to our current offerings for active employees in FY26. If you switch benefits plans or change your coverage tier level, you may incur additional expenses depending on the costs associated with that plan. 

The University of Delaware will not make any medical or prescription vendor, plan design or employee contribution changes to our current offerings for active employees in FY26. Therefore, if you choose to remain on the same plan for FY26, your coverage will remain the same. All benefits-eligible employees must log in to Flexnet and make an active election.

Your dependents may be covered under your health plan if they meet the eligibility requirements. Typically, eligible dependents include:

• Spouse 

• Dependent Children 

• Disabled dependents

Yes. Current active, pension-eligible employees will move back to the State of Delaware’s Group Health Insurance Plan upon retirement.

No. All active, benefits-eligible employees will be moving to the University of Delaware’s self-funded plan. Pension-eligible employees will then move back to the State of Delaware’s Group Health Insurance plan upon retirement.

Double State Share refers to a benefit program that is available only to two individuals who are married before January 1, 2012, and are/were both employed (in a benefited-eligible position)  or retired from their employment before January 1, 2012, with: the State of Delaware, the University of Delaware, Delaware Transit Corporation, Delaware Solid Waste Authority or Delaware State Housing Authority. Those who are eligible for the Double State Share benefit pay a different rate for participation in the State of Delaware Group Health Insurance Plan. The transition to the University’s self-funded health plan will not affect current participants in this program.

Your enrollment in the Medicare Supplemental plan, Special Medicfill, will remain the same.

The UD Human Resources Benefits team is available to answer additional questions. Email HRhelp@udel.edu, complete this form or call (302) 831-2171 for support.