Medical Plans for Faculty and Staff

Notes: Employees of the Johns Hopkins Police Department fall under staff eligibility requirements. LiUNA bargaining unit health plans can be viewed here.

The following groups are offered health benefits through Student & Learner Plans:

• Undergraduate and graduate students
• Medical students
• PhD candidates
• Visiting students and trainees
• Postdoctoral fellows, residents, and interns

Eligible dependents include:

• Your legally married spouse or domestic partner
• Your children through the end of the year in which they turn age 26
• Children age 26 or older who cannot support themselves (certification of disability is required)

Eligible children include biological, adopted or children placed with you for adoption, stepchildren, your domestic partner’s children, or children for whom you have been appointed legal guardian.

To enroll eligible dependents, you will need to submit dependent documentation, including marriage license and affidavit of domestic partnership. Domestic partners must qualify for coverage under the Johns Hopkins Domestic Partner Benefits Policy.

• Individual – self
• 1 adult and child(ren) – self + one or more children
• 2 adults – self + spouse or domestic partner
• 2 adults and child(ren) – self + spouse or domestic partner + one or more children

JHU supports your health journey with a selection of medical plans available through CareFirst Administrators, which offers access to BlueCross BlueShield’s BlueChoice Advantage PPO network of doctors and specialists.

Eligibility

Full-time and part-time faculty and staff and your eligible dependents are eligible to enroll in these JHU medical plans:

• CareFirst High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)
• CareFirst Core PPO Plan
• CareFirst Enhanced PPO Plan
• Kaiser Permanente HMO Plan (closed to new enrollees)

Limited-time faculty and staff and part-time instructors and your eligible dependents are eligible to enroll in the CareFirst Limited PPO Plan.

Important note: If you’re covered under another medical plan, such as through your spouse’s employer, you must formally waive the medical coverage available to you through JHU. To do so, you will need to submit a medical waiver form that requires you to provide proof of coverage elsewhere. This form is available on the myChoices Health & Life portal.

If you don’t have medical coverage elsewhere, you must select one of JHU’s medical plans. If you don’t select one, you’ll be enrolled automatically with individual coverage in the CareFirst Core PPO Plan.

All our medical plans feature comprehensive, high-quality coverage at an affordable cost—plus access to a national preferred provider network and other resources that make accessing care and staying healthy easier.

CareFirst High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)

The CareFirst HDHP medical plan offers lower monthly premiums than the CareFirst Core and Enhanced PPO Plans. However, you’ll pay a higher deductible and more for out-of-pocket expenses with the CareFirst HDHP compared to the CareFirst Core and Enhanced PPO Plans.

To help manage these higher costs, the CareFirst HDHP offers access to a separate tax-advantaged Health Savings Account that allows you to set aside funds on a pretax basis to help pay certain out-of-pocket health care expenses.

CareFirst PPO Plans

JHU also offers a choice of two Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans available through CareFirst. Each plan offers different monthly premiums and out-of-pocket costs for services:

• CareFirst PPO Plan
• CareFirst Enhanced Plan 

Both plans allow you to see any provider, in-network or out-of-network, but you will generally pay more for out-of-network care. Both plans require that you pay a deductible first. Then you’ll pay a portion of the cost for care—called coinsurance—each time you use medical services.

All three of our CareFirst medical plans offer:

• The same national network of providers through BlueCross BlueShield’s BlueChoice Advantage PPO network
• Coverage for the same broad range of services, including eligible preventive care covered at 100%
• Health care advocacy and navigation support through Quantum Health, your go-to guide and front door for all medical questions, big and small
• Prescription drug benefits managed through Capital Rx
• NEW: Vida Health personalized digital health platform with coaching and tools to support your well-being. Adults enrolled in a JHU CareFirst health plan can access Vida Health — support for nutrition, weight management, pre-diabetes, diabetes, hypertension, and more. Learn more.
• Telehealth visits available through MDLIVE for medical and behavioral health needs, with a $20 copay per visit. Register to access care 24/7. Follow steps to create your MDLIVE account.
• A plan ID card that provides contact information for your JHU medical and pharmacy benefits—including Quantum Health, which can answer questions about both. You’ll receive your ID card when you first enroll in a JHU medical plan; JHU does not issue new ID cards every year

Tax-advantaged spending and savings accounts

JHU offers spending and savings accounts that allow you to deduct tax-free dollars from your pay to help cover certain medical and other health care expenses you incur throughout the year.

• If you enroll in either of the CareFirst PPO medical plans, you can participate in the Health Care Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA) to pay for such qualified expenses as copays and coinsurance, contact lenses, prescriptions, and over-the-counter medications.
• If you enroll in the CareFirst High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), you can contribute to a Health Savings Account (HSA) on a pretax basis to pay for eligible medical, prescription, dental, vision, and other health care expenses that you incur today or later in life. Unlike the HCFSA, the funds you save through an HSA roll over from year to year. You own the funds forever and decide when you want to use them.
• Due to IRS guidelines, you cannot participate in the HCFSA if you enroll in the CareFirst HDHP with an HSA, but you can enroll in a Limited Purpose FSA to set aside funds to pay for qualifying dental and vision expenses.
• All of JHU’s flexible spending accounts offer several options for managing your FSA expenses and reimbursement. When you first enroll, you’ll receive a benefits debit card you can use to pay your doctor or other provider expenses directly, and to pay for eligible health care expenses at qualified merchants. You’ll only receive a new debit card if your current card is about to expire.

Adult vision exams

You and your eligible dependents age 18 and older are eligible for a free eye exam every two years by a selected School of Medicine Wilmer Eye Institute provider in the Baltimore area. The comprehensive visit will consist of a routine eye exam and complete visual system exam. Call 410-955-5080 to schedule an appointment with Wilmer.

Please note: Eyeglasses and fitting or dispensing new contact lenses are not included in the routine eye exam and are not covered by JHU’s medical plans. However, you may enroll in the EyeMed Vision Plan available to you through JHU.

*You have the option to use out-of-network providers. However, the plan pays less for out-of-network services, and there is a separate deductible and out-of-pocket maximum. Certain services may not be covered. See the Summary of Benefits and Coverage for details.

**The full family deductible must be met before you begin paying coinsurance. The deductible may be met by one individual or the combined amount contributed by all members covered by your insurance.

All prescription drug managers (including JHU’s pharmacy benefits manager, Capital Rx) have a formulary—a list of drugs covered by the plan. JHU’s plan covers both formulary and non-formulary drugs. However, you’ll pay more for non-formulary drugs.

Learn more about costs and coverage for prescription drug benefits.

Use ALEX for help choosing your benefits. ALEX is available 24/7 to help you pick the best plan options for you. Once you answer a few questions about your preferences and health care needs, ALEX can narrow down the plan options to determine which one will give you the best coverage for the lowest cost. You can also add your spouse or partner’s medical plan options for a fuller picture when choosing your coverage.

Questions? Quantum Health has answers. Quantum Health is your full-time health care benefits resource and advocate. Experienced care coordinators can answer questions about all your JHU health benefits, including how to select and make the most of your medical and prescription benefits all year long. Contact Quantum Health at 844-460-2801 or access the member portal.

• 2026 Faculty and Staff Benefits Enrollment Toolkit
• Benefits Provider Contacts
• Summary of Benefits & Coverages
• Summary Plan Descriptions
• Overview of Gender-Affirming Care Benefits