The Teacher Retirement System (TRS) Board of Trustees approves the 2026-27 plan year rates and benefits for TRS-ActiveCare plans, which provides health insurance coverage for the majority of all Texas educators.  

Benefits 

TRS will continue to offer and enroll new members into TRS-ActiveCare Primary, Primary+, and high deductible (HD) plans. The TRS-ActiveCare 2 plan will remain available for those already enrolled in that plan but is not open to new enrollees. Benefits for the TRS-ActiveCare Primary and Primary+ plans, which cover 75% of all ActiveCare enrollees, will remain the same for the upcoming plan year. 

Premiums and coinsurance 

Total premiums across plans and regions will increase by an average of less than 10% for the 2026-27 plan year, with no plan rate category or region increasing more than 11%. These percentages reflect TRS’ ability to continue to outperform broader market trends. Plan highlights for regional total premiums are available on TRS’ website.  

The coinsurance for specialty drugs under the TRS-ActiveCare Primary+ plan will be reduced from 30% to 20% for the upcoming plan year, and out-of-pocket costs for those drugs not on the SaveOn drug list will be capped at $500 per month.  

Changes to TRS-ActiveCare 2 and TRS-ActiveCare HD 

Beginning Sept. 1, members enrolled in TRS-ActiveCare 2 will have tiered pricing on copays based on whether a physician is Tier 1 or Tier 2: 

• The Tier 1 primary care provider (PCP) copay will decrease $10 from $30 in the current plan year to $20 in the upcoming plan year. The Tier 1 specialist copay will decrease $15 from $70 in the current plan year to $55. 
• The Tier 2 PCP copay will increase $10, from $30 to $40. The Tier 2 specialist copay will also increase $15, from $70 to $85.  

The deductibles for the TRS-ActiveCare HD plans will increase to meet federally mandated IRS requirements for plans compatible with Health Savings Accounts. The in-network deductibles will increase by $100 for individual plans and $200 for family plans. The out-of-network deductibles will increase by $200 for individual plans and $400 for family plans.  

From May through August, TRS will host “TRS-ActiveCare: From A to Z” benefits sessions to help members choose the health plan that best fits their needs. Dates and registration links are available here.  

TRS-Care for retirees 

Retiree rates for next year’s TRS-Care plans are scheduled to be set at the next TRS board meeting, scheduled for July 16–17. TRS staff indicated during the current meeting that the TRS-Care Medicare Advantage plan for retirees over 65 has continued to outperform from a savings perspective, and the expectation is that the board will lower rates on that plan.