Open enrollment is almost over. Don’t miss these 2026 changes
The one time of year Northeastern employees can make changes to their university benefits ends this Friday. We combed through Human Resources’ guides, and here’s what stands out.
It may seem early to start thinking about the year 2026, but for Northeastern faculty and staff, it’s high time: open enrollment is here, and it’s going fast. The one opportunity for benefits-eligible university employees in the United States to make changes to everything from health insurance to retirement savings started Oct. 27 and runs through Nov. 7.
If you’ve done open enrollment before, you know the drill: click into Workday, change one or two things, submit and forget. But the coming year brings with it a few substantive changes that are worth knowing before you make your selections.
The list below is far from comprehensive: you can check out Human Resources’ 34-page benefits guide and 2026 Open Enrollment article for that. The changes below stood out, however — and NGN has done a little bit of outside digging to provide additional context.
A big bump for child care savings
Through the university, employees can set money aside before taxes for a range of anticipated costs throughout the year, including health expenses not covered by insurance and care for children or other dependents. For 2026, the Internal Revenue Service increased the maximum annual contribution for individual Health Saving Accounts by $100 — from $4,300 in 2025 to $4,400 in 2026. The limit for a family account will go up from $8,550 to $8,750. The biggest boost, however, is in dependent care savings. In 2025, families could set aside up to $5,000 before taxes to help offset the cost of child care; this year, it’s increased to $7,500. That’s a lot of babysitting.
Other child care updates: Employees now get 15 backup care days through a Northeastern-sponsored Care.com membership; five can be from providers outside the Care.com network.
Editor’s Picks
Health premiums are going up, but not much
Northeastern offers three health insurance plans through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Depending on the plan, and how many dependents you have enrolled, your monthly premium will go up between $14.51 and $89.89. Monthly vision and dental insurance costs are also going up, but by less than a dollar. Here’s a personal tip: if you’re unsure which plan will best fit your needs, Claude can help outline the pros and cons of each.
The triumphant return of fitness rewards
Virgin Pulse and HealthyYou are so early 2020s. Next year, the university will roll out AHealthyMe, a program through BlueCross BlueShield. AHealthyMe allows users to track healthy habits like exercise, sleep, and getting routine health checkups and seasonal vaccines to earn points toward rewards, including cash. (Northeastern’s program specifics are yet to come, but other programs let users earn up to $200 per year back.) According to the benefits guide (page 17), the program syncs with most fitness trackers.
New voluntary resources for big health challenges
Employees will have access to two new programs to help navigate health care events with a lot of moving parts. First, a voluntary partnership with Lantern Centers of Excellence can help with coordinating care before, during and after complicated surgeries — including joint, spine and bariatric procedures. Those enrolled in certain university health plans can have surgeries through Lantern covered, and care advocates can help match you with surgeons.
Also, a partnership with Dana-Farber Direct Connect can help employees and families facing cancer, with access to coordinators to help manage treatment at Dana-Farber.
Still have questions? You can ask a university HR benefits manager through the HR Service Center; they answer quickly.