Open Enrollment is your once-a-year opportunity to enroll in or make changes to your benefits for the upcoming plan year without experiencing an IRS-defined qualifying life event (QLE). Your benefits are an important part of your Snowflake Total Rewards. This year, we're updating medical and pharmacy benefits, plus introducing new resources to support your health and wellbeing.
Open Enrollment is your chance to:
QLEs include a change in marital status, a change in eligible dependent status, loss of other coverage, and other major life changes. If you experience a QLE, you have 31 days from the event date to make changesto your benefit elections. Outside of a QLE, all requests for benefit plan changes need to wait for the next Open Enrollment period.
If you do not take action during Open Enrollment, your current benefit elections will automatically continue into 2027 —with one exception: FSAs require enrollment every year. If you want an FSA in 2027, you must actively elect it.
Your benefits are an important part of your Snowflake Total Rewards. In 2027, you’ll have even more ways to support your health and wellbeing. This year, we’re updating our medical and pharmacy benefits, introducing
Cigna PPO and HDHP participants will see updates to deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums, as well as access to new specialty solutions as described below. Review the 2027 plan changes carefully, even if you are happy with your current plan selection.
Prescription drug coverage for Cigna medical plan participants will continue to be provided through CVS. Certain prescription copays are changing for 2027. Review the new pharmacy costs, especially if you or a family member takes regular medications.
Prescription drug coverage for Cigna medical plan participants will continue to be provided through CVS. Certain prescription copays are changing for 2027. Review the new pharmacy costs, especially if you or a family member takes regular medications.
Starting January 1, 2027, Transcarent will provide eligible Cigna members and their families with personalized guidance, treatment support, nurse navigation, screening assistance, and caregiver resources following a cancer diagnosis. To learn more, [pending implementation - Alliant/Sophie to add]
All Snowflakes can access 2nd.MD’s free virtual expert consultations for medical second opinions and treatment guidance, regardless of whether or where you are enrolled in a health plan. To learn more,
For California employees enrolled in the Kaiser HMO, 2027 updates include changes to out-of-pocket maximums, office-visit copays, emergency services, prescription tiers, and fertility and IVF coverage.
Kaiser members will continue to have access to no-cost wellness coaching and a free Calm app subscription for sleep and mindfulness.
Starting January 1, 2027, Maven will be Snowflake’s primary partner for fertility, family-building, and related support services, replacing Kindbody. Cigna members will have access to Maven as the preferred fertility partner.
Maven also provides personalized support for perimenopause and menopause. This resource is available to all U.S. Snowflakes at no cost, with no enrollment required.
Starting January 1, 2027, Lyra will replace RethinkCare as Snowflake's partner for mental health and neurodiversity support. What this means for you:
Lyra is available 24/7 at (844) 927-0110 or snowflake.lyrahealth.com.
Cigna Members: Visit myCigna.com or the myCigna mobile app to view, download, print, or share digital copies of your ID cards. If a physical ID card is preferred, members can request one through the myCigna.com portal or by calling Cigna customer service (number pending)
Kaiser Members: Visit the Kaiser Permanente App to access your digital ID card or visit the Kaiser Website to create an account. You will receive a physical ID card in the mail.
The 2027 IRS limits for Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Health Savings Accounts (HSA), and Commuter Benefits are listed below.
FSA Contribution Details
HSA Contribution Details
You can enroll in or stop your participation in the commuter pre-tax account program at any time. Contributions in the account can be used in future months or plan years, and does not require an election during the Open Enrollment period. To learn more, visit the commuter page.
Life insurance helps protect your loved ones in the event of an unexpected death. Snowflake provides Basic Life and AD&D coverage to all U.S. employees at no cost. Voluntary Life and AD&D Insurance allows you to purchase additional protection for your family's financial security.
Coverage is available for yourself, your spouse/domestic partner, and/or your child(ren). To purchase coverage for your dependents, you must first elect coverage for yourself. Consider your current and future financial needs when evaluating how much coverage you need.
During the 2027 Open Enrollment period, you may increase your voluntary employee life insurance election by up to $40,000 without providing Evidence of Insurability (EOI) — also called a Statement of Health — as long as your total coverage does not exceed the $300,000 Guaranteed Issue (GI) limit.
More flexibility for you–previously, participants could only increase coverage by $10,000 without EOI. The new $40,000 threshold gives existing enrollees significantly more room to increase protection without needing a medical review.
Examples — No EOI Required
Any coverage elected **above** $300,000 remains subject to EOI review.
Example: An employee currently enrolled at $280,000 elects an additional $40,000.
The first **$20,000** is approved automatically (bringing them to the $300,000 GI limit).
The remaining **$20,000** requires EOI review
Total elected coverage: **$320,000** — with $20,000 pending approval
Election changes outside the Open Enrollment period are only permitted if you experience an **IRS-defined qualified life event** (such as marriage, birth or adoption of a child, or divorce) — and you must submit your change request within 31 days of the event.
Beginning in 2027, the maximum weekly benefit for Short-Term Disability (STD) and California Voluntary Disability Insurance (VDI) for employees on a qualified medical leave will increase from $3,500 to $4,000 per week. STD and VDI benefits provided under the Snowflake plan are tax-free.
California Voluntary Disability Insurance changes:
For California employees covered by our VDI plan, in addition to the increase in benefits above, you will also see an increase in the tax-free portion of your benefits for Caregiver and Parental leaves from a weekly maximum of $2,000 to $4,000.
Starting in 2027, employees will be responsible for applicable benefit-plan contributions while on a leave of absence. For more information please see the LOA Toolkit on The Lift.
During paid leave:
Your regular benefit deductions will continue to be withheld from your paycheck as normal, including medical, dental, vision, FSA, and voluntary benefit contributions. Since many of our leave pay benefits are tax-free, these deductions will only come from any taxable income you receive. If your leave pay is insufficient to cover the full deduction amount, deductions will be taken in the following priority order: [1. medical, 2. dental, 3. vision, 4. voluntary benefits]. Any amounts that cannot be withheld will accumulate and be reconciled upon your return.
Please note: Certain benefits like your 401(k) contribution or your Commuter Benefit contributions will pause during leave, as these require eligible compensation.
During unpaid leave:
Your regular benefit deductions will stop since you will not have any eligible income. Contributions will accrue and will be reconciled when you return to work.
Healthcare costs continue to rise nationally, and as a result, employee bi-weekly contributions for medical, dental, and vision coverage will increase modestly in 2027. Snowflake still covers the majority of the cost of your care, and we remain committed to offering comprehensive, competitive benefits for you and your family.
Take a moment to review the updated 2027 contribution rates and consider what coverage best fits your needs before finalizing your elections.
Not sure what you need for Open Enrollment? Or forgot what's already available to you at no cost? Join us for a Get to Know Your Benefits session. We're hosting a series throughout October covering our vendor partners and programs — including several benefits that require no enrollment at all. Recordings will be posted as they become available.
These benefits are available at your own cost and require active enrollment during the Open Enrollment period:
If you are a current plan participant in any of the programs listed above, your current enrollment will carry forward into 2027.
Use the chart below for a high-level comparison of the 2027 medical plans.
Below are the 2027 bi-weekly paycheck contributions for each of our plans.
Notsure which plan is right for you? Use the enrollment decision support tool, ALEX. Answer a few simple questions,estimate your costs for the year, and ALEX will recommend the plans thatfit your needs and budget —no spreadsheets required.
Starting October 26, visit the Empyrean enrollment platform to enroll in or make changes to your 2027 benefits.
If you're adding new dependents, gather the information you'll need in advance — including full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and address for each dependent and beneficiary you plan to include.
