2026 Annual Enrollment
For Retirees
2026 Annual Enrollment is October 29 – November 12
During this annual enrollment window, you will be able to make changes to your benefit elections for 2026. Take a moment to review the important changes below to help you make an informed decision as you enroll in or adjust your Health & Insurance Benefits for the upcoming year.
Any elections or changes that you make during annual enrollment are effective January 1, 2026, and will remain in effect during the 2026 calendar year unless you experience a qualifying life event.
To view a Benefits Directory with contact information for your benefit vendors, go here.
Enroll in your 2026 Benefits
To review, change, or enroll in your benefits for 2026, during the enrollment window simply navigate to the Bayer Benefits Center (Fidelity NetBenefits®) website by pressing “Enroll Now” below, or by downloading the NetBenefits app. If you have any questions or need assistance with the enrollment process, call the Bayer Benefits Center at 1-888-473-1001, Option 1. Representatives are ready to assist you from 8:30 A.M. to 8:30 P.M. ET, Monday through Friday.
ENROLL NOW
What's New
Medical Plan Updates
Preventive Care Enhancements:
Effective January 1, 2026, additional preventive breast cancer screenings, such as ultrasounds and MRIs, will be covered 100% for participants enrolled in the Aetna and Anthem medical plans when filed with a preventive diagnosis or inconclusive mammogram result.
Medical Plan Changes:
- Contributions for medical premiums will increase for 2026. There will be no changes to dental or vision premiums.
- Telemedicine copay will increase only for those enrolled in the national Health & Savings and regional medical plan options. There are no copay changes to the 90% and 85% PPO plans.
- General Medical Visit copay will increase to $57
- Dermatology Visit copay will increase to $89
- Health & Savings Plan annual deductibles will increase:
- You + Spouse/Domestic Partner: $3,400 ($100 increase)
- You + Child(ren): $3,400 ($100 increase)
- You + Family: $4,200 ($100 increase)
Enrollment Reminders
Additional reminders can be found on the Health & Insurance page.
Designating a Beneficiary
It’s important to review your beneficiaries for your life insurance and retirement account(s). Please be sure to review your choices regularly and update them after certain life events, such as a marriage, divorce, birth of a child, or a death in the family.
To navigate to your beneficiary elections online, go to benefits.bayer.us, click the Accounts & Benefits tab and select Update your Beneficiaries and follow the online instructions.
Retiree Medical Account (RMA)
The retiree medical account (RMA) is a tax-free account that can be used by eligible retirees to reimburse eligible retiree health care expenses. The RMA does not provide medical plan coverage. For questions regarding your RMA please call the Bayer Benefits Center at 1-888-473-1001 Option 3, to speak with a service specialist.
For additional information regarding RMA’s, including eligibility requirements, click here.
Enrollment Confirmation Statements Reflecting Your 2026 Elections
Upon completion of enrollment through the Bayer Benefits Center website, you will receive an email confirmation. Please save a copy of your 2026 elections for your records.
A confirmation statement will be mailed to your home address only if you enroll by speaking with a representative, call and request a mailed statement, or do not make an election for 2026 and your coverage defaults after the correction period ends on November 26, 2025.
2026 ID Card
If you make changes to your medical plan for 2026, you can print your temporary Confirmation of Enrollment Card online from The Bayer Benefits Center website. A new card will be mailed to you in January. If you do not make changes for 2026, you will not receive a new ID card.
Legacy Monsanto
Enrollment Details
Steps to Enroll
Starting October 29, 2025, through November 12,2025, log on to the Bayer Benefits Center website at benefits.bayer.us and select the notification labeled “Take action” to compare and choose your benefits.
Also, representatives can answer benefit questions and help you enroll if you call 1-888-473-1001, Option 1, from 8:30 A.M. to 8:30 P.M. ET, Monday through Friday.
What if I Decline Coverage?
For Legacy Monsanto retirees hired or rehired on or after May 1, 2002, and you actively elect “No Coverage” during the annual enrollment period or drop coverage during the year, your coverage under the retiree medical plan will terminate and you will not be eligible to elect coverage in the future. You will not be able to elect any future Bayer-sponsored medical benefits for yourself or your dependents.
For Legacy Monsanto retirees hired or rehired before May 1, 2002, you may “Defer” coverage and re-enroll later only if you are under 65 years of age.
What If I Don’t Enroll?
The deadline to complete your annual enrollment elections through benefits.bayer.us is November 12, 2025. If you do not make an election for 2026, you and your eligible dependents will default to the coverage you have as of November 26, 2025. To make corrections after November 12, you must call the Bayer Benefits Center at 1-888-473-1001, Option 1 by November 26, 2025. Important: After November 26, 2025, your coverage elections may not be changed until the next Annual Enrollment period, unless you have a qualified change in status. For further information, view the qualified changes in status and changing your benefit elections details, or refer to the Health & Welfare Benefits Plan Summary Plan Description in the Reference Library section of benefits.bayer.us.
What if my Address Changes or I Have a Qualified Change in Status During the Year?
During 2026, if you have:
- An address change, you must contact the Bayer Benefits Center at 1-888-473-1001, Option 1, within 30 days of the change.
- Another type of qualified change in status, such as losing a dependent, you must contact the Bayer Benefits Center at 1-888-473-1001, Option 1, within 60 days of the event.
Benefit Plan Options
Non-Medicare Retiree Medical
Bayer’s six national medical plan options and five regional plan options are available to non-Medicare eligible retirees under age 65. The 2026 Legacy Monsanto Rate Sheet contains details on the following:
- Features of the national plans
- Rates for various coverage levels in the regional and national plans
- Subsidized retiree medical coverage information (if eligible)
Retiree Medicare Medical Coverage
When you (and/or your eligible dependent) become eligible for Medicare (typically at age 65), you will no longer participate in company-sponsored medical coverage. You may purchase individual coverage through a variety of plans in the Individual Marketplace. If you need support in understanding the plan options, please contact Via Benefits toll-free at 1-888-812-2190 (TTY: 711), Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Central Time, or visit my.viabenefits.com/bayer.
If you will soon become eligible for Medicare, you will need to complete an application to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B. You should contact the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid approximately 60-90 days prior to your Medicare eligibility date. You may also need to complete a “Request for Employment Information” form in order to apply for Medicare. This form has a section that Bayer will need to complete to verify your employment and coverage information. You can contact the Bayer Benefits Center at 1-888-473-1001, Option 1, and request that the form be completed with your employment and benefit coverage dates. A benefits specialist from the Bayer Benefits Center will complete the form and either mail it back to your home address or return it via email if an email address is provided.
Retiree Medical Option Features
When reviewing the national medical plan options through Aetna and Anthem, know that each coverage option offers:
- Preventive care, covered at 100% with no deductible
- Prescription drug coverage through CVS Caremark
- An unlimited lifetime maximum
- Virtual exercise therapy program through Hinge Health
- Telemedicine, second opinion, and expert medical services through Teladoc
- Mental health, substance abuse, and health management benefits
- Surgical Centers of Excellence with Transcarent for those enrolled in Anthem and Aetna medical plans
Decision Support
Plan Comparison
Choose at least two medical coverage options and check the features you’d like to compare, such as copays and deductibles. Refer to the Summary of Benefits and Coverage section available upon enrollment in the Bayer Benefits Center website to access the Plan Comparison.
Bayer Retiree
Enrollment Details
Steps to Enroll
Starting October 29, 2025, through November 12, 2025, log on to the Bayer Benefits Center website at benefits.bayer.us and select the notification labeled “Take action” to compare and choose your benefits.
Also, representatives can answer benefit questions and help you enroll if you call 1-888-473-1001, Option 1, from 8:30 A.M. to 8:30 P.M. ET, Monday through Friday.
Important Note if you Decline Bayer Retiree Medical Coverage
Before making any benefit decisions, please consider your options carefully. If you and/or your dependents choose retiree medical coverage through another source for 2026 and you decline Bayer retiree medical coverage for yourself and/or your eligible dependents, you will not be able to elect any future Bayer-sponsored benefits for yourself or your dependents.
What If I Don’t Enroll?
The deadline to complete your AE elections through benefits.bayer.us is November 12, 2025. To make corrections after November 12, you must call the Bayer Benefits Center at 1-888-473-1001, Option 1 by November 26, 2025. If you do not make an election for 2026, you and your eligible dependents will default to the coverage you have as of November 26, 2025.
Important: After November 26, 2025, your coverage elections may not be changed until the next Annual Enrollment period, unless you have a qualified change in status. For further information, view the qualified changes in status and changing your benefit elections details, or refer to the Health & Welfare Benefits Plan Summary Plan Description in the Reference Library section of benefits.bayer.us.
What if my Address Changes or I Have a Qualified Change in Status During the Year?
During 2026, if you have:
- An address change, you must contact the Bayer Benefits Center at 1-888-473-1001, Option 1, within 30 days of the change.
- For Medicare-eligible retirees with an HRA, you will also want to alert Via Benefits of your new address by calling 1-888-812-2190.
- Another type of qualified change in status, such as losing a dependent, you must contact the Bayer Benefits Center at 1-888-473-1001, Option 1, within 60 days of the event.
Benefit Plan Options
Non-Medicare Retiree Medical
Bayer’s six national medical plan options and five regional plan options are available to non-Medicare eligible retirees under age 65. The 2026 Bayer Retiree Rate Sheet contains details on the following:
- Features of the national plans
- Rates for various coverage levels in the regional and national plans
- Subsidized retiree medical coverage information (if eligible)
Health Reimbursement Account (HRA)
If you were hired, re-hired, localized or integrated into Bayer prior to January 1, 2005, Bayer will provide you with an HRA to help pay for your retiree medical premiums as long as you enroll and stay enrolled in a supplemental plan through Via Benefits. The amount of your HRA depends on your points and your age and service. If you were age 50 or older with at least five years of service as of December 31, 2011, the amount of your HRA will be based on your points. Your Medicare-eligible spouse may also be eligible to receive the HRA.
HRA participants will receive a letter from Via Benefits with account information for the 2025 plan year. If you want to make changes to your elections or enroll for the first time, you must contact Via Benefits at 1-888-812-2190.
View the 2026 Bayer Retiree Rate Sheet for information on the 2026 HRA contribution amounts.
Retiree Life Insurance
Bayer offered retiree life insurance coverage if you were hired, re-hired, localized or integrated into Bayer before January 1, 2005, AND you were age 50 or older with at least 5 years of service as of December 31, 2011. If you retired from Bayer at least age 55 on your last day of work with at least 10 years of continuous service after age 40, you are eligible for retiree life insurance. The amount of your coverage depends on your years of service after age 40:
- $10,000 retiree life insurance coverage if you have between 10 and 19 years of service
- $15,000 retiree life insurance coverage if you have 20 or more years of service
Please contact the Bayer Benefits Center at 1-888-473-1001, Option 1 if you have questions about your retiree life coverage amount or if you need to add/change your beneficiaries.
Retiree Medical Option Features
When reviewing the national medical plan options through Aetna and Anthem, know that each coverage option offers:
- Preventive care, covered at 100% with no deductible
- Prescription drug coverage through CVS Caremark
- An unlimited lifetime maximum
- Virtual exercise therapy program through Hinge Health
- Telemedicine, second opinion, and expert medical services through Teladoc
- Mental health, substance abuse, and health management benefits
- Surgical Centers of Excellence with Transcarent for those enrolled in Anthem and Aetna medical plans
Decision Support
Plan Comparison
Choose at least two medical coverage options and check the features you’d like to compare, such as copays and deductibles. Refer to the Summary of Benefits and Coverage section available upon enrollment in the Bayer Benefits Center website to access the Plan Comparison.
Retirees Eligible for Medicare
Enrollment Details
If you become eligible for Medicare and are not a retiree of the unions below, when you (and/or your eligible dependent) become eligible for Medicare (typically at age 65), you will no longer participate in company-sponsored medical coverage. You may purchase individual coverage through a variety of plans in the Individual Marketplace. If you need support in understanding the plan options, please contact Via Benefits toll-free at 1-888-812-2190 (TTY: 711), Monday – Friday, 7 A.M. - 6 P.M. CT, or visit my.viabenefits.com/bayer.
Berkeley Union, Sterling or Elkhart Union or Houston Retirees
If you are a Berkely, Sterling or Elkhart union retiree who retired between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2008, or you are a Houston retiree, you have different Plan options available to you. The following 2026 Retiree Supplemental Medical Options are available to you if you are eligible for Medicare, or for your spouse/domestic partner if they are eligible for Medicare.
- Aetna Supplemental Plan
- Aetna Supplement Medical Only Plan
- CVS Caremark Prescription Only Plan
View the 2026 Bayer Retiree Rate Sheet for more details.
Applying for Medicare
If you will soon become eligible for Medicare, you will need to complete an application to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B. You should contact the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid approximately 60-90 days prior to your Medicare eligibility date.
You may also need to complete a “Request for Employment Information” form in order to apply for Medicare. This form has a section that Bayer will need to complete to verify your employment and coverage information. You can contact the Bayer Benefits Center at 1-888-473-1001, Option 1, and request that the form be completed with your employment and benefit coverage dates.
A benefits specialist from the Bayer Benefits Center will complete the form and send an email notifying the employee that they can go to NetBenefits and download the completed document.
Tax Forms
As required by the ACA, in March, retirees who were eligible to participate in Bayer medical coverage in the previous year will receive a 1095-C Form. If you participated in a regional medical option in the previous year, you will also receive a 1095-B Form from the carrier that provided coverage to you. Keep these forms to help you complete your income tax filing. Retirees age 65 and older and on Medicare will not receive a 1095. You may receive a 1095 from your insurance provider reporting the coverage if you were not enrolled in Medicare for part of the year.