Faculty and staff health insurance contributions will rise as the University changes its health insurance plan administrator at the start of 2026 -- a move experts say likely curbed sharper cost increases but may disrupt care for employees whose providers fall out of network.
Officials announced last month that the University will switch its employee health insurance administrator from UnitedHealthcare to Aetna at the start of next year, resulting in a 6.5 percent increase in employee contributions -- or about $3 to $61 more per month, depending on coverage level and salary band. Experts in higher education said the increase in contributions in 2026 comes amid nationwide healthcare cost spikes and remains consistent with expected average hike for all employees nationally, meaning officials' decision to switch providers may have prevented a greater increase under UnitedHealthcare.
About 65 percent of full-time medical plan participants will see an increase of less than $20 per month under the new plan, per the release.
Officials began using UnitedHealthcare to provide faculty and staff's medical, dental and vision plans in 2011, but Aetna will administer GW's medical and dental insurance offerings starting Jan. 1, managing the provider network and customer service and support, per the release. GW's open enrollment period began Oct. 6 and closed Oct. 24, allowing employees to add or remove eligible dependents to their plan.
A University spokesperson said the cost of GW's medical plan has increased at "higher-than-normal" levels over the past two years, which reflects higher healthcare cost inflation nationally. They said the 6.5 percent rise in employee contributions at the start of 2026 demonstrates officials' efforts to limit hikes in program costs and employee contributions by renegotiating contracts and switching to Aetna while still maintaining plan benefits and high-quality experience.
The spokesperson said dental plan contributions are increasing because of an overall increase in utilization of dental services and rising costs by providers, while the University's vision plan costs remain the same due to its plan's claims experience and pricing from UnitedHealthcare remaining stable.
University spokesperson Katelyn Deckelbaum said switching to Aetna will ensure GW's benefits remain competitive and sustainable in future years. She said officials regularly review benefit programs to ensure they meet faculty and staff needs, and officials' decision to change its administrator to Aetna followed an extensive and competitive proposal process.
Deckelbaum said officials evaluated each carrier's network strength, ability to provide high-quality, cost-effective care and commitment to "exceptional" member service during the proposal process, though she did not specify when the process began. She said officials also consulted the Benefits Advisory Committee -- a group of staff and faculty reinstated in 2011 shortly after the University's switch to UnitedHealthcare and tasked with providing officials feedback about benefits -- and the final decision reflected feedback collected from faculty and staff through a benefits employee survey.
Deckelbaum said Aetna's provider network includes the "vast majority" of doctors, hospital and specialists employees currently access through UnitedHealthcare, and there will not be changes to coverage levels or out-of-pocket costs like coinsurance and copays. She said officials will provide individualized support to employees whose current providers are not in Aetna's network to find available options.
Aetna's provider network will also offer additional in-network options while maintaining access to most current providers under UnitedHealthcare, according to the release. Other enhancements as part of the transition to Aetna include a dedicated customer service line for GW employees, improved digital tools, simplified navigation of services and access to timely communications and care management programs for those with chronic conditions or those in need of preventive care and mental health support.
Officials' announcement states that the switch to Aetna will also provide employees access to Aetna's member portal, a dedicated customer service line and a simplified navigation experience.
"GW continues to prioritize employee well-being and cost management, ensuring access to strong, comprehensive health coverage," Deckelbaum said in an email.
Joseph Cordes, a member of the Benefits Advisory Committee and a professor of public policy and public administration, economics and international affairs, said officials determined Aetna could offer a better package for administering the University's plan by providing access to different services when employees experience issues and need support. He said the committee will start meeting again in spring 2026 to discuss employees' experiences and expenses with the plan.
The University's announcement said the change from UnitedHealthcare to Aetna will mitigate greater increases in employee contributions and maintain the 79 percent of insurance costs the University pays as part of its commitment to cost sharing, with employee contributions making up the other 21 percent, staying consistent with last year's rate.
Cordes also said UnitedHealthcare generally has a bad reputation, and the Benefits Advisory Committee received complaints about its customer service, which was a factor in the transition. He said he expects Aetna will maintain and improve the level of customer service compared to UnitedHealthcare.
"I do think there was a feeling that maybe Aetna was going to do a somewhat better job of customer service," Cordes said.
Tyler Anbinder, an emeritus professor of history who is enrolled in GW's healthcare plan, said there were "lots of complaints" about UnitedHealthcare's customer service from employees during his time on the Benefits Advisory Committee before he retired from the University in 2020. He said UnitedHealthcare was "really bad" at administering the insurance plan, and earlier this year dropped his children from his insurance coverage "for no apparent reason," which he had to figure out through their doctors.
"The UnitedHealthcare service was just so bad, it's hard to imagine them being worse," Anbinder said.
Anbinder said UnitedHealthcare's customer service has specifically gotten worse over the past couple of years, and he's experienced issues with representatives providing him the wrong information or long wait times. He said the issues with the insurance company were less about their policies and more about them having "really bad" customer service.
"You would call them, and they'd say, 'Oh, we'll get right back to you with an answer,' and then they would never call back," Anbinder said.
Jake Spiegel, a senior research associate for health and wealth at the Employee Benefit Research Institute, said employers are consistently seeking "the best deals" from insurance carriers, and GW switching providers may have prevented premiums -- regular monthly insurance payments -- from rising even more.
"I strongly suspect that one of the reasons they switched was because under UnitedHealthcare, the premium increases might have been a lot higher than six and a half percent," Spiegel said.
Spiegel said premiums are rising across the United States because Americans tend to have a lot of chronic health conditions -- higher than average compared to other wealthy Western democracies -- which drives up the cost of healthcare. He also said changing insurance administrators every once in a while is "not particularly uncommon" for private organizations.
The University's faculty and staff medical plan contributions have also increased in recent years, including 5.8 percent in 2024 across all salary bands and plans and 6 percent in 2025, reflecting a decadeslong trend of healthcare cost inflation. Health insurance costs nationally rose from 13 to 25 percent of the median family household income from 2000 to 2021.
Spiegel said the network of doctors employees have access to is unlikely to drastically change because health insurance carriers prefer to keep high-performing doctors in network, though there could be some short-term confusion if some doctors are no longer covered under the plan. He said he recommends employees check if their current doctor is in network and if not, find one who is.
"Staying on top of which doctors are in network and out of network for the types of care that you need is probably the most important thing to do, and getting your arms around the tools that Aetna offers to figure that out is probably the number one thing I suggest employees do," Spiegel said.
Thomas Buchmueller, a professor of business economics and public policy at the University of Michigan, said transitioning insurance administrators may be easier for GW than other employers since it has its own health system, and many employees likely use GW Hospital doctors who will continue to be covered under their plan. He said the use of GW Hospital doctors could also make negotiations more complex as insurers want lower prices, and providers of care want higher prices, though GW is both the insurer and provider through GW Hospital.
"It's tough enough when those two sides are in different organizations," Buchmueller said. "When they're the same organization, sometimes the politics can get tricky. But I think overall, probably, it's a benefit to GW employees that you've got a hospital right on campus."