OHIO to continue to freeze costs of employee health plan premiums for next two years

As part of her “State of the University” address on Thursday, Oct. 10, OHIO President Lori Stewart Gonzalez announced that the University will continue to freeze the cost of benefits for employees in fiscal year 2026 and fiscal year 2027 – reducing the overall percentage of premiums that are typically covered by OHIO employees.

The move is part of a three-year plan to align the University’s faculty and staff health plan premiums with the Ohio Inter-University Council benchmarks.

“Today, I am announcing our commitment to hold all employee benefits premiums flat for the next two years. The University will absorb any increase in costs rather than passing those along to our faculty and staff as we did this fiscal year,” President Gonzalez said.

In February 2024, President Gonzalez announced that OHIO would cover all cost escalation for healthcare premiums for fiscal year 2025 to ensure that health care premiums would not increase for OHIO faculty and staff.

Note: AFSCME 1699 health plan premiums are determined as indicated in the AFSCME 1699 bargaining agreement. 

Watch a recording of the State of the University Address.