THE 2026 OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD IS NOVEMBER 5-NOVEMBER 18.

In 2026, Kaiser coverage increases 3.5% and we are changing dental and vision providers to Humana, which will provide a significant savings on those plans.

One of the responsibilities of the California-Pacific Board of Pension & Health Benefits is to annually determine the best medical, dental and vision coverage for the participants. Working with Alliance 360, our partner for this coverage, we seek the best rates at the least disruption in services. For 2026 we are pleased that Kaiser has only a 3.5% increase in medical coverage. This is extremely good, given the volatility in the market. 

For many years our dental and vision coverage has been provided by Guardian and VSP. On our behalf, Alliance 360 requested bids from other providers. As a result, Humana will provide our coverage: Dental PPO Low Humana Plan with an increased benefit has a 25% savings and the Dental PPO High Humana Plan has a 29% savings from the Guardian Plan.  The Vision plan with Humana has about a 12% savings from VSP.

The coverage will be the same and there should not be any disruption of services. 

If you experience any issues, you may contact Wanda Bethea, California-Pacific Conference Benefits Manager at wbethea@calpacumc.org.

2026 OPEN ENROLLMENT RESOURCES

• 2026 Guidelines for Sponsoring the Conference Plan
• 2026 Medical, Dental, and Vision Rates
• Benefits Open Enrollment Guide

Ease Online Enrollment Platform

• No more paper enrollment forms! You will make changes and view your coverage throughout the year in the Ease platform we adopted last year.
• If you are enrolled and not making any changes to your coverage for 2026 (such as adding or deleting a dependent), you don’t need to do anything to keep the coverage the same.
• If you are enrolled and are making changes to your coverage, you’ll be able to do it via the Ease portal.
• If you are NOT enrolled in the health plan but wish to enroll for 2026, please complete the Health Insurance Benefits Eligibility Form via this link in order to have your profile set up in Ease. Once your profile is set up, you will receive an email from Ease (noreply@ease.com) with your login information.
• All plan summaries may be found in the Ease portal. Please make sure to review the 2026 Rates.
• Note that the Guidelines for Sponsoring the Conference Health Plan have been revised for 2026. Please review them, especially if your church does not currently sponsor the Conference Health Plan and is considering doing so. 

ACTIONS NEEDED:

• If you are NOT enrolled in the health plan but wish to enroll for 2026, please complete the Health Insurance Benefits Eligibility Form via this link in order to have your profile set up in Ease. Once your profile is set up, you will receive an email from Ease (noreply@ease.com) with your login information.
• If you are currently enrolled and would like to change your benefits selection, you may do that on the Ease portal during the open enrollment period.
• Unless you have a qualifying event, if you do not make changes during this open enrollment your next opportunity to make changes will be next year’s Open Enrollment for your 2027 Health Benefits.
• If a pastor or church employee is not currently enrolled and will continue waiving the Cal-Pac health plan they should complete an Insurance Declination form.  The form will be routed to the Health Benefits office when submitted. Click here to complete the Health Insurance Declination Form

For open enrollment information and questions, please contact:
Wanda Bethea
Benefits Manager
wbethea@calpacumc.org

RECORDING: INFORMATION SESSION

The Cal-Pac Board of Pension and Health Benefits will hosted this information session to support this year’s open enrollment period. The session reviews the medical, dental, and vision offerings for the 2026 year, including any changes from the current year. This session will be helpful for clergy, church staff, and trustees.