Annual Enrollment for Plan Year 2027
This year's Manatee YourChoice Annual Enrollment is now underway!
Please note that failure to enroll by the deadline may result in you being moved into a plan that you do not want! Be sure to log into the Benefit Express enrollment system and submit your elections before the deadline of Friday, November 13, 2026 at 11:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST).
Before you begin your enrollment, please review these helpful documents to compare last year's (2026) medical benefits vs. the new offerings for 2027:
What is Annual Enrollment?
Annual Enrollment is your one opportunity each year to make changes to the Manatee YourChoice benefits -- including medical, dental, and vision insurance -- for you and your eligible family members without experiencing a qualifying life event. (Changes to beneficiaries for life insurance can be made at any time, even outside of Annual Enrollment.) All benefit elections/changes made during the Annual Enrollment period will take effect on January 1, 2027.
Important Highlights/Updates for 2027:
- As a self-funded county health plan, Manatee YourChoice is responsible for covering the actual cost of medical claims. With healthcare expenses continuing to rise across the industry, the Premium Plan (medical) will have an employee premium rate increase of 8%, while the employee rates for the Standard Plan will remain unchanged from last year. These rates will be in effect starting January 1, 2027. Increases to the benefits premiums will support the ongoing financial stability of the plan.
- Copays for Primary Care Provider (PCP) visits under the Premium Plan will decrease to $25.
- Teleheath services through Teladoc will be free of charge ($0 copay) in both the Standard and Premium Plans. Other telehealth/remote services (provided by primary care or specialist doctors) will be subject to normal office-visit copays.
- The in-network calendar year deductible for the Standard Plan will increase to $500 for individual and $1,000 per family. For the Premium Plan, it will be $250 for individual and $500 per family.
- Copays for Urgent Care visits will increase to $75 in the Premium Plan, and $90 in the Standard Plan.
- Emergency Room visits under both Standard and Premium Plans will be subject to coinsurance (20% for the Standard Plan/10% for the Premium Plan) after meeting the calendar year deductible.
- Prescription drug costs for non-generic medications (Tiers 2, 3, and 4) are increasing in 2027. Please see the Prescription Drug chart below for information.
- Beginning January 1, 2027, the medical plan will no longer include any preventive dental coverage for children. Employees with child dependents in need of dental coverage are urged to enroll them in the dental plan.
- Physical therapy visits will no longer be free of charge for the first five visits per calendar year.
- Due to the higher overall dental-care costs, dental premium rates will increase slightly for 2027. There are no changes to the vision premium rates.
- For this Annual Enrollment only, employees who are already participating in the Additional Term Life Insurance benefit can increase it by one coverage level (example: 1x to 2x) without any Evidence of Insurability (medical questions) requirement. Please click here for an informational flyer about this enrollment opportunity.
- **NEW** Supplemental Plans -- Beginning January 1, 2027, The Hartford is offering new voluntary supplemental Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity insurance plans. The Hartford continues to offer Short Term Disability and Long Term Disability. Click here for information about these new benefits as well as information about The Hartford's existing disability benefits.
Medical Premium Rates for 2027:
Dental Premium Rates for 2027:
Vision Premium Rates for 2027:
Prescription Drug Coverage (included with the medical plans):
Please note that mail-order prescriptions through OptumRx are a convenient option for members of the plan. You may experience a significant cost savings on your 60- or 90-day supplies of mediciations ordered through the mail.
**Please click here to view the 2027 Annual Enrollment Information Sheet to compare medical plans and view other important information.
What Happens If You Don't Enroll:
Failure to make your medical plan elections in Annual Enrollment will result in the following default elections:
- Currently enrolled in the Premium Plan (2026) -- You will default to the Standard Plan for 2027.
- Currently enrolled in the Standard Plan (2026) -- You will default to the Standard Plan for 2027.
- Not currently enrolled in medical insurance coverage (2026) -- You will default to no medical coverage for 2027.
For all other benefits except Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), your previous plan election will carry over to the 2027 plan year. Flexible Spending Account amounts (Health Care FSA and/or Dependent Care FSA) must be re-elected each year to continue those benefits in the following year. Information about new contribution limits for plan year 2027, as well as the carryover amount, will be published as soon as they are released by the IRS (most likely in early-to-mid November).
Important Email Notifications During Annual Enrollment:
During or after Annual Enrollment, you will receive important email notifications regarding your benefit election changes. These communications will come from DoNotReply@wexapps.com.
Please note:
- This is an automated and legitimate email address used to deliver essential enrollment information.
- These messages are not spam. Be sure to check your inbox and spam/junk folders... just in case.
To ensure you don't miss any updates, we recommend adding DoNotReply@wexapps.com to your safe sender list.
How to Log In and Enroll:
- Go to http://manateeyourchoice.com.
- At the home page, go to the upper-right corner and click the blue button that says, "Benefits Login."
- Then, click the blue "Login" button under Benefit Express Enrollment System.
- Follow prompts to log in and enroll.
The User ID will always be your Employee ID#. Passwords have not changed. You will use the same password you used the last time you accessed the Benefit Express Enrollment System.
If you need to reset your password, click on the Forgot Password link on the log-in screen, or contact Employee Health Benefits (EHB) at benefits@mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501 ext. 6412 or ext. 6249. If your password has been reset, use the default password to log in. The default password is your capitalized first-name initial + your lowercase last-name initial + your 5-digit home zip code. (For example: John Smith living in zip code 34208 would be Js34208)
You may complete your enrollment by stepping through each of the windows and electing your coverage page by page. Once the enrollment is complete, you will receive a confirmation page. Please note: You are allowed to go back in the Annual Enrollment screens as many times as you want (to make changes); however, the system will permanently lock in your choices immediately after the November 13th deadline.
Important note: As you go through the Annual Enrollment process online, please make sure you actively select your desired benefits options. The default selections that appear when you first start the enrollment process may not reflect your preferred choices. The information listed below can assist you with choosing the appropriate plan(s) for you and your family members.
Attention New Hires!
If you were hired between September 2, 2026 and November 1, 2026, select the link below and follow the special instructions:
- New Hires hired between September 2, 2026 and October 1, 2026 (with a benefits effective date of November 1, 2026, click here
- New Hires hired between October 2, 2026 and November 1, 2026 (with a benefits effective date of December 1, 2026, click here
Documentation Requirements During Enrollment:
Employees wishing to add a new dependent to medical, dental or vision must have all Social Security Numbers and upload the appropriate form(s), such as marriage license or birth certificates, during the Annual Enrollment process. You may receive multiple reminders to upload the forms, but they only need to be uploaded once.
Important 1095-C Information:
In March 2027, you will receive a notification via email that the 1095-C tax form is available for viewing and download. The 1095-C form is for informational purposes only and is not required to file your taxes.
Contact Information:
Please contact benefits@mymanatee.org if you have any questions.