Wisconsin state retirees have until Oct. 30 to choose their 2027 health coverage. Open enrollment runs Oct. 5 to 30, and a paper application has to be postmarked by Oct. 30, according to the Employee Trust Funds department’s 2027 decision guide for retirees. The guide also lists higher deductibles for non-Medicare plans and a new $200 copay level for weight-loss drugs.
Higher deductibles on Choice and Access plans
For the non-Medicare Choice and Access plans, the medical deductible rises to $400 for an individual and $800 for a family. The out-of-pocket limit is $1,400 for an individual and $2,800 for a family. The emergency room copay is $125.
The high-deductible plans work differently. Their combined medical and pharmacy deductible is $2,000 for an individual and $4,000 for a family, with a combined out-of-pocket limit of $3,500 and $7,000. ETF’s June notice to state employers says the high-deductible figure “has increased” to those amounts, and that the medical changes take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
The IYC Health Plan is renamed Choice Health Plan, and Robin with HealthPartners becomes HealthPartners Northeast, according to the guide.
A $200 copay for weight-loss drugs
The prescription plan has four standard levels. Level 1 costs up to $10. Level 2 costs 25 percent, with a $60 maximum. Level 3 costs 45 percent, with a $175 maximum. Level 4 costs $60.
The guide adds a new level for anti-obesity medications only, with a $200 copay. ETF’s employer notice says the level is new for 2027. The pharmacy out-of-pocket limit is $1,325 for an individual and $2,650 for a family, across all levels.
Retirees who take one of these drugs now, or may start one next year, are the ones who feel this change first. The question for them is whether a plan’s higher deductible and a $200 copay still leaves it cheaper than the alternatives.
With a $400 deductible, a $200 weight-loss-drug copay and an Oct. 30 postmark deadline, picking the cheapest Wisconsin retiree plan for 2027 takes a side-by-side comparison. The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit includes a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors, plus the Open Enrollment calendar.
Compare 2027 plans on cost, drugs and doctors in the Medicare Open Enrollment Kit →
What Medicare-eligible retirees pay
Retirees on Medicare face a different list of choices. The guide’s premium table lists Medicare Advantage by UnitedHealthcare at $441.90 a month for an individual with dental coverage and $405.86 without it. Medicare Plus by UnitedHealthcare is $553.72 with dental and $517.68 without.
The most expensive Medicare plan in the table is GHC of Eau Claire River Region, at $886.56 with dental and $850.52 without. That is more than twice the cheapest UnitedHealthcare figure. The premiums listed are the full retiree premiums, and sick-leave credits can offset them for retirees who have them.
For non-Medicare retirees the premiums run higher. Dean Choice individual coverage is $1,142.00 a month with dental and $1,105.96 without, and the Access Plan is $2,137.62 with dental and $2,101.58 without. Those figures are before any sick-leave credit.
The guide also says the 2027 Medicare Part D out-of-pocket limit is $2,400. That is the yearly ceiling on what a person on a Part D drug plan pays for covered drugs.
Where to send the application
The retiree guide sets Oct. 30 as the postmark date for mailed applications. ETF’s decision guide for active employees, which uses the same Oct. 5 to 30 window, says changes can be made online through My Benefits at etf.wi.gov or mailed to ETF, P.O. Box 7931, Madison, WI 53707-7931. It lists ETF’s phone number as 1-877-533-5020.
Comparing plans before Oct. 30
The free place to start is ETF’s own site at etf.wi.gov, which has the decision guide and the full premium tables. The guide is the document that lists every plan and every price in one place.
A short list helps before the comparison. Write down each prescription and its level, each doctor and clinic, and the plan the household is in now. Then look at the premium, the deductible and the out-of-pocket limit for each option, and add them up for a year of the care the household expects to use. A plan with a low premium can cost more once a $400 deductible and a $200 copay are counted.
Retirees on Medicare should remember that Medicare’s own open enrollment runs separately from the state’s window, so the Oct. 30 postmark is the date to circle for the state plan.
A $200 copay and an Oct. 30 postmark
One missed postmark can leave a retiree in a plan whose deductible just rose to $400. The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit gives retirees a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors, plus the Open Enrollment calendar, in a 55-page guide.
Get the plan-cost calculator and calendar before the Oct. 30 postmark →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
