Health premiums for Louisiana state workers and retirees go up on Jan. 1, and the window to change plans closes first. The Office of Group Benefits, the agency that runs the state’s health plans, says all Pelican and Magnolia health plans carry a 7.75% premium rate increase effective Jan. 1, 2027. Annual enrollment runs from Oct. 1 to Nov. 15, the agency’s enrollment FAQ says.
A 7.75% increase on every plan
The increase is a rate, not a dollar amount, and the agency’s page does not list new monthly premiums. It applies across the board to the Pelican and Magnolia plans. On a plan that costs $400 a month now, 7.75% comes to $31 more a month. On a $200 premium it comes to $15.50. The Jan. 1 bill will show the real figure for each plan and each coverage level.
Because the rise hits every Pelican and Magnolia plan alike, switching between them will not avoid it. What a switch can change is the deductible, the copays and the network, which decide the rest of what a family pays over the year.
What annual enrollment covers
The enrollment FAQ says active employees and retirees can make changes during the period. Active employees can use the online enrollment portal or contact their human resources office. Retirees can use the portal, send in a paper enrollment form or contact the agency directly.
The AE page also says that anyone keeping the same plan and the same covered dependents does not need to do anything. Silence keeps the plan, at the new rate.
The question for most households is whether staying put is still the best deal at 7.75% higher. A household with a planned surgery, a new prescription or a doctor who has left the network may find that a different plan saves more than the increase costs.
Nov. 15 ends annual enrollment for the Office of Group Benefits, and it catches state employees and retirees who need to change plans or reset an HSA or FSA before the 7.75% increase starts.
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HSA and FSA members have a separate task
People in the Pelican HSA775 plan, a health savings account plan, and people with a flexible spending account must act even if they keep their plan. The agency says they must update their contribution amounts for 2027 to make sure the accounts are properly funded.
That step comes with the same Nov. 15 deadline as the plan choice, so it is easy to treat the two as one task.
Retiree meetings through Nov. 12
The agency’s Medicare retiree meeting schedule lists nine meetings between Oct. 1 and Nov. 12. Each day has two classroom-style presentations, and each lasts about two hours. The agency’s home page says the annual enrollment schedules were posted on Aug. 28, 2026.
Medicare and non-Medicare retirees have their own meeting schedules, presentations and paper forms, the AE page says. A retiree who is on Medicare should pick the Medicare schedule, since the plans and the questions differ from the non-Medicare group.
Where to enroll or ask questions
The agency’s enrollment pages are the place to start for any of these steps, and the 2027 plan details sit in the enrollment guide.
Active employees on the state’s LaGov system enroll through the LaGov Employees portal. Employees who are not on LaGov and all retirees use a separate enrollment site, the AE page says. Retirees can also use a paper Medicare or non-Medicare enrollment form.
The agency’s phone line is 1-800-272-8451, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The general contact is option 6.
Comparing Pelican and Magnolia plans before Nov. 15
The free route starts at the Office of Group Benefits’ annual enrollment page, which carries the increase, the enrollment links and the HSA and FSA notice. The 2027 enrollment guide linked there holds the full plan details. The agency page itself lists no dollar premiums.
Before comparing, a household can write down the doctors and prescriptions it uses, the visits it expects next year and what it paid in deductibles and copays this year. Then it can set each plan’s 2027 deductible and copays against the 7.75% rise and see which plan costs least for that pattern of care.
Anyone in the HSA775 plan or an FSA should change the contribution amount at the same sitting, and anyone who attends a retiree meeting should bring a list of questions. Nov. 15 is the date the agency has set, and its enrollment page is where any change to it would be posted.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
