MU Health Care Benefit Additions

Effective Date:

January 1, 2027 (Pending Board of Curators approval)

Who does this impact?

This change applies only to MU Health Care benefit-eligible employees (working 30+ hours per week).

What is being added?

Family Building benefits:

• Up to $25,000 for fertility treatments (requires letter of medical necessity)
  • $15,000 medical
  • $10,000 pharmacy
• Up to $10,000 for adoption support per eligible child

Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) employer match:

• A $1,500 employer match for Dependent Care FSA will be available for benefit-eligible employees making less than $160,000.
• Visit the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account webpage to learn more about FSA accounts.

Employee Assistance Program:

• Three additional counseling sessions will be available totaling six free counseling sessions per presenting issue for MU Health Care employees and their household members.
• Visit the Employee Assistance Program webpage to learn more about the program.

Why are benefits changing?

• Benefits changes are one component of a broader effort to strengthen the long-term sustainability of MU Health Care. Like many health systems across the country, we are facing sustained financial pressures that require difficult decisions across multiple areas.
• The changes were informed by a comprehensive benchmarking process conducted with external expertise, comparing our benefits program to those offered by 18 regional health system peers. That analysis found that, in several areas, MU Health Care's benefits were significantly above what is commonly provided by comparable health care organizations.
• The result is a benefits program that is more closely aligned with the market, more sustainable for the organization and responsive to the evolving needs of our workforce

• The changes are intended to better align our benefits program with that of the health care industry while maintaining competitive benefits for our employees, At the same time, we are making new investments in areas employees have identified as important, including fertility and family-building support and dependent care assistance.
• We understand these changes will have a personal impact for some employees, and we do not take that lightly. These decisions were made thoughtfully and with a long-term focus on maintaining a strong, sustainable organization that can continue investing in our people, patients and mission.

Are our benefits still competitive after these changes? 

Yes. The changes are designed to bring our benefits program into closer alignment with those offered by comparable regional health systems. Even after these adjustments, our overall benefits package

remains competitive within the market. This was a deliberate outcome of the benchmarking.  

Are tuition and student loan benefits changing? 

No. Tuition and student loan benefits are not impacted by these benefit changes.  

When will more information about these additions be available?

To ensure employees have an opportunity to learn more and ask questions about benefits program changes, we will be hosting education sessions and open office hours in August and September. Additional details regarding how these changes will be implemented will be shared during those sessions.

You will receive an invitation mid-July with education session options and office hour availability.