Small Business Broker Update

Q1 2026 rates now available through your preferred quoting engine

We are pleased to announce Q1 2026 rate book is now available. Our Q1 2026 rate action is a statewide average of 1.2%. Quarterly rate action and rates including closed rate books can be found on the dedicated Small Business Rates page on Broker Connection.

January, February and March 2026 renewals

Groups renewing in January will be available to brokers through Shield Renewals on Thursday, October 16 while group-level changes can be made using the Employer Enrollment tool starting Friday, October 17. Groups renewing in February and March will be available on Tuesday, November 4 while group-level changes will be available starting Wednesday, November 5 and Monday, December 1 respectively. Please note dates are subject to change.

View all your groups renewal information by visiting the renewal center page while logged into your unique broker portal. Accessing the Shield Renewals link will allow you to review and download renewal information, access your group’s renewal microsite, consider buy up or buy down options by using the medical choice chart and many more to help ensure a streamlined renewal experience for you and your group.

The Employer Enrollment Tool (EET) now has the added functionality of managing your group-level changes. You can review this EET Renewals user guide for more information or visit the Employer Enrollment Tool resource page.

2026 medical plan updates

You can expect minimal changes to our plan portfolios. The changes introduced include expanding access and enhancing care for pharmacy, virtual provider, and behavior health management.

Enhanced PPO plans with Virtual Blue

Starting January 2026 all Small Group Off-Exchange PPO plans will now have virtual health care through the Virtual Blue^SM program benefits, replacing Teladoc and NurseHelp 24/7^SM upon renewal. A notice of this change will be communicated to members who have utilized Teladoc and/or NurseHelp 24/7^SM in the past 12 months.

Additional virtual care features include:

Preventive care: Connect to primary care healthcare professionals (MDs/DOs), often with a same-day appointment.
Specialist care: Specialists available in 20 specialties, appointments confirmed within three days.
Dedicated 24/7 Care Team: Doctors, behavioral health providers, nurses, and health coaches available to connect around the clock.

Visit the Virtual Blue page for more information.

Blue Shield’s Oncology Utilization Management Program

Available to all Small Group Off-Exchange PPO plans upon renewal. Blue Shield will expand its partnership with Evolent in 2026 to launch a new oncology utilization management program. Evolent brings expertise in oncology care management and a proven technology platform to support the highest quality outcomes consistently for members.

Behavioral Health update

Beginning January 1, 2026, Blue Shield will directly manage the behavioral health benefit for all of our members including those receiving Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services. This transition enhances overall member and provider experience, ensures high-quality care and builds a whole-person approach by connecting physical and behavioral health. Blue Shield members will experience:

An expanded quality network of behavioral health providers
A dedicated behavioral health customer support team
A connected support system across customer care, claims and care management
Easier provider search through the Blue Shield portal

Please review the behavioral health FAQs for additional information.

PPO and PPO Savings plans (no plan name changes for PPO Mirror plans)

The list below is for impacted PPO plans with cost share and name changes. You can view the full list of 2026 plan name changes here.

2025 Plan Name	2026 Plan Name
Gold PPO 750/30	Gold PPO 750/35
Silver PPO 1700/60	Silver PPO 1800/65
Silver PPO 2100/65	Silver PPO 2100/75
Silver PPO 2350/70	Silver PPO 2550/75
Virtual Blue Silver PPO 2700/75	Virtual Blue Silver PPO 2850/75
Gold PPO Savings 1750/15%	Gold PPO Savings 1850/15%
Silver PPO Savings 2300/30%	Silver PPO Savings 2300/35%

HMO and HMO Mirror Plans

2025 Plan Name	2026 Plan Name
Silver HMO 2300/70	Silver HMO 2100/70
Silver HMO 2750/70	Silver HMO 2850/70
Bronze HMO 7000/70	Bronze HMO 7000/65
Blue Shield Trio Bronze 60 HMO 7000/70	Blue Shield Trio Bronze 60 HMO 7000/65

For a full list of 2026 plan changes and updates you can visit the ‘Changes To’ page on broker connection. To view exact terms and conditions of coverage for all 2026 plan offerings, refer to the Evidence of Coverage for the plan, or contact your Blue Shield account manager. You can also use the Plan Comparison tool to see plan updates across multiple years and compare plan benefits within the same plan family.

Pharmacy updates: tiered pharmacy network expansion

Upon group renewal, Small Business Access+ HMO, Local Access+ HMO, and Full PPO Off-Exchange plans will have the Rx Spectrum tiered pharmacy network. Rx Spectrum allows members to receive preferred member cost-share for prescriptions at Level A retail pharmacies, reducing out-of-pocket costs.

Level A, or preferred, network pharmacies offer preferred cost-sharing at CVS, Costco, Safeway, and Vons pharmacies nationwide.

Level B, or non-preferred, network pharmacies include all other pharmacies within Blue Shield’s pharmacy network. A higher cost-share applies for prescriptions filled at a Level B pharmacy.

Additional helpful resources

Compare prescription drug prices using our Price Check My Rx tool
Consider home delivery options through Amazon Pharmacy or PillPack
Use our online pharmacy locator tool to find a nearby Level A in-network pharmacy

Specialty plans (dental, vision, and life)

Select dental plans will no longer be available for 2026 renewals. As part of our product transformation and portfolio simplification efforts, DPPO and DINO plans will be withdrawn from our Specialty portfolio beginning January 1, 2026.

See this mapping grid for a list of withdrawn plans and corresponding recommended available plans. You can also use the Plan Comparison Tool to compare benefits between a withdrawn plan and new available plan by using the compare year over year function. Plans being withdrawn are:

Dental PPO Plans	Dental In-Network Only (DINO) Plans
Smile℠ Basic Voluntary 75/1000/No Ortho/MAC	Smile℠ In-Network Only Dental Plan 50/1500/Endo-Perio 80%/Ortho
Smile℠ Basic Voluntary 50/1000/No Ortho/MAC	Smile℠ In-Network Only Dental Plan 50/1500/Endo-Perio 80%/No Ortho
Smile℠ Basic Voluntary 50/1000/No Ortho/U80
Smile℠ Deluxe Gold 50/1500/Ortho/U85
Smile℠ Deluxe 50/1500/Ortho/MAC/NR
Smile℠ Plus 50/1500/Ortho/MAC
Smile℠ Plus 50/1500/No Ortho/MAC/WP
Silver PPO Savings 2300/30%

We will be providing written communication to your employer groups enrolled in any of these withdrawing plans 90 days prior to their anniversary. Your groups have the option to renew in a recommended available plan or opt out and choose another available plan.

Vision discounts available through EyeMed

Offering your group more choices with access to a vast network of independent eye doctors and popular retailers, it’s easy to book an exam and access discounts through Insight Discount. You can visit the Broker Connection vision page for more information.

Note: EyeMed is independent of Blue Shield of California and is contracted by Blue Shield to provide vision services.

Sell more, earn more with our rewards programs!

The Small Business incentive program will reward you for newly enrolled members and offer added bonuses when enrolling a new member in all three specialty products: dental, vision, and life. We are continuing to reward direct-selling brokers with our Direct Elite Rewards program. Each point you earn is equal to $1 available to both independent and individual brokers within an agency that has opted into a program. Learn more about enrolling in Producer Rewards here (authentication required).

Tools for a trusted advisor: Sales guides and your Roadshow recap

Being a subject matter expert for your clients is fundamental to your work and, when the subject is Blue Shield of California, we want to ensure you are always prepared.

Thank you to everyone who joined the 2025 Broker Roadshow—if you missed the event, check out links to the presentation slides, the FAQs, and the session recording.
Your group’s plan documents for Q1 2026 will be available on the Summary of Benefits 2026 page. For all other plan documents (SBCs, EOCs, Contracts/COI), visit the benefits and coverage plan documents page for small business.
Q1 2026 Sales Guides provide you with comprehensive information about selling Blue Shield of California products with added value propositions. Topics include ‘Why choose Blue Shield?’, understanding our plan offerings, eligibility and more. Download the medical and specialty sales guide for Q1 2026 now.
The plan cheat sheet is a short quick guide to all our 2026 medical plan offerings. You can use this guide to easily identify richer and leaner plans and compare plan benefits within a plan family.
Easily provide your clients with market ready collateral featuring benefits comparisons across multiple plans within a plan family. Final outputs are available in branded PowerPoint, PDF, and spreadsheet formats by using the plan comparison tool.

If you have questions about your enrollments, please email Producer.Services@blueshieldca.com. This helps ensure your inquiry reaches the right team and gets a timely response.