Insurance Changes
Effective January 1, 2026, the medical plans will be administered by United Healthcare (UHC), the PPO dental plan will be administered by Delta Dental of Illinois (Delta), and the prescription drug plan will be administered by CVS Caremark (CVS).
Medical Plans
Information on rates and plan details (e.g., rates, deductibles, co-pays, etc.) will be communicated later this summer, but faculty and staff now can verify if their health care providers and facilities are considered in-network. To check network status, choose one of the options below and carefully follow the instruction prompts in the document to ensure a smooth process.
- For PPO coverage, you can contact your provider and ask if they are in-network for UHC’s Choice Plus network. Or you can use UHC’s PPO Provider Finder.
- For HMO coverage, you can contact your provider and ask if they are in-network for UHC’s HMO, Navigate Balanced HMO, or Navigate Plus HMO networks. Or you can use UHC’s HMO Provider Finder.
Action Required in October: Those who have been enrolled in medical plans in 2025 must enroll during Open Enrollment to remain covered for 2026. Northwestern’s Open Enrollment will run from Monday, October 27, 2025 through Friday, November 14, 2025, for coverage starting 1/1/2026. No action is required before then. Again, this information is a preview of Open Enrollment but you will not be able to make your elections until October 27, 2025.
Prescription Coverage
Northwestern will switch from ExpressScripts to CVS Caremark. Information regarding the prescription drug plan’s formulary and co-pay schedule will be available this summer. The majority of current prescription drugs will be covered under this new plan.
PPO Dental Coverage
Delta Dental offers more dentists in network than our current dental insurance provider. Faculty and staff can verify that their dentists are in-network by doing one of the following:
Delta Dental offers more PPO dentists in network than our current dental insurance provider. Faculty and staff can verify that their dentists are in-network by doing one of the following:
- Use Delta’s online provider finder.
- Contact your dentist’s office and ask if they are in-network for Delta's PPO network.
- Call Delta at 800-323-1743 and ask if your dental provider(s) are in-network for Delta's PPO network.
No change is being made to the Guardian Dental HMO plan.