Smart Benefits: Steps to Open Enrollment Success

Monday, September 02, 2019

Rob Calise, GoLocalWorcester Business/Health Expert

Rob Calise

Every fall, companies renewing their benefit plans for January hold an open enrollment period. During this time, employers typically educate their workforces to help them make the best decisions for the coming year based on their needs and budget, whether that means changing plans or not. Here are some steps that can improve the process so this season goes as smoothly as possible.

• Explain Any Plan Changes. Whether you’re offering entirely new options or there are simply some minor coverage or pricing changes from previous years, make sure you spell out any of the differences to employees to they can evaluate their choices accurately. A good way to make sure employees take the time to review their choices is to set up active enrollment that requires them to proactively select.

• Educate on Expenses. Often, the most confusing part about plan selection is grasping the true cost implications of each option. Make sure you provide resources that can help workers compare the out-of-pocket expenses they’ll incur with each choice and what they can do to maximize benefits and savings, especially if they’re anticipating any health changes like a pregnancy.

• Communicate Frequently. To optimize employee engagement, be proactive with communication. Determine who you want to reach, key messages you want to communicate, and the type of vehicles you’ll use based on employees’ technology access like newsletters, posters, or videos. Make sure you use clear language and set up a schedule to reach out regularly through the period.

• Detail Deadlines. For some employees, open enrollment is synonymous with information overload. And that can mean some critical data gets missed. To make sure employees complete their selections accurately and on time, be sure to call out critical details like rules governing eligibility and important dates like the submission deadlines.

• Offer Opportunities for Questions. Whether you choose to hold open enrollment meetings, live webinars, brown bag lunches, or some other event, allow employees the chance to actively participate and ask questions about the various options and what they mean for their health and wallet.

• Streamline Employee Selections. If you haven’t already, you may want to opt to go paperless this season. By allowing employees to enroll online at their convenience, you’ll engage and empower them. You’ll also save your HR staff on data entry time and errors and can even push out the info directly to the carriers for added efficiencies.

Once open enrollment season is over, conduct a review on how it went so you can prepare to improve the process for next year.

Rob Calise is the Managing Director, Employee Benefits of The Hilb Group of New England, where he helps clients control the costs of employee benefits by focusing on consumer-driven strategies and on how to best utilize the tax savings tools the government provides. Rob serves as Chairman of the Board of United Benefit Advisors, and is a board member of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of RI Broker Advisory Board, United HealthCare of New England Broker Advisory Board and Rhode Island Business Healthcare Advisors Council. He is also a member of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), American Health Insurance Association (AHIA) and the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC), as well as various human resource associations. Rob is a graduate of Bryant University with a BS in Finance