Benefits Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment starts October 1 and ends October 31.

Open Enrollment is your annual opportunity to review your coverage options and ensure you have the benefits that are best for you and your family as you head into the new year. The following resources are available to assist you.

Please enroll in your benefit options for the 2024 plan year between October 1-31, 2023.

Informational Resources

The following information may assist you as you make decisions this open enrollment season:

Please review the appropriate Open Enrollment guide for your employment group:

Visit the Open Enrollment FAQ page to find answers to the most frequently asked questions about Open Enrollment. 

Visit the Voluntary Benefit FAQs to find answers to to frequently asked questions about voluntary benefits, such as vision, legal and critical illness insurance.

The Affordable Care Act requires that health plans and employers that provide self-insured plans provide comparative information to consumers on health plan options. In order to help consumers compare various plans that may be available to them, Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) documents like the ones provided on this page are laid out in a specific format and include specific groupings of information determined by the Affordable Care Act. The following SBC documents are available for health plan options MSU makes available to faculty and staff. Not all individuals are eligible for all plans.

Enrollment Instructions and Assistance Opportunities

Please enroll in your benefits options for the 2024 plan year between October 1-31, 2023.

The Enrollment Instructions and Video webpage provides detailed instructions to enroll in health, dental, life, accident and flexible spending account plans. 

You have the option to enroll in voluntary benefits such as vision, legal and critical illness insurance through the MSU Benefits Plus website . Please note: you may only enroll in, make changes, or cancel voluntary vision, legal, and critical illness insurance during the Open Enrollment period in October.

We're offering an in-person Benefits Fair on October 12 from Noon – 7 p.m. at the Breslin Student Events Center. Find more details on the MSU Benefits Fair Information webpage, including information on how to make a flu shot appointment with the MSU Health Care Pharmacy.

Consider participating in an HR Site Lab to ask questions or receive assistance with enrollment from HR staff. In-person and virtual site lab options are available.

October 18 (Virtual)  | 9:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m.

October 24 (In-person)  | 10:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. | International Center, 427 N. Shaw Ln, East Lansing, MI 48824 

October 31 (In-person)  | 8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. | HR Building, 1407 S. Harrison Rd, East Lansing 48823

Find more details on the HR Site Labs webpage.  

The Online Benefit Provider Resources webpage  offers a variety of resources from our MSU benefit providers that you can review online at any time. Resources include brochures, videos, contact information for further questions, and more. This is a great resource if you're unable to attend the in-person benefits fair.

Frequently Asked Questions

The following are the most common questions we receive during the Open Enrollment period. Find additional answers on the Open Enrollment FAQ webpage .

Review page 6 in the appropriate Open Enrollment guide to determine if you need to do anything during the Open Enrollment period:

Voluntary benefits – such as vision, legal and critical illness insurance, among others – are offered through MSU Benefits Plus and are not administered by MSU. If you are already enrolled in the voluntary benefits and wish to continue your coverage, no action is needed. If you wish to add new coverage, make changes, or cancel existing coverage, please visit the MSU Benefits Plus website. Contact MSU Benefits Plus at 888-758-7575 with any questions.

Voluntary benefits (including VSP vision insurance) are administered directly through MSU Benefits Plus (not MSU) and do not appear on your MSU benefit email confirmation statement when you participate in Open Enrollment through the EBS Portal.

When you enroll in a voluntary benefits plan through the MSU Benefits Plus website, you will receive an email confirmation statement directly from MSU Benefits Plus.

After you log in to the MSU Benefits Plus website, click on Manage My Benefits to view a summary of your enrollment elections. Click on My Deductions to view an itemized list of your voluntary benefit deductions. The My Benefits section only provides participation status on products you have enrolled in within the MSU Benefits Plus website—such as vision, legal and critical illness insurance.

Please note: MSU retirees do NOT need to complete the affidavit.

Completed Affidavit Online: When completing enrollment through the EBS portal, you will receive a benefit email confirmation statement. To verify you have completed the affidavit successfully, review the affidavit reply date on your benefit confirmation statement under the Health Plan Affidavit section. If the date listed is within the Open Enrollment period, you have completed the affidavit successfully.

Completed Affidavit via Email/Mail: If you were mailed the open enrollment guide and you submitted the affidavit via email or mail, you can login to the EBS Portal, select My Benefits on the top navigation, click on Current Benefit Participation and preview your benefit confirmation statement to validate the affidavit reply date. If the date is not updated, please contact the HR Solution Center at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu or 517-353-4434 (toll-free 800-353-4434) to verify receipt. It may take 7-10 business days to show an updated affidavit reply date.

Most elections continue each year without the need to re-enroll. Exceptions include flexible spending accounts and the completion of the spouse/OEI affidavit for benefit-eligible employees (retirees do NOT need to complete the affidavit).

Review page 6 in the appropriate Open Enrollment guide to determine if you need to do anything during the Open Enrollment period:

Completing Open Enrollment Online: After completing enrollment through the EBS Portal, you will receive an email confirmation statement. Review the confirmation statement to validate your plan elections are correct. If your elections look correct, you have completed open enrollment. If you would like to make any changes, you can go back through the open enrollment application in the EBS Portal through October 31 and review the confirmation statement received after making the desired changes.

Completing Open Enrollment via Email/Mail: If you were mailed the open enrollment guide and you submitted an enrollment/change form via email or mail, you can login to the EBS Portal, select My Benefits on the top navigation, click on Current Benefit Participation and preview your benefit confirmation statement to validate your plan elections. If your elections look correct, you have completed open enrollment. If you would like to make changes, you can submit a new enrollment form through October 31 and review the confirmation statement received after making the desired changes.

Note: Please allow 3–5 days for the delivery of the U.S. mail. Once received by our HR Solutions Center, your enrollment elections will be completed within 7–10 business days. If you do not see your updated elections at that time, please contact our HR Solution Center at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu or 517-353- 4434 (toll-free 800-353-4434) to verify receipt.

MSU Retiree Open Enrollment Information

The following resources may assist retirees and their covered dependents during Open Enrollment:

Humana will be presenting during the MSU Benefits Fair at the following times (no need to RSVP): 

  • MSU Benefits Fair (In-person) on October 12
    Breslin Student Events Center
    Group Medicare Advantage PPO Plan: 2:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. | 3:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 
    MSU Non-Medicare PPO Plan: 5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m.
  • Find more details on the MSU Benefits Fair webpage, including parking information and participating vendors.

Please use the following links to learn more about the Humana health care plans.

Please find monthly premium rates for health and dental plans, including rates for MSU retirees who worked part-time while employed, on the Retiree Monthly Premiums for Health and Dental (including part-time retirees) webpage .

Last Year's Open Enrollment Materials

Below are links to the open enrollment materials released last year for the 2023 plan year. These resources are available as a reference to the current benefits year only. They do not include information about options for 2024.

The Affordable Care Act requires that health plans and employers that provide self-insured plans provide comparative information to consumers on health plan options. In order to help consumers compare various plans that may be available to them, Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) documents like the ones provided on this page are laid out in a specific format and include specific groupings of information determined by the Affordable Care Act. The following SBC documents are available for health plan options MSU makes available to faculty and staff. Not all individuals are eligible for all plans.