Insurance Benefits

The university offers a rich and flexible menu of insurance options to meet your needs. Review the quick overview below and use the links to the left for more information.

For benefits-eligible employees, the university's contribution to your core benefits (medical, dental, life, and AD&D) is called Sooner Credits.
Full-time and part-time benefits-eligible employees must enroll in insurance within the first 31 days of employment. Benefits-eligible employees are covered the first day of the month following their date of hire.

Sooner Credits

The university pays a portion of the insurance premiums for benefits-eligible employees as part of their total compensation package. These contributions are called "Sooner Credits" and are used for the core insurance programs: medical, dental, life insurance, and accidental death & dismemberment.

Full and part-time employees classified to work between 20 and 40 hours per week are eligible for benefits. The Sooner Credit amount contributed for each employee is prorated based on their full-time equivalency (FTE) as shown below.

FTE	% of Sooner Credits
.5-.59	50%
.6-.74	75%
.75-1.0	100%

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2026 Benefits Guide

Insurance Rates

Benefits-eligible employees receive university contributions (called Sooner Credits) for the premiums on medical, dental, life, and accident protection insurance. To review the rates for the current plan year, choose your classification below.

2026 Premium Rates

By Employee Type

Full-Time Employees

Full-Time Employees (Paid over 12 months)

Part-Time Employees

9-Month Faculty

Medical Insurance

OU offers two plans through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma (BCBS). Your options include the PPO plan and the High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). The university contributes to medical premiums for benefits-eligible employees.

Pharmacy

The University of Oklahoma has partnered with Rightway to manage your pharmacy benefits, ensuring you get the highest-quality prescription medications without overpaying.

Garner Health

OU has partnered with Garner to help you and your dependents find top doctors in your network and receive reimbursement for eligible costs when you visit them. These doctors follow best practices and prescribe the best treatments to keep you healthier.

Garner Health

Zero Health

Get The Care You Need for $0. OU has partnered with ZERO to help alleviate the financial burdens of healthcare. Members on the University's medical plan can receive scheduled healthcare for $0 out of pocket. No copays, no deductibles, no coinsurance.

Zero Health

Dental

OU offers BlueCare Dental from Blue Cross and Blue Shield, available in a Basic Plan and an Alternate Plan. Both plans cover preventive, basic, and major services, but they differ in how they pay for covered services.

Vision

VSP offers a standard vision plan and a premium vision plan. Both vision care plans provide coverage for prescription lenses and frames, contact lenses (in lieu of eyeglasses), and a complete annual eye exam.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

Healthcare and dependent daycare flexible spending accounts are reimbursement accounts that can decrease the amount of taxes paid on income by allowing an employee to set aside a percent of pre-taxed income for any eligible expenses.

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Members who have elected to enroll the High Deductible High Premium (HDHP) medical insurance plan will have a health saving account (HSA) to which both employees and employers can contribute pre-tax money. This money can be used to pay for eligible expenses or to invest.

Life Insurance

Life insurance provides a benefit in the case of death. You can purchase increased levels of coverage and dependent coverage. The university contributes to the premiums for benefits-eligible employees.

Accidental Death & Dismemberment

AD&D coverage provides a benefit in the case of dismemberment as a result of an accident or an untimely death. You can purchase increased levels of coverage and dependent coverage.

Short Term Disability

Short-term disability coverage provides a short-term source of income in the case of illness or injury.

Long Term Disability

Long-term disability coverage provides long-term income if you've been off work for longer than six months because of illness or injury.

Affordable Care Act (ACA)

The ACA redefines "full-time employee" and changes how benefits eligibility is determined. These changes impact nearly every university department.

Both Spouses Employed by OU

When both spouses are employed by OU, both employees must carry insurance as the primary insured. Neither employee can be enrolled as a dependent on the other spouse's OU insurance. In future years, that could change depending on the university’s contribution to dependent coverage. Medical yearly deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums can be linked on the PPO plan for families that have children and two spouses who both work at OU. Employees can do this after the plan year begins.