UAB will offer dental and vision insurance, along with a range of voluntary benefits during the annual open enrollment period, and eligible employees of UAB, UAB Hospital and UAB Hospital Management LLC will have the option to choose or decline that coverage between 7 a.m. Oct. 17 and 5 p.m. Nov. 3.
Dental
Employees have a choice of two stand-alone dental plans — basic or comprehensive coverage — provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama. Those already familiar with UAB’s existing dental plans will note adult orthodontia is being added for 2026, and there are no rate increases for the 2026 plan year.
More on open enrollment:
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Consumer-driven health plans can make good financial sense
Two traditional health plan options available for 2026
Next: Premium rates for health, dental and vision available for 2026
What to choose and whether to choose it depends entirely upon your needs. Dental care can be as simple as semi-annual visits for cleaning and X-rays. Or you may need more costly care, such as oral surgery, dentures or orthodontia.
Ask yourself these five questions:
- How much do I spend on dental products and services each year?
Include regular checkups and any other preventive or remedial work.
- How much would my premiums cost?
Final rates will be provided on Oct. 10. As with all UAB health care coverage, premiums are paid with pre-tax dollars through payroll deduction.
- What does the plan actually cover?
BCBS’s dental benefit plans provide specific benefits and negotiated discounts for providers in and outside the network. Those include services such as regular oral exams, cleanings and fillings in the basic plan to more extensive ones such as bridges/crowns, dentures and orthodontia in the comprehensive plan. Among its Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) dental providers, fees are typically 10% to 35% below average fees of dentists in your area.
More plan detail is available in the Open Enrollment Toolkit.
- Is there a provider I like who accepts this dental plan?
Blue Cross dental plans are accepted nationwide, which means you can go to the dentist of your choice. The fee may be slightly higher for a non-network provider, but it is likely your dentist is a preferred provider. A full listing of network providers, which includes UAB School of Dentistry faculty, is online at AlabamaBlue.com. Detailed instructions are available in the Open Enrollment Toolkit.
- How do I get the most out of dental insurance?
Use it. But equally important, preventing oral health problems before they start is one of the best ways to avoid more expensive procedures and keep dental costs down.
Vision
UAB offers its stand-alone vision benefit through Vision Service Plan (VSP), which provides coverage for routine eye exams, lenses and frames, contacts — both in and outside its network — and discounts for LASIK eye surgery (in-network only) and other special discounts to plan members. Employees also may choose a premium plan option — similar to basic and comprehensive coverage in dental insurance — that includes new replacement frames every year. There are no plan design changes for 2026, but there will be slight increases in premium rates for the 2026 plan year.
Whether or not you could benefit from vision insurance is not always readily apparent, especially if you don’t have any problems with your eyesight. But if you do need corrective lenses or have a growing family, it could prove valuable. There’s no escaping the math.
Start by asking yourself five questions:
- How much do I spend on vision products and services each year?
Include the cost of annual eye exam(s), glasses, contacts and any anticipated costs for LASIK surgery.
- How much would my premiums cost?
Final rates will be provided the week of Oct. 10. As with all UAB health care coverage, premiums are paid with pre-tax dollars through payroll deduction.
- What does the plan actually cover?
VSP covers routine, preventive eye care services at reduced rates plus coverage for or discounts on annual eye examinations, eyeglass frames and lenses, contact lenses and LASIK surgery. UAB employees will not experience any change in vision benefit coverage from previous years. More plan detail is available in the Open Enrollment Toolkit.
- Is there a provider I like who accepts this vision plan?
VSP has a nationwide network of providers. UAB Eye Care, the University Optometric Group faculty practice and UAB Ophthalmology all participate in the VSP network. Find a VSP doctor or a participating retail chain online or call 800-877-7195.
- How do I get the most out of vision insurance?
Use it. If you know you need vision correction and get regular eye exams, VSP could save you money. The plan was designed to significantly lower your out-of-pocket costs for vision-related expenses.
With VSP, you pay monthly premium x12 + $15 exam co-pay + 25 glasses co-pay. You will only pay $35 for anti-reflective coatings, and the plan pays for scratch-resistant coatings.
Without vision benefits, eye exams typically cost up to $155. Glasses can cost anywhere from $100 to $500+ (depending on your lens prescription and your frame of choice). The average annual savings with a VSP provider, including your annual premium is more than $300. VSP covers either lenses and frame or contacts.
In the basic plan you can receive frames every other calendar year. In the premier option frames can be purchased every calendar year. The frame allowance on the basic plan is $190 and $240 for the premier option. If you use the plan for contacts instead of glasses, VSP pays $160 toward your contacts on the basic plan and $190 under the premier option. With both basic and premier plans, you will pay no more than $60 for your contact lens exam (fitting and evaluation).
If you use vision services, you may have more exact numbers, which is even better for your calculations.
Voluntary Benefits
Accident insurance
Accident insurance provides supplemental financial support to cover out-of-pocket expenses and more for policyholders and family members who become injured while not on the job.
Aflac coverage offers high and low options for benefits following accidental bodily damage sustained from an unforeseen and unexpected traumatic event that is not the result of disease or bodily infirmity. The cash payments are made directly to the insured, regardless of any other medical insurance.
These can offer fixed benefit payments associated with three primary areas:
- Expenses associated with the initial accident, such as testing, treatment, ambulance transport, prescriptions and more.
- Benefits for hospitalization including short and extended stays, intensive and/or step-down care and lodging for family members.
- Aftercare benefits include those for follow-up treatment, medical equipment needed for mobility, rehabilitation services, physical, occupational or speech therapy and more.
A full copy of the policy and stipulations and monthly rates are available in the UAB for Me portal.
Critical Illness Insurance
In 2026, UAB is adding this benefit through AFLAC. It offers coverage amounts up to $30,000 for UAB employees, up to $15,000 for spouses and up to $15,000 for dependent children. Premiums are based on employee age and coverage amount. Examples of critical illnesses covered by this insurance are heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, cancer, COPD, advanced Alzheimer’s, advanced Parkinson’s, ALS, multiple sclerosis, and Crohn’s disease.
A full copy of the policy and stipulations and monthly rates are available in the UAB for Me portal.
Enhanced Protection against identity theft
Allstate Identity Protection has enhanced the plan to include identity protection paired with desktop and mobile device safeguards. The enhanced program not only provides identity-theft and credit-monitoring services that enable the company to identify ways in which you may be at risk and help you take precautions against fraud and identify, it will also include comprehensive personal device security features to protect your computer, laptops, and mobile devices from threats like viruses, phishing attacks and malware.
The policy will reimburse your out-of-pocket costs should you fall victim to fraud, including the costs to file reports or place freezes, legal defense expenses and lost wages and more incurred as a result of resolving the fraud. The benefit is available to those with a Social Security Number, so it can be extended to cover a spouse or children or even a deceased family member. Policyholders have 24/7 access to customer care and resolution team members.
Allstate Identity Protection’s Family Digital Safety Tools include content monitoring and screen time tools that can monitor 30-plus popular apps and social media platforms.
A full copy of the policy and stipulations and monthly rates are available in the UAB for Me portal.
Benefits for pets
Pet Benefit Solutions includes a combined veterinary discount plan and a prescription savings plan to participants with single or multiple pets. Access to a pet helpline staffed by veterinary experts and pet-recovery services for cats and dogs also is included.
Pet Assure veterinary discount plan: Pet Assure is a discount plan that can provide 25% savings on in-house medical services when using network veterinarians. Eligible services range from well visits and immunizations to dental cleaning or emergency or surgical care.
Because Pet Assure is not insurance, there are no forms to fill out, no waiting for reimbursements and no denials of coverage — even pets with pre-existing conditions are accepted — and no age limits apply. See a list of Birmingham-area participating veterinarians online.
PetPlus prescription savings plan: Receive members-only pricing on brand-name scripts, flea/tick products, vitamins/supplements, heartworm preventatives and prescription food.
A full copy of the policy and stipulations and monthly rates are available in the UAB for Me portal.
Live virtual educational sessions explaining 2026 open enrollment information and benefits changes will be held from 11 a.m.-noon Oct. 9 and 1-2 p.m. Oct. 16. Register to attend here.
Meanwhile, contact your school/department HR consultant, the Human Resources Service Center at