Make your plan work for you

Many of the primary care and mental health providers offered in our 2025 plans will be available in-network in one or more of our 2026 plans.

Employees will have a choice between plans with a broad network and plans with a smaller network of the highest quality providers. We encourage all employees to use the Find a Doctor tool during enrollment to ensure their providers are in-network with the plan they’ve selected, even if they are electing to stay in the same plan.

We’re committed to providing you with resources to help you make informed decisions. We’re hosting virtual Teams Live events to get your top benefit questions answered, have a provider finder tool that allows you to confirm whether doctors are in-network, and offer educational resources such as Now Boarding Benefits to provide the key benefit information all in one place.

Nearly 100% of primary care and mental health providers offered in our 2025 plans will be available in-network in one or more of our 2026 plans. You have a choice between plans with a broad network and plans with smaller, high-quality networks. Be sure to use the Find a Doctor tool on YBR to verify if your preferred provider is in-network or to find a new provider for 2026.

Here’s a list of action items to remember for this year’s Annual Benefits Enrollment:

• Annual Benefits Enrollment for 2026 takes place October 6-24, 2025.
• Employees can find everything they need to educate themselves and enroll on YBR —  there is no need to call the United Airlines Benefits Center (UABC) unless your question cannot be resolved through self-service on YBR.
• Take some time to review how much you’ve been spending on healthcare, including your monthly premiums paid typically via payroll dedication, to review if you’re in the right plan for you.
• The Alight mobile app and text messaging from the United Airlines Benefits Center (UABC) are both available, providing employees with access to their benefits on-the-go.
• The Find a Doctor tool is available on YBR to confirm if a doctor will be in-network for 2026. The tool will be available during pre-enrollment and through the enrollment period.
• Decision Guides and the Price and Compare tool will be available on YBR beginning September 29 and throughout enrollment.

A health concierge is your personal health assistant. They can help with any healthcare needs you and your family may have. They can help you find a doctor, decide where to go for a procedure and find lower-cost options for prescriptions and other care. Your concierge can also answer health questions, as well as help you understand your benefits and check on claims. Dial the customer service number on the back of your health insurance ID card to be connected with your healthcare concierge or visit Wayfinder for more information.

Your elections will automatically roll over to 2026 if you do not enroll before October 24 — no action is required on your part if you would like to keep your coverage for 2026.

We strongly encourage all employees to actively log into YBR and make sure your coverage still meets you and your family’s needs for the upcoming plan year. Even if you plan to keep the same coverage, it’s a good idea to confirm your providers are in-network. Please note, your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) elections do not carry over year to year.

Think of a HSA as a way to build a “nest egg” for future health expenses. Any money you set aside each month to your HSA can be used for out-of-pocket healthcare costs within that same year or well into retirement.

As an added benefit, United will also contribute to your HSA each year, making your healthcare dollars stretch further.

Visit YBR> Spending & Savings Accounts> Manage Your Account and click on “Eligible Expenses” in the lefthand corner menu to confirm what kind of expenses would be eligible for your HSA.

You have a HSA through United’s HSA administrator if at any point you have been enrolled in the United Savings PPO or a United-sponsored health plan that included a HSA.

• If you are currently enrolled in the United Savings PPO plan and complete your annual physical by Dec. 31, 2025, you are eligible to earn $800 into your Health Savings Account (HSA) — $1,600 if covering yourself and any dependents.
• If you choose to enroll in the United Savings PPO plan for 2026, you must complete your physical between Jan. 1 – March 31, 2026 to earn the incentive amounts ($800 for yourself, or $1,600 for you and dependent(s)).
• If you are currently enrolled in a United PPO or EPO plan and want to switch to the United Savings PPO with an HSA plan, your physical exam from those plans in 2025 will count toward your 2026 HSA requirement. (Note: Physicals provided by Accolade Care qualify).
• You do not need to submit any paperwork to receive United’s HSA contribution. It should be deposited into your HSA account approximately 30 days after you complete your physical.

If your spouse or domestic partner is enrolled, they must also complete their physical exam to receive the additional incentive. If only you and your dependent child[ren] are enrolled, you can complete the physical and receive the full $1,600.

• If you choose to enroll in the Kaiser HSA HMO plan for 2026, you must complete your physical and recommended biometric screenings between Jan. 1 – March 31, 2026 to earn $800 into your Health Savings Account (HSA) — $1,600 if covering yourself and any dependents.
  • You must have all of the following screenings up-to-date date as recommended by your physician: blood pressure, Body Mass Index (BMI), blood glucose, and total cholesterol. Credit for these activities can only be earned when they are completed at a Kaiser Permanente facility.
• If you are currently enrolled in another Kaiser plan and want to switch to the Kaiser HSA HMO plan, you will receive credit for provider-recommended screenings completed under your current plan. You have until March 31, 2026 to catch up on any out-of-date screenings.

Yes. You can use your HSA for qualified medical, dental and vision expenses.

Check out the Price and Compare tool in YBR to compare dental and vision options side-by-side. You’ll be able to select dental and vision insurance as you enroll — it is the final step before confirming your Annual Benefits Enrollment for 2026 in YBR.

Welcome to United!

New employees are eligible for personalized counseling with licensed benefits counselors that you can schedule during your first 45 days of employment. Benefits counselors will walk you through 2025 and 2026 benefits offerings and can also help you enroll.

Get the information you need:

Shortly after your start date, you’ll receive information via email outlining where to go to schedule your appointment, as well as reminder calls and emails. You can also make your personalized appointment via the ‘Get Enrolled’ page on lifeatunited.com, by direct access through united.myenrollmentinfo.com or by calling 877-260-7563.

While the process to enroll with a counselor is not mandatory, it is highly encouraged for all our new benefit-eligible employees to participate. The Your Benefits Resources (YBR) enrollment platform is available if you choose to enroll in benefits on your own outside of setting an appointment.

Download the Alight mobile app and sign up for text messaging. The Alight mobile app gives you coverage information on demand and opting into text messages from Alight ensures you receive enrollment updates as soon as we have them.

The Alight app is available on both the Google Play and Apple App Store for employees to download to their personal devices.

• To enroll in text messaging, access YBR and navigate to the ‘Your Profile’ drop-down menu.
• Click on the “Manage Communications” option.
• Under the “General Benefits” section, scroll down to “Text Messages for Benefits.”
• Click the “Change” button, review the opt-in authorization language, check the box to opt-in and then click “Save and Return.”
• A confirmation text will be sent to you within moments to confirm you accurately signed up.

You should enroll as normal for 2026, including coverage for your dependent that will be aging out of coverage. At the beginning of the month that your dependent turns 26, the Benefits Center will send you notification that their coverage will be ending. The coverage will then run through the end of the month that they turn 26.

Once the coverage ends, your dependent will receive COBRA enrollment information. If they choose to enroll in COBRA, a separate account will be created for them and coverage will begin the day after their other coverage ended so they have no gap. After their account is created, all future communications about the coverage and billing will go to them directly. If they choose not to continue through COBRA, they will need to pick up other coverage outside of United.

While you are actively working for United, Medicare will always remain secondary to your United medical plan. This means that you can decline Medicare A and B while you are actively working and continue your United plan without any penalty from Medicare.

Once you choose to separate service from United, you will need to contact Medicare to begin the enrollment process. Medicare will provide you with a CMS-L564 Form that will need to be completed to prove that you had were continuously enrolled in an active employer health plan since the date you became eligible for Medicare. If this form is completed and returned to Medicare before your start date, you can pick up Medicare B without any late enrollment penalty.

Each carrier is outlined in the maps within the Decision Guides, listed on the Price and Compare tool and within the enrollment process. The Decision Guide and Price and Compare tool are located on the welcome page when you begin enrollment for your convenience.

Embedded: All United health plans (other than the United Savings PPO and Core HDHP) have an embedded deductible where when an individual in a family plan meets the individual deductible, their insurance begins paying coinsurance for just that individual. When one or more covered family members either meet or combine to meet the family deductible, the family deductible is met and the plan begins paying coinsurance for all covered family members. 

Aggregate: The United Savings PPO and Core HDHP have an aggregate deductible. With an aggregated plan, there is one deductible that applies to all covered family members. Once expenses for one person or any combination of covered family members meet the deductible, the plan begins paying coinsurance for all covered family members. 

You can submit claims online or swipe your Smart-Choice card to use your HRA funds. Some populations can set up automatic premium reimbursement for all three combined premiums of medical, dental and vision. Those eligible would be reimbursed for the previous month’s premiums around the 5^th of every month.

Remember: If you are enrolled in a plan that has an HSA, your HRA dollars become limited use.

When you elect an HSA and have an HRA, the HRA dollars become limited use. This means that you will only be eligible to be reimbursed for dental and vision claims from HRA when you are enrolled in a plan for that includes an HSA.

One of the benefits of an HSA is being able to save and invest long-term, even for retirement. If you are looking to save money in your HSA but have children that need braces and glasses, it’s a way to use tax-free money to fund vision/dental and still save for future medical costs. Assuming you use all the FSA money, you can also contribute the maximum in both accounts which gives you higher limits.