For Retirement
Annual Enrollment –
A full menu of benefits, served with peace of mind
Annual Enrollment Dates for 2026 Benefits:
Retirees: Friday, Oct. 3 – Friday, Oct. 31
Annual Enrollment is your chance to make changes to your benefits that will be effective the following Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. If you’re still eligible for benefits and choose to remain enrolled as of Jan. 1, 2026, you can also enroll your eligible dependents. See the Enrolling Eligible Dependents section below for information on documentation needed to enroll new dependents.
It’s important to note that if you don’t want to make changes to your benefit selections, NO ACTION is needed on your part during Annual Enrollment. If you don’t make changes, you’ll be enrolled in the same plan options for medical, dental and vision insurance you’re enrolled in now, subject to eligibility, and you’ll pay 2026 premium amounts.
Note: Networks, providers, and benefits may change and impact you. It’s a good idea to review your enrollment selections each year, including your network options for health, dental and vision care.
Health Insurance Premiums
Partners for Health offers a wide choice of benefits. For 2026, health insurance premiums will increase due to the higher cost of delivering health care.
- State/higher education retirees: Health insurance premiums will increase by an average of 5.7%.
- Local education retirees: Health insurance premiums will increase by an average of 5.0%.
- Local government retirees: Health insurance premiums will increase by an average of 7.7%.
Premium increases will vary depending on the health plan, network and tier in which you’re enrolled.
See the premium charts for details.
Other Benefits News
For 2026, pharmacy costs are increasing mainly due to weight loss and specialty medications. Here are the 2026 pharmacy cost-sharing changes:
- Members will pay 25% coinsurance for medications prescribed for weight loss for all plans.
- Members will pay 30% coinsurance for in-network specialty medications for all plans.
- A separate maximum out-of-pocket amount will be added for specialty drugs members obtained through the pharmacy benefit. The amount varies based on the tier and plan selected.
BlueCross BlueShield and Cigna will remain the health insurance carriers, and you can choose from the same four provider networks, but the monthly cost for the expanded networks will increase in 2026 for all tiers.
- BlueCross BlueShield Network S and Cigna LocalPlus: These are efficient networks, and you will save money with them. If your providers are in these networks, either may be your best choice.
- BlueCross BlueShield Network P and Cigna Open Access Plus: If you can’t find your providers in the efficient networks, then you could consider these expanded networks. The monthly premiums are higher because providers charge more in the expanded networks. For all health plan options, the 2026 additional monthly costs will be:
- Retiree-only, spouse-only and child(ren) only tiers – $90 per month
- Retiree+child(ren) and spouse+child(ren) tiers – $100 per month
- Retiree+spouse and retiree+spouse+child(ren) tiers – $180 per month
The Dental Preferred Provider Organization carrier will change to MetLife in 2026. The Dental Health Maintenance Organization - Prepaid Provider carrier will continue to be Cigna.
- Dental DPPO plan rates will increase in 2026 by 6%, primarily due to higher claims expense.
- 2026 DPPO benefit changes eliminate waiting periods for all enrolled members.
- DHMO Prepaid Provider plan rates will stay the same for all plan members.
TASC will be the new vendor for health savings accounts for retirees who enroll in a consumer-driven health plan.
How to Make Changes to Your Benefits
If you want to make changes to your insurance coverage online, you can use Employee Self Service in Edison at www.edison.tn.gov.
- Look for the green “Benefits Enrollment” button.
- Click on the green “Benefits Enrollment” button, then click the “Login” button to log in to Edison using your Access ID. This is not your eight-digit Edison employee ID. To get your Access ID, go to Edison, click the green “Benefits Enrollment” button and then click the “Retrieve Access ID” button.
- Once logged in, choose the Annual Enrollment tile to start your enrollment.
- All the insurance plans you are currently enrolled in, or that are available to you, are listed in Edison.
- You can enroll on your computer or mobile device. Use the web browser native to its operating system.
- In Edison, set up an account with a password, if you haven’t done so. Find step-by-step instructions under Annual Enrollment and then Enrollment Materials.
- You can also fill out the Annual Enrollment application found here.
- Submit the form to Benefits Administration by mail or fax.
- Mailed applications must be postmarked no later than Oct. 31, 2025.
- Submit by fax at 615.741.8196 by 11:59 p.m. CT on Oct. 31, 2025.
Important! You may have an old employee email address in Edison. If you try to reset your password to enroll, the password reset email may go to this old email account. If you do not receive an email after trying to set up your account, you can enroll by mailing or faxing the application found at the back of this newsletter or you can call Edison at 866.376.0104 for help with your password reset.
If you don’t want to make any changes in your enrollment, NO ACTION is needed on your part.
Enrolling Eligible Dependents
- You can add eligible dependents to medical, dental and/or vision coverage if you, the retiree, will be covered on the plan in which you want to enroll them as of Jan. 1, 2026.
- Find a list of required dependent verification documents online under Publications > Forms and then Retirement. Click on Dependent Verification Eligibility Documents.
- Upload documents in Edison if enrolling through ESS, mail copies along with your Annual Enrollment application or fax to 615.741.8196. You must include your Edison employee ID or Social Security number on each document.
- Dependent verification documents MUST be submitted by the Annual Enrollment deadline of Oct. 31, 2025.
Edison
The links that follow walk retirees through how to enroll in Edison.
Retirees: How to Enroll— coming soon
Retirees: How to Reset Password— coming soon
Retirees: How to Get Your Access ID— coming soon
Retirees: How to Log in for the First Time— coming soon
If you revise or cancel enrollment:
If you decline enrollment on the retiree group health plan for yourself or your dependents (including your spouse) because of other health insurance or group health plan coverage, you may be able to enroll yourself and your dependents in this plan if you or your dependents lose eligibility for that other coverage or if the employer stops contributing toward the other coverage. However, you must request enrollment within 60 days after the other coverage ends or after the employer stops contributing toward the other coverage.
In addition, if you have a new dependent as a result of marriage, birth, adoption or placement for adoption, you may be able to enroll yourself and your dependents. However, you must request enrollment within 60 days after the marriage, birth, adoption or placement for adoption. Application must be made within 30 days of a birth, adoption or placement for adoption for the coverage to be retroactive to the date of birth, adoption or placement for adoption.
To request special enrollment or obtain more information, contact Benefits Administration. Please note that any future enrollment request will be subject to plan provisions in effect at the time of the request.
Find your Annual Enrollment benefits guide, insurance comparison charts and more on the Enrollment Materials page.
For password reset help, call Edison at 866.376.0104.
On-demand Videos
Under the Videos tab in the top navigation, find videos to help you learn about your benefits, including Insurance 101 and Understanding Health Insurance Networks and Plans. You can watch them when it’s convenient for you.
Annual Enrollment Video
Welcome to the Partners for Health Annual Enrollment Benefits Café
Benefits Videos
The links that follow will take you to videos with specific information about benefits.
Retirees who change their medical or vision plans will receive new ID cards for 2026. If you do not change your medical, dental health maintenance organization or vision plan, you will not get a new ID card. Cigna will send DHMO cards to new subscribers, and MetLife will send dental preferred provider organization cards to all subscribers.
Retirees who changed their last name and members moving accounts will receive a new pharmacy ID card.
All newly enrolled Consumer-driven Health Plan or Local CDHP, medical flexible spending account and limited purpose FSA members will receive a new debit card from TASC to use starting Jan. 1, 2026.
- BlueCross BlueShield: ID cards will be mailed by Dec. 15, 2025.
- Cigna (both medical and dental): ID cards will be mailed between Dec. 9-16, 2025.
- CVS Caremark: ID cards will be mailed between Dec. 11-15, 2025.
- MetLife Dental: ID cards will be mailed between Dec. 9-16, 2025.
- EyeMed: ID cards will be mailed by Dec. 17, 2025.
- Optum Behavioral Health: ID cards will be mailed by Dec. 15, 2025.
- TASC: HSA debit cards will be mailed between Dec. 10-31, 2025. (They’ll arrive in an unmarked envelope.)
Members can request additional cards by contacting their vendor(s) or by using a vendor’s mobile app. Find vendor contact information on the Benefits Contact Information webpage.
Change your health insurance option*. Annual Enrollment is also your chance to enroll or re-enroll in a health savings account if you chose a consumer-driven health plan. Please consult your tax advisor for advice and to learn about any tax consequences.
Change your health insurance carrier and network
Enroll in or cancel health insurance for your eligible dependents (retiree must be enrolled in the health insurance plan to add a dependent to coverage)
Enroll in, cancel or transfer between retiree dental options**
Enroll in, cancel or transfer between retiree vision options***
*Limited Preferred Provider Organization is available to local education and local government retirees only. If enrolled in a consumer-driven health plan/health savings account as a retiree or a COBRA participant, you do not qualify for state health savings account funds.
All eligible retirees who have some level of group health coverage for themselves or covered dependents are sent general information on available health care options, premiums, a listing of benefit changes and service areas for the upcoming year.
The options you choose during the enrollment period take effect the following Jan. 1. After Annual Enrollment, in most cases, subject to eligibility, you can only add or cancel coverage if you have a qualifying event or family status change during the year.
**
Retired employees may be eligible for dental insurance if the agency from which the employee retired is participating in these programs. Additional eligibility rules for enrollment will change on Jan. 1, 2026. Go to Partners for Health website and on the Dental webpage you’ll find complete retiree eligibility rules for the Dental PPO and Dental HMO – Prepaid Provider.
***Retired employees may be eligible for vision insurance if the agency from which the employee retired is participating in these programs. Additional eligibility rules for enrollment will change on Jan. 1, 2026. Go to Partners for Health website and on the Vision webpage you’ll find complete retiree eligibility rules for Vision Insurance.