UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Human Resources’ annual work on next year’s employee health care plans is well underway. The University remains committed to providing affordable, high-quality health care coverage options for its employees while also responding to steadily increasing health care costs nationwide.
“Our main goal has always been — and continues to be — to offer our valued employees comprehensive and economical health care coverage for them and their families,” said Jennifer Wilkes, vice president for Human Resources and chief human resources officer. “To give you an idea of how this is done, each year our benefits team in consultation with stakeholders reviews our current costs, projected health care expenses and other factors that ultimately influence adjustments to plan designs or contribution rates for the coming year.”
“We know these health plans are critical to our employees and their families, and every year we keep their concerns and interests front-and-center as we work to provide stability in our plan designs, maximize benefits coverage and maintain affordability,” she said.
As part of annual work to determine benefits, Wilkes said Penn State Human Resources will continue to consult with key stakeholder groups across the University, including the Faculty Senate Benefits Committee, Health Care Advisory Committee, and the University Staff Advisory Council, in the coming weeks and months. She said Penn State HR expects to have final decisions for 2026 in early September and any changes will be communicated during Benefits Open Enrollment.
Penn State is self-insured, meaning the University and its employees together cover the full cost of employee health insurance. Penn State remains committed to covering 75% of health care costs, with employees sharing the remaining 25%.
In addition, the University has used a salary-based model for determining employees’ monthly health care contributions. This model, which has been in place since 2012, is designed to equitably share health care costs among employees using an employee’s exact annual base salary to determine how much each employee contributes for health care coverage.
In addition to necessary adjustments to meet the reality of rising health care costs, Penn State HR remains committed to providing employees with new benefits that meet their needs, based on employee feedback. The University has introduced several new benefits, including a third health plan option, as well as pet insurance, legal insurance and identity protection insurance.
Penn State also recently announced the Hinge virtual physical therapy benefit for employees, as well as introduced Scripta for employees, a free optional benefit that allows employees to save money on their prescriptions by switching to less expensive medications in consultation with their doctors.
Employees can access benefits information through the Penn State Human Resources website, as well as additional employee health and wellness resources. Employees who have questions about their benefits can contact Penn State HR via email or chat on WorkLion.