Rochester (N.Y.) Regional Health System has temporarily paused the start of the open enrollment period for employees, as it continues to “explore options for 2026 healthcare coverage,” the system confirmed to Becker’s in a Nov. 11 statement.
The pause came after the system received complaints over a spike in healthcare premiums.
In a Nov. 7 Facebook post, the Rochester Union of Nurses and Allied Professionals said the health system eliminated its lowest-premium health plan for all employees. The union said it was engaging with legal counsel over concerns about compliance with its contract.
“At the same time, premiums for the other two available plans are being dramatically increased for a large portion of hospital staff, but RNs are being exempt from those increases due to the protections of our union contract,” the post said.
The union said the insurance changes come as the health system “struggles to maintain proper staffing levels in a wide range of professions” and called on the CEO to “reverse course and invest in his staff.”
In a Nov. 9 message to employees that was shared on the union’s Facebook page, Rochester Regional CEO Chip Davis, PhD, thanked those who had raised concerns and said the system was delaying open enrollment to “give us time to fully review and determine next steps.”
“These decisions are never taken lightly, and over the past several days I have spent time listening carefully to your thoughts, concerns and questions,” Dr. Davis said.
In a petition to the system’s board of directors, the union said that a pause is not enough.
“We need a full reversal, including the restoration of the CDHP Plus plan and extending RUNAP’s maximum 6% annual cap on increases in employee contributions to all staff in this and future years, so we can properly staff our facilities and care for our community,” the petition said. “We request the full board meet with representatives selected by your employees, from support workers to nurses to providers to allied health professionals, to ensure our voices are properly heard.”
