Open Enrollment

2025 Plan Year Open Enrollment for Flexible Spending was Monday, November 4, 2024 - Friday, November 22, 2024 at 4:30pm.

Electronic Delivery of Open Enrollment (OE) Notifications and packets 2025

To save resources and better serve our employees, the City has moved to providing Open Enrollment packets digitally.  A courtesy email was sent on the first day of each Open Enrollment period to all employees with an email address on file in Munis. This email directed employees to log on to Employee Self Service (ESS) to view the Open Enrollment Notification, which provides relevant information (including Benefit Groups for Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance) and links to the Human Resources Open Enrollment webpage.  

For Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance, all benefit-eligible employees were directed to acknowledge receipt of the Notification in their ESS account. Acknowledgment of receipt is not being required for Flex Spending.

Flexible Spending

Flexible Spending Open Enrollment for the 2025 plan year is November 4, 2024 - November 22, 2024 at 4:30 pm.

A New Enrollment/Election is required each year if participating. Enrollment will be made online through Employee Self Service (ESS) by logging into your account. Paper/PDF forms are not accepted for Flex Spending Open Enrollment elections.

Eligible employees will receive Electronic Notification of Flexible Spending Open Enrollment materials for the 2025 Plan Year.

• Open Enrollment Memo
• Medical FSA Worksheet
• Healthcare Flexible Spending Account Eligible Expenses
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account Eligible Expenses
• HIPAA Privacy Notice

2025 Plan Year Open Enrollment

Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance Open Enrollment for the 2025 Plan Year was September 30, 2024 - October 25, 2024 at 4:30pm. During this time, employees may enroll in health insurance, dental insurance, and/or vision insurance for the upcoming plan year, change health insurance carriers, change coverage levels, add or remove eligible dependents, or cancel coverage without a qualifying event.  Open Enrollment changes for these benefits take effect January 1, 2025.

ESS Benefit Group Links (Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance)

Review the ESS Notification to confirm your Benefit Group.

• Group A: Permanent Full Time (100% FTE): Health, Dental, Vision. full time employees (this includes limited term and acting) Mayor, Municipal Court Judge.
• Group B: WRS Eligible Permanent Less than Full-Time: Health, Dental, Vision.  Including Council Members
• Group C: Metro Transit: Compensation Groups 41 & 42 only: Health, Dental, Vision.
• Group D: WRS Eligible Hourly Employees: Health Only (except CG28 IATSE who don't participate in City's Health Insurance Program).
• Group E: Non-WRS Permanent Less than Full-Time: Dental & Vision only, Includes Non-WRS Council members.

Note: even if you are not making changes, make sure to read memos and review the 2025 Decision Guide for What's Changing in 2025.

Health Insurance - "It's Your Choice"

• Change coverage online (with the exception of cancellations; must submit cancellations via paper form) 

  Note:  ETF has confirmed that only employees with active WAMS passwords will be able to make changes online this Open Enrollment period. If you need to reset your WAMS password or are otherwise unable to log in to the portal, you will need to submit health insurance changes with a paper form this year.  This is due to Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) changing to a new system in summer 2025. 

• Memo: It's Your Choice Open Enrollment for Health Insurance

• Health Insurance Application/Change Form
  You do not need to complete a paper application if you have submitted an online change request. If necessary, paper Health Insurance Application/Change Forms may be printed and submitted to Human Resources (215 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd Ste 261, Madison, WI 53703) during business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm); by inter-departmental mail; or faxed to 608-267-1115. If none of these options are available to you, you may choose to send in your paper application via USPS. The form may also be submitted electronically to Human Resources at benefits@cityofmadison.com; however, if you opt to use email, please encrypt your message using email encryption, as all City emails are subject to Open Records Requests.

  In all of these cases, the form must be received in the Human Resources office by 4:30pm on Friday, October 25 to be processed. 

• ETF - It's Your Choice 2025
• ETF - It's Your Choice 2025 Decision Guide
• ETF - Health Plan Search 2025 (includes provider directories for available plans)
• ETF - Vaccinations available at in-network pharmacies at no cost. Click for more information

2025 Health Insurance Premium Rates

Employee contributions to health insurance premiums are deducted from the first paycheck of each month, for the following month's coverage. For example: The employee contribution to the premium for January 2025 coverage will be deducted from the 12/06/2024 paycheck.

Please see the packet for your Benefit Group (linked above) for 2025 health insurance rates.

ETF Resources for Health Insurance: 

• ETF Web Resource for Medical Premium Increases
• 2025 Insurance Changes-Online forums & On-Demand Video

Dental Insurance

• Memo: Delta Dental Insurance Enrollment, Including Rates
• 2025 Dental Insurance Coverage Summary (English); Spanish version
• Instructions for Submitting Dental Insurance Open Enrollment Requests through Employee Self Service (ESS)
• Search for a Delta Dental in-network Provider

Vision Insurance

• Memo: DeltaVision Insurance Enrollment, Including Rates
• 2025 Vision Insurance Coverage Summary (English); Spanish version
• Instructions for Submitting Visions Insurance Open Enrollment Requests through Employee Self Service (ESS)
• Search for a DeltaVision in-network provider