2026 Medical Plans

The HDHP works differently than RIT’s other plans.

• Lower premiums, higher out-of-pocket costs: You pay less each paycheck but more out of pocket when you receive non-preventive care.
   
• Deductible first: You pay the full cost of your non-preventive medical care and prescriptions until you meet your deductible.
   
• After deductible: After meeting your deductible, you pay 20% coinsurance for medical services and copays for prescriptions until you reach your out-of-pocket maximum.
   
• After Your Out-Of-Pocket Maximum: Once you reach your out-of-pocket maximum, the plan pays 100% of eligible expenses for the rest of the year.
   
• Health Saving Account (HSA): The HDHP includes access to an HSA, which allows you to save tax-free dollars for qualified medical expenses, giving you more control and flexibility in how you manage your health care spending.

• Preventive care at no cost: Annual check ups and screenings are covered at 100% even before you meet your deductible. 
• Prescription coverage: You pay the full cost of prescriptions until you meet your plan deductible.
• Specialists and hospitals: Access to the same in-network options as the POS plans.
• Emergency care: Covered after the deductible; your out-of-pocket maximum protects you from high costs.
• Telehealth options: See doctors virtually at a lower cost than in-office visits.
• Allowed amount maximum fees: The maximum amount an in-network provider has agreed to accept as payment for a covered service. You won’t be billed for charges above this amount.  
• National in-network coverage: Ideal for employees and dependents living outside the Rochester area.

Summary provided by Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield highlighting the key features, benefits, and coverage details of your medical plans. View the HDHP Medical Plan Summary, which has been updated to include RIT hearing benefits and other services.

The Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) is a federally required document under the Affordable Care Act that clearly outlines health insurance plan’s benefits and costs. Provided by Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, the SBC uses a standardized format to present key information and coverage examples, helping you compare and understand your options.

HDHP SBC Document

• Enrollment is optional: Elect the HSA in Oracle during open enrollment if you want to participate.
   
  • Employees will receive a welcome email from Fidelity in November, and reminder emails through December, with instructions for account setup. You’ll receive a debit card to access these funds.
     
  • Fidelity charges a $20 annual account maintenance fee, billed in $5 quarterly installments and deducted from your HSA funds.
     
• Make pre-tax contributions from your paycheck to your HSA in any amount you choose, up to the IRS annual limits.
   
• RIT contributes to the HSA for all regular full-time employees: 
  • $300 for employees with individual coverage
  • $600 for employees covering one or more dependents
  • Contributions are credited in two installments: half in March, half in September.
  • Part-time employees receive half of the full-time contribution.
     
• You can change your HSA payroll contribution at any time during the year, even after your initial open enrollment election.
   
• Please note: You cannot open an HSA directly with Fidelity. To ensure RIT payroll deductions are deposited correctly, you must elect the HSA through Oracle.

Note: If you are age 55 or older, you’re eligible to contribute an additional $1,000 per year.

You must meet specific eligibility requirements to contribute to an HSA. Before enrolling, please review the requirements below to ensure you are eligible:

• Must be enrolled in an HDHP. The IRS requires you to be enrolled in a qualified HDHP to contribute to an HSA. You cannot contribute if you are enrolled in a POS plan.
   
• No Health Care FSA. If you contribute to an HSA, you cannot contribute to a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA), including through your spouse’s employer. You may, however, contribute to both an HSA and a Dependent Care FSA at the same time.
   
• Not eligible with certain coverage. If you are enrolled in any part of Medicare, TRICARE or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you are not able to participate in an HSA.
   
• Important: If you or your spouse are enrolled in a health care flexible spending account (FSA) for 2025 and enroll in the HDHP for 2026, you must spend down your FSA balance to $0 by Dec. 31, 2025, to be eligible to contribute to the HSA or receive RIT’s employer contribution.

Please note that a domestic partner who is not a tax dependent is not eligible for you to use your HSA funds on. However, an enrolled domestic partner can have their own FSA to cover their expenses while you maintain an HSA.

Ownership and Portability

• Your HSA funds are yours to keep, even if you change medical plans, leave RIT or retire.
   
• Unlike an FSA, your unspent HSA funds roll over each year, there is no “use it or lose it” rule.
   

Tax Benefits

• When you contribute: Your HSA contributions are made before taxes, which means you’ll pay less in taxes on your overall income.
   
• As your account grows: You earn tax-free interest on your money over time. The interest you earn even earns interest!
   
• When you spend: When you use your HSA funds for qualified health care expenses, you don’t pay taxes on those withdrawals.
   

Using and Investing your HSA

• You decide whether to pay for eligible health care expenses with HSA funds or out-of- pocket.
   
• Saving your HSA dollars now can help you pay for significant or unexpected health care expenses in the future.
   
• You can invest some or all of your balance in a variety of funds through Fidelity. This gives your savings the potential to grow over time, like a retirement plan for health care expenses.
   
• You can pay yourself back for eligible expenses only if your HSA was open when you incurred the cost. To take full advantage, it’s best to open your account as early as possible, ideally by January 1.

Both a Health Savings Account (HSA) and a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) let you set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for medical, dental, and vision expenses. But there are important differences between the two accounts.

• Copay Plan: With POS A, you pay a predictable copay each time you receive care
• Higher premium: You’ll pay more from your paycheck, but pay less when you need care.
• There’s no deductible for in-network services or deductible/coinsurance for certain services (inpatient hospitalization, outpatient surgery, advanced imaging) as in the other POS plans, so you don’t have to meet a higher upfront cost before coverage starts.

• Preventive care at no cost: Annual check ups and routine screenings are covered at 100% ($0 copay). 
   
• In-network providers offer the best value. As long as you use in-network providers, your costs remain low and consistent. 
   
• Out-of-network care is covered, but at a higher cost and may require claim submissions.

• Predictable copays for services like:
  • Non-preventive services
  • Specialist visits
  • Hospitalization
  • Imaging

Summary provided by Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield highlighting the key features, benefits, and coverage details of your medical plans. View the POS A Medical Plan Summary, which has been updated to include RIT hearing benefits and other services.

The Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) is a federally required document under the Affordable Care Act that clearly outlines health insurance plan’s benefits and costs. Provided by Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, the SBC uses a standardized format to present key information and coverage examples, helping you compare and understand your options. 

POS A SBC Document

• Copay Plan + Limited Deductible: You pay a predictable, fixed copay each time you receive non-preventire care, except for certain services.
• Limited Deductible: This plan includes a limited deductible that only applies to inpatient hospitalization, outpatient surgery, and advanced imaging tests such as MRIs and CT scans.
• Coinsurance: After meeting the deductible for any of those services, you pay 20% coinsurance and the plan pays the remaining 80%.

• Preventive care at no cost: Annual check ups and routine screenings are covered at 100% ($0 copay.)
• In-network providers offer the best value. As long as you use in-network providers, your costs remain low and consistent. 
• Out-of-network care is covered, but at a higher cost and may require claim submissions.
• Predictable copays for services like:
  • Non-preventive services
  • Specialist visits
  • Prescriptions

Summary provided by Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield highlighting the key features, benefits, and coverage details of your medical plans. View the POS B Medical Plan Summary, which has been updated to include RIT hearing benefits and other services.

The Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) is a federally required document under the Affordable Care Act that clearly outlines health insurance plan’s benefits and costs. Provided by Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, the SBC uses a standardized format to present key information and coverage examples, helping you compare and understand your options.

POS B SBC Document

Copay Plan + Deductible

• Copay: You pay a predictable, fixed copay each time you receive care.
• Deductible: This plan includes a limited deductible that only applies to prescription coverage. 

• Preventive care at no cost: Annual check ups and routine screenings are covered at 100% ($0 copay). 
• In-network providers offer the best value. As long as you use in-network providers, your costs remain low and consistent. 
• Out-of-network care is covered, but at a higher cost and may require claim submissions.
• Predictable copays for services like:
  • Primary visits
  • Specialist visits
  • Urgent care
  • Lab tests and routine x-rays
• Prescription drugs: 
  • Full cost until the Rx deductible is met
  • Then fixed copays apply

Summary provided by Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield highlighting the key features, benefits, and coverage details of your medical plans. View the POS D Medical Plan Summary, which has been updated to include RIT hearing benefits and other services.

The Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) is a federally required document under the Affordable Care Act that clearly outlines health insurance plan’s benefits and costs. Provided by Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, the SBC uses a standardized format to present key information and coverage examples, helping you compare and understand your options. 

POS D SBC Document

• Copay Plan + Limited Deductible: You pay a predictable, fixed copay each time you receive non-preventire care, except for certain services.
• Limited Deductible: This plan includes a limited deductible that only applies to inpatient hospitalization, outpatient surgery, and advanced imaging tests such as MRIs and CT scans.
• Coinsurance: After meeting the deductible for any of those services, you pay 20% coinsurance and the plan pays the remaining 80%.

• Preventive care at no cost: Annual check ups and routine screenings are covered at 100% ($0 copay). 
   
• In-network providers offer the best value. As long as you use in-network providers, your costs remain low and consistent. 
   
• Out-of-network care is covered, but at a higher cost and may require claim submissions.
   
• Predictable copays for services like:
  • Primary visits
  • Specialist visits
  • Urgent care

Summary provided by Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield highlighting the key features, benefits, and coverage details of your medical plans. View the BluePPO Medical Plan Summary, which has been updated to include RIT hearing benefits and other services.

The Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) is a federally required document under the Affordable Care Act that clearly outlines health insurance plan’s benefits and costs. Provided by Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, the SBC uses a standardized format to present key information and coverage examples, helping you compare and understand your options.

BluePPO SBC Document

• Premium: The amount you pay for health care coverage up front, deducted pre-tax from your paycheck.
   
• Deductible: The amount of medical expenses you’re responsible for before your plan begins to pay each year.
   
• Coinsurance: The portion you’re required to pay for services after you meet your deductible. It’s a percentage of the total cost; for example, if your coinsurance is 20%, you pay 20% of a medical bill while your plan pays 80%.
   
• Copay: The set amount you pay for a covered service at the time you receive it. This amount can vary by type of service.
   
• Out-of-pocket costs: The amount your medical plan does not cover and you’re therefore required to pay for a service. For example, a copay is an out-of-pocket cost.
   
• Out-of-pocket maximum: The maximum amount you will have to pay each year for medical costs. This amount includes your deductible, coinsurance, and copays, but does not include your monthly premium payments or costs for non-covered services. After reaching the out-of-pocket maximum, your plan pays 100%.

We understand that health care isn’t one-size-fits-all. That’s why Upwise offers a free medical plan cost calculator to help you make an informed decision.

Sign up with your RIT email, enter details about your personal circumstances, and Upwise will generate customized information to help guide your choice. 

Upwise Medical Plan Cost Calculator

Need help? View the Upwise Medical Plan Cost Calculator Knowledge Article

View side-by-side comparisons of the following medical plan options:

POS Plans
HDHP vs. Blue PPO
HDHP, POS B, and POS D

Legally Required Annual Medical Notices

Medicare Notice of Creditable Coverage (2026)