2026 Annual Enrollment

With the same comprehensive coverage and paycheck deductions as the PPO Plus plan, the HDP offers two advantages you don’t get with any other Verizon plan: a Health Savings Account (HSA) and contributions from Verizon to cover your qualified medical expenses.

No deductible, lower copay for telehealth services

Beginning January 1, 2026, you’ll pay only $10 per visit for on-demand virtual medical and mental health care through Anthem or UnitedHealthcare. Plus, you’ll no longer need to meet your annual deductible before paying this low copay for telehealth services.

A free second medical opinion through 2nd.MD

If you need help making a tough medical decision, you and your covered dependents can get a second expert medical opinion from leading board-certified doctors and nurses at no cost to you.

We’re upping our contribution to your Health Savings Account in 2026. When you enroll in the High Deductible Plan (HDP), Verizon will contribute $650 to your HSA for employee-only coverage or $1,300 if you cover yourself and one or more dependents. You can also contribute more to your HSA, with higher IRS limits in 2026:

• Up to $3,750 if you have individual coverage (for a total of $4,400 with Verizon’s contribution)
• Up to $7,450 if you cover yourself and one or more dependents (for a total of $8,750 with Verizon’s contribution)
• Up to an additional $1,000 if you’re age 55 or older in 2026

If you want to contribute to the new maximum limit, be sure to increase your contributions during Annual Enrollment. Otherwise, your 2025 election will carry over to 2026.

If you’re switching to the High Deductible Plan for 2026 and are currently enrolled in the Health Care Spending Account (HCSA), you will not be permitted to set aside money in the HCSA in 2026 (but you will be able to contribute to a limited-purpose HCSA in 2026). If you have a balance remaining in your 2025 HCSA, you’ll be able to incur expenses through March 15, 2026, and submit them for reimbursement through May 31, 2026, but you will not be eligible to contribute or receive Verizon contributions to your HSA until April 1, 2026. To fully fund your HSA in 2026, be sure to use your entire HCSA balance by the end of 2025.

The advantages of an HSA

Your HSA lets you save to help pay for medical expenses. The account is yours to keep. If you leave Verizon, it goes with you. Your HSA offers the following tax advantages:

• Contributions are tax-deductible (yours and Verizon’s).
• Any earnings grow tax-free.
• Withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are also tax-free.

For 2026, you can remain enrolled in the Exclusive Provider Network (EPN) plan, but your contributions for coverage will increase to reflect the higher cost of coverage under this plan.

This may be a good time to review the other plans available to you and compare your plan contributions and how much you’ll pay for care in each plan. You may find that another medical plan will better meet your needs and your budget in 2026. Keep in mind that the PPO Plus, HDP and Surest Copay plans use the same network of providers as the EPN. In addition, the PPO Plus and Surest Copay plans have the same in-network prescription benefits as the EPN. These other plans are all available at lower contribution levels.

The EPN plan is not available to new enrollees. If you choose to switch out of this plan, you will not be able to re-enroll in it later.

Health care costs continue to rise nationally, and higher increases are anticipated for 2026. Despite this trend, we are committed to continuing to cover the majority of your health care expenses, ensuring that you have access to top providers and the quality care you deserve. Our plans continue to be very competitively priced for the value they deliver.

See your contributions for each plan. Estimate your health care costs, and compare plan options at Annual Enrollment > Compare Next Year’s Plan Options.

Prescription drug prices, especially for GLP-1 weight loss drugs, specialty, and new-to-market drugs, are among the top drivers of rising health care costs. We remain committed to managing these costs with you.

Since 2024, your share of the cost for prescription drugs has increased slightly each year. Although this trend will continue through 2028, you can continue to make cost-saving choices, such as using generic drugs over name brands and converting to mail-order delivery or using CVS Caremark Maintenance Choice.

The prescription drug in-network cost-sharing amounts for the PPO Plus, EPN and Surest Copay medical plans are listed below. Prescription drug coverage for the HDP and Kaiser plans will not change for 2026.

For detailed formulary information, review the CVS Performance Drug List.

Your 30-day supply retail cost

*Plus cost difference between generic and brand, when a covered generic is available

Your 90-day supply mail-order or Maintenance Choice cost

*Plus cost difference between generic and brand, when a covered generic is available

After three fills, penalties may apply for prescriptions not switched from 30-day to 90-day supplies through mail order or the CVS Caremark Maintenance Choice program.

The IRS sets annual limits on general purpose Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) contributions and typically updates those limits after Annual Enrollment. The 2025 maximum contribution limit is $3,300. To automatically contribute up to any new maximum the IRS may set for 2026, you must select the option to contribute the maximum amount during Annual Enrollment.

To estimate how much money to contribute to an HCSA, go to BenefitsConnection > Annual Enrollment > Compare Next Year’s Plan Options > My Spending Account Calculators.

If you enroll in the HDP for 2026 and are currently enrolled in the HCSA, you will not be permitted to set aside money in the HCSA in 2026 (but you will be able to contribute to a limited-purpose HCSA in 2026). If you have a balance remaining in your 2025 HCSA, you will be able to incur expenses through March 15, 2026, and submit them for reimbursement through May 31, 2026, but you will not be eligible to contribute or receive Verizon contributions to your HSA until April 1, 2026. To fully fund your HSA in 2026, be sure to use your entire HCSA balance by the end of 2025.

For 2026, the annual contribution limit for the Dependent Care Spending Account (DCSA) was increased. You can contribute up to $7,500 if you’re single or if you’re married and filing a joint tax return, or $3,750 if you’re married and filing separate tax returns. Current DCSA nondiscrimination rules continue to apply, so your annual pay will determine whether you can take advantage of the increase.

We remain committed to helping you protect your loved ones’ futures. That’s why we continue to pay the full cost of your basic life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance.

For additional protection, you can purchase supplemental coverage of up to 10 times your annual pay (increased from up to 8 times your annual pay in 2025), up to a maximum of $5 million for employees and your families. Depending on the coverage you choose, you may be required to provide evidence of insurability (EOI).

The expanded coverage options also apply to supplemental accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance for 2026.

The rates are based on age ranges. As you move into a new age band, your cost will increase. Your cost for 2026 is based on the covered person’s age as of December 31, 2026. See what you’ll pay for supplemental coverage.

Note: New hires can now elect supplemental life insurance coverage up to the lesser of 3 times annual salary or $500,000 without providing evidence of insurability (EOI). New hires who enroll after 30 days or increase their coverage after the initial enrollment period will need to provide EOI to increase coverage.

Effective January 1, 2026, we’re making a few other plan changes that don’t require any action on your part during Annual Enrollment:

• We will discontinue the well-being incentive rewards program and will no longer offer up to $300 in rewards cash for completing well-being activities through Personify Health. The Personify Health platform features—including one-on-one coaching, personal healthy habit challenges, an extensive media library, quick benefits access, and nutrition and sleep guides—will continue to be available. We remain committed to investing in your health and well-being and will continue to do so through increased HSA contributions and our extensive benefit partnerships. Visit the Health and well-being page to learn more about the programs available to you.
• If you live in Oklahoma or New York, your plan options will remain the same. However, your medical plan network will change from Anthem BlueCard PPO to the Anthem Select Network. Anthem will notify you of any action you may need to take and send you new ID cards. This change provides access to higher-quality providers who deliver better outcomes, with very minimal disruption from the current available network.
  • In Oklahoma: Your new network is Oklahoma BluePreferred.
  • In New York: Your new network is NY Blue Access.
  • It’s important to check that your current doctors or health care facilities are part of the new Anthem Select Network.
    • Visit anthem.com/find-care to see if your doctors are in-network. Select the Find Care button in the upper right corner of your screen:
      • At the prompt (use member ID for basic search), enter the following code: 135 (Oklahoma) or 113 (New York).
      • Select Continue.
      • Enter the ZIP code and doctor or facility name, specialty, or procedure to complete your search.
      • Contact your Anthem Health Guide team if you have scheduled any upcoming care, need assistance finding a doctor in your plan’s network, or if you have any questions. You can call the number on your health plan ID card or chat via the Sydney Health app or anthem.com.
• We are excited to introduce a voluntary long-term care plan in the first quarter of 2026. With the cost of skilled nursing facilities and in-home health aides on the rise, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase long-term care coverage for yourself and your spouse or domestic partner. Details will be shared before the end of 2025.

To enroll a spouse, domestic partner or dependent child in coverage during Annual Enrollment or as a result of a qualifying life event, follow the prompts on BenefitsConnection during the enrollment process to add a new dependent, and select the appropriate dependent relationship. After you add your dependent, you must also select the coverage you want to enroll them in.

You will need to provide documentation to verify eligibility. Instructions for completing the dependent verification will be sent to both your work email and home address on file after you have enrolled your dependent. If you do not submit proper documentation in a timely manner, your dependent will be dropped from coverage.

Having an ineligible dependent enrolled in your Verizon coverage may result in disciplinary action.

A dependent child is eligible for medical (including prescription drug), dental, vision, child life insurance and child AD&D insurance through the end of the month in which they attain age 26, regardless of student status. Coverage may be extended beyond age 26 for a dependent child who was enrolled in the medical plan when they were younger than 26 and meets the conditions of being disabled under the medical plan.

Once a nondisabled dependent child attains age 26, they will be automatically removed from medical (including prescription drug), dental and vision coverage at the end of the month in which their birthday occurs. You will then be provided the opportunity to continue coverage for the dependent through COBRA.

The child life insurance and child AD&D insurance plans cover all your eligible dependent children. While medical, dental and vision coverage automatically ends once your dependent attains age 26, child life and child AD&D do not automatically end. You are responsible for updating your child life and child AD&D elections once your previously eligible dependent no longer meets the eligibility requirements.

If you are an active employee in the no-coverage (waived-coverage) option for medical, dental and/or vision, and you make no changes during this Annual Enrollment, your no-coverage (waived-coverage) election for medical, dental and/or vision will carry over for 2026.

While there is no longer a federal requirement to maintain medical coverage to avoid a federal tax penalty, some states require you to maintain medical coverage to avoid a state tax penalty. California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, D.C., currently have such mandates. You should confirm with your tax advisor if such a mandate is a concern for you; additional states may add this requirement in the future.

If you are a Massachusetts resident, you must maintain medical coverage that meets specific state requirements, referred to as minimum creditable coverage (MCC), to avoid the state tax. All the Verizon group medical options available to you meet the Massachusetts MCC requirements.

If you have coverage today and would like to waive coverage for 2026, you need to choose the no-coverage option during Annual Enrollment. If you choose no coverage, you cannot enroll in coverage during 2026 unless you have a qualifying life event or as otherwise required by law.

Each year, the IRS establishes a compensation limit that is used to identify a group of employees known as highly compensated employees (HCEs). Generally speaking, an employee is classified by the IRS as an HCE for 2026 if they earned wages from Verizon during 2025 in excess of $160,000. “Wages” for this purpose means the amount reported in Box 1 of IRS Form W-2 plus before-tax deferral amounts made under the 401(k) Savings Plan, cafeteria plans and qualified transportation fringe benefits, if any.

IRS guidelines require that annual contributions toward the DCSA by both HCE and non-HCE participants are within an acceptable margin. Verizon performs an annual nondiscrimination test of the DCSA plan to ensure compliance with these rules.

Based on preliminary testing for 2025, the plan must limit DCSA annual contributions by HCEs to $2,500. If you are classified as an HCE for 2025, you will be subject to the initial 2026 DCSA contribution limit of $2,500 during Annual Enrollment. Additional restrictions may be imposed later in 2026 depending on additional testing.

Your medical options must offer certain preventive care benefits to you in-network without cost sharing. Under the Affordable Care Act, medical plans generally may use reasonable medical management techniques to determine the frequency, method, treatment or setting for a recommended preventive care service.

As explained in your Summary Plan Description (SPD), preventive care benefits that must be offered in-network without cost sharing include, but are not limited to, a number of screenings (e.g., blood pressure, cholesterol, breast and cervical cancer based on navigation services in 2026), certain immunizations (including COVID-19), colonoscopies (including many related items and services, and coverage for a follow-up colonoscopy after a patient has received a positive screening test or direct visualization test), FDA-approved contraception methods, and other items and services that are designed to detect and treat medical conditions to prevent avoidable illnesses and premature death.

Preventive care benefits that must be offered in-network without cost sharing change periodically.

Contact the Verizon medical plan or prescription drug administrator, such as CVS Caremark, for more details on the types of preventive care items and services that are covered at no cost in-network.

The Affordable Care Act transparency requirements will give you access to an internet-based price comparison tool to compare prices for medical and prescription drug items and services. Upon request, this information may be provided in paper form without a fee, subject to certain limits.

The Notice of Privacy Practices for Verizon Communications Inc. Health Plans (HIPAA Privacy Notice) explains the uses and disclosures the Verizon Health Plans may make of your protected health information, your rights with respect to your protected health information, and the plans’ duties and obligations with respect to your protected health information.

The HIPAA Privacy Notice can be found on BenefitsConnection. You can view the notice and/or print a paper copy from the website, and you can request a paper copy by calling the Verizon Benefits Center at 855.4vz.bens (855.489.2367).

Summaries of benefits and coverage (SBCs), required by the Affordable Care Act, are available on BenefitsConnection. If you would like a free paper copy of the SBCs, contact the Verizon Benefits Center at 855.4vz.bens (855.489.2367).

To help you compare your health plan options and make informed choices, Verizon is required to make SBCs—which summarize important health plan information in a standard format—available to you. The health benefits available to you provide important protection for you and your family in the case of illness or injury, and choosing a health plan is an important decision.

You’ll find SBCs, health plan comparison charts and other information about your health benefits on BenefitsConnection.

The well-being program offered to you by Verizon is voluntary and available to all employees. The program is administered according to federal rules permitting employer-sponsored well-being programs that seek to improve employee health or prevent disease, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as applicable, among others.

If you choose to participate in the well-being program, you will be asked to voluntarily complete the Preventive Care Exam Credit attestation form within Personify Health. You are not required to complete this activity to receive medical coverage.

However, if you choose to participate in the well-being program, you will receive an incentive of up to $600, which will be used to reduce your medical plan contributions. Although you are not required to complete this activity, if you do, you will receive the medical plan cost reduction of up to $600.

The information from your preventive care exam can provide you with helpful insights to better understand your current health and potential health risks.

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your personally identifiable health information. Although the well-being program and Verizon may collect and use aggregate information to design a program based on identified health risks in the workplace, the well-being program will never disclose any of your personal information either publicly or to Verizon, except as necessary to respond to a request from you for a reasonable accommodation needed to participate in the well-being program, or as expressly permitted by law. Medical information that personally identifies you that is provided in connection with the well-being program will not be provided to your supervisors or managers, and it may never be used to make decisions regarding your employment.

Your health information will not be sold, exchanged, transferred or otherwise disclosed, except to the extent permitted by law to carry out specific activities related to the well-being program, and you will not be asked or required to waive the confidentiality of your health information as a condition of participating in the well-being program or receiving an incentive. Anyone who receives your information for purposes of providing you services as part of the well-being program will abide by the same confidentiality requirements. The only individuals who will receive your personally identifiable health information are a registered nurse or doctor in order to provide you with services under the well-being program.

In addition, all medical information obtained through the well-being program will be maintained separately from your personnel records, information stored electronically will be encrypted, and no information you provide as part of the well-being program will be used in making any employment decision. The confidentiality of medical information will be maintained in accordance with Verizon policies and procedures. Appropriate precautions will be taken to avoid any data breach, and in the event a data breach occurs involving information you provide in connection with the well-being program, we will notify you immediately.

You may not be discriminated against in employment because of the medical information you provide as part of participating in the well-being program, nor may you be subjected to retaliation if you choose not to participate.

If you have questions or concerns regarding this notice, or about protections against discrimination and retaliation, please contact the Verizon Benefits Center at 855.4vz.bens (855.489.2367), and indicate that you have a question or concern regarding this notice.

When you get emergency care or are treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from balance billing. In these cases, you shouldn’t be charged more than your plan’s copays, coinsurance and/or deductible.

What is “balance billing” (sometimes called “surprise billing”)?

When you see a doctor or other health care provider, you may owe certain out-of-pocket costs, like a copayment, coinsurance and/or deductible. You may have additional costs or have to pay the entire bill if you see a provider or visit a health care facility that isn’t in your health plan’s network.

“Out-of-network” means providers and facilities that haven’t signed a contract with your health plan to provide services. Out-of-network providers may be allowed to bill you for the difference between what your plan pays and the full amount charged for a service.

This is called “balance billing.” This amount is likely more than in-network costs for the same service and might not count toward your plan’s deductible or annual out-of-pocket limit.

“Surprise billing” is an unexpected balance bill. This can happen when you can’t control who is involved in your care—like when you have an emergency or when you schedule a visit at an in-network facility but are unexpectedly treated by an out-of-network provider. Surprise medical bills could cost thousands of dollars depending on the procedure or service.

You’re protected from balance billing for:

• Emergency services: If you have an emergency medical condition and get emergency services from an out-of-network provider or facility, the most they can bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount (such as copays, coinsurance and deductibles). You can’t be balance billed for these emergency services. This includes services you may get after you’re in stable condition, unless you give written consent and give up your protections not to be balanced billed for these post-stabilization services.
• Certain services at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center: When you get services from an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, certain providers may be out-of-network. In these cases, the most that providers can bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount. This applies to emergency medicine, anesthesia, pathology, radiology, laboratory, neonatology, assistant surgeon, hospitalist or intensivist services. These providers can’t balance bill you and may not ask you to give up your protections not to be balance billed.

If you receive other types of services at these in-network facilities, out-of-network providers can’t balance bill you, unless you provide written consent and waive your protections.

You’re never required to give up your protections from balance billing. You also aren’t required to get out-of-network care. You can choose a provider or facility in your plan’s network. 

When balance billing isn’t allowed, you also have these protections:

• You’re only responsible for paying your share of the cost (like the copays, coinsurance and deductible that you would pay if the provider or facility were in-network). Your health plan will pay any additional costs to out-of-network providers and facilities directly.
• Generally, your health plan must:
  • Cover emergency services without requiring you to get approval for services in advance (also known as “prior authorization”).
  • Cover emergency services by out-of-network providers.
  • Base what you owe the provider or facility (cost sharing) on what it would pay an in-network provider or facility, and show that amount in your explanation of benefits.
  • Count any amount you pay for emergency services or out-of-network services toward your in-network deductible and out-of-pocket limit.

If you think you’ve been wrongly billed, contact the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at 800.985.3059. Visit cms.gov/medical-bill-rights for more information about your rights under federal law. If you are enrolled in a fully insured medical plan option, state laws that affect balance billing may also apply. Contact your insurer if you have questions

If you have had or are going to have a mastectomy, you may be entitled to certain benefits under the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 (WHCRA). For individuals receiving mastectomy-related benefits, coverage will be provided in a manner determined in consultation with the attending physician and the patient, for:

• All stages of reconstruction of the breast on which the mastectomy was performed;
• Surgery and reconstruction of the other breast to produce a symmetrical appearance (this includes coverage for nipple and areola reconstruction, including nipple and areola repigmentation to restore the physical appearance of the breast, as a required stage of reconstruction and coverage for chest wall reconstruction with aesthetic flat closure, if elected by the patient in consultation with the attending physician in connection with a mastectomy, as a required type of reconstruction;
• Prostheses; and,
• Treatment of physical complications of the mastectomy, including lymphedema.

These benefits will be provided subject to the same deductibles and coinsurance applicable to other medical and surgical benefits provided under this plan. If you would like more information on WHCRA benefits, call your medical plan administrator or insurer at the number on your insurance card.

Verizon is changing subrogation vendors from Equian, LLC to Conduent Inc. effective January 1, 2026. Details regarding the process of subrogation are outlined in your Summary Plan Description (SPD).

Actual plan provisions for company benefits are contained in the appropriate plan documents or applicable company policies. This Annual Enrollment page provides updates to your existing Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs) as of January 1, 2026. Until Verizon provides you with updated SPDs, this page is intended to be a summary of material modifications (SMMs).

As always, the official plan documents determine what benefits are provided to Verizon employees, former employees eligible for COBRA, retirees and their dependents. Please note that you may not be eligible to participate in or receive benefits from all plans and programs referenced on this page.

Your SPDs and SMMs are available in the library section of BenefitsConnection, and you can call the Verizon Benefits Center at 855.4vz.bens (855.489.2367) to request printed copies free of charge. As explained in your SPDs, Verizon reserves the right to amend or terminate any of its plans or policies at any time with or without notice or cause, subject to applicable law.