This Month's News
2026 Open Enrollment is Just Around the Corner
The City of Milwaukee’s Annual Open Enrollment period is Monday, October 20, 2025 through Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
Packets will be mailed out starting early-October to all City of Milwaukee retirees presently enrolled in a City health insurance plan. This excludes MATC, MMSD, MPS, United Water Services, and Veolia. If you do not receive your packet by October 27, 2025, call the ERS Open Enrollment Hotline at (414) 286-3689 and request that one be sent to you. If you are not currently enrolled in a City health insurance plan and wish to receive a City Open Enrollment packet, or want to request an enrollment form, call the ERS Open Enrollment Hotline at (414) 286-3689 and request that one be sent to you.
Please note that the premium rates will increase for retirees under the age of 65 years (non-Medicare) by about 12.6%. For Medicare retirees, please note that the City will switch over to a Medicare Advantage plan (that will include Part D prescription coverage), instead of offering the secondary UHC EPO / PPO plans like prior years. Unless you opt out, current Medicare retirees on the City’s plan will automatically be enrolled in this new UHC Medicare Advantage plan. More details for the new UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage (MA) plan will be provided by the City and UHC – please be on the lookout for those mailings.
You can find the answers to your questions in your Retiree Benefits Guide or on the ERS website – www.cmers.com. Click on “Read More” under Open Enrollment to find links to frequently asked questions, 2026 rate charts and an online copy of the 2026 Benefits Guide. Please read your Benefits Guide carefully. Rate information and the Retiree Benefits Guide will be available around the beginning of October.
When submitting a new health enrollment form, please keep a copy for your records. ERS does not send out confirmation letters. However, if you want confirmation of receipt of this form, please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope for this purpose.
Due to the high volume of forms received each year, we cannot confirm by phone if we have received your health enrollment form.
Life Insurance
There are no changes to the life insurance benefit design for current retirees. No action is required on your part if you currently participate in the City’s Life Insurance plan as a retiree. If you currently do not participate in the City’s plan as a retiree, you are not eligible to enroll in the plan. You can reduce or cancel your coverage at any time, but please note you cannot then increase or reenroll in the future.
The City will hold the following Open Enrollment Fairs:
2026 Open Enrollment Fairs
| Type |
Date |
Time |
Location |
| Virtual |
Tues., Oct., 21st |
10a - Noon |
cmers.com |
| In-Person |
Wed., Oct., 22nd |
10a - 1p |
City Hall Rotunda, 200 E. Wells Street |
| In-Person |
Thur., Oct., 23rd |
2p - 4:30p |
DPW Field Headquarters, 3850 N. 35th Street, cafeteria |
| Virtual |
Mon., Oct., 27th |
1p - 3p |
cmers.com |
| In-Person |
Tues., Oct., 28th |
2p - 4:30p |
DPW Field Headquarters, 3850 N. 35th Street, cafeteria |
| In-Person |
Wed., Oct., 29th |
2p - 5p |
DNS Lake Tower, 4001 S. 6th Street |
| In-Person |
Thur., Oct., 30th |
1p - 4p |
MFD Local 215 Union Hall, 5625 W. Wisconsin Avenue |