What opens on January 1, 2028

Figure 1 · Three rules, one date

WHATUntil December 31, 2027From January 1, 2028
Plan choiceStaff hired on or after July 1, 2020 can only be in NJEHP or GSHP.They may select “any plan offered by the program.”
Plan designCopays, deductibles and coinsurance “shall remain unchanged.”Open to change.
ContributionsSet by statute as a percentage of salary.Negotiable, and “a new contribution scheme or method other than a percentage of salary may be provided for.”

Districts outside SEHBP are covered too: the law reaches them through the equivalent plans their carriers must offer, and their contributions open to bargaining on the same date.

Why the work falls in 2027

  • Bargaining. Contributions are negotiated “as if… included in the prior contract.” Any agreement that runs into 2028 puts the subject on the table in 2027.

  • The budget. The 2027-28 budget, built in early 2027, runs to June 30, 2028. Its health line covers the first six months of the new rules.

  • Staff questions. Post-2020 hires will ask what they would pay on each plan before the choice opens.

FIGURE 2 · THE 2027 WORK, ON ONE TIMELINE

Bargaining
Agreements running into 2028 put contributions on the table
Budget
Built early 2027
2027-28 budget year
First 6 months, new rules
Staff questions
“What would I pay?”
Choice opens

June 30, 2028: budget year ends

Jan → Jul

Illustrative. Bar lengths show timing, not workload.

What your office will be asked

  • Who is on which plan and tier, and who was hired before July 1, 2020.

  • What each person pays today, and what the board pays.

  • What each contribution option would cost the board, including methods other than a percentage of salary.

  • What happens to the board’s share if post-2020 hires move to a costlier plan.

Why this is a data job

Payroll holds salary, hire date and bargaining unit, but not the plan. The enrollment system holds plan and tier, but not salary. Every question above needs both, joined one employee at a time, under a different contribution rule depending on the plan.

Figure 3 · Two systems, one join

Payroll

  • Salary
  • Hire date
  • Bargaining unit
  • Plan

Enrollment system

  • Plan
  • Tier
  • Salary

JOINED

One employee at a time

Contribution rule

depends on the plan

Plan A → rule A

Plan B → rule B

Answers to every question above

We built a health-benefit contribution statement and plan-change app for staff inside a New Jersey district. The 2028 questions run on the same join.

2028 readiness checklist

A one-page 2028 readiness checklist sets out what opens, what your office will be asked, and the data each answer needs. Enter your work email and district, and we'll email it to you.

Sent automatically to the address you enter.