Tips for Employers to Boost Participation, Utilization, and Understanding During Open Enrollment

Open enrollment happens just once a year. It’s the only opportunity for current employees, outside of a qualifying life event, to add, change, or cancel their employee benefit elections for the upcoming plan year.  This window should be strategically designed to help employees better understand their benefit options and plan changes, and make the right decisions for them and their families.

For organizations, this is your once-a-year chance to help correct any issues you or your employees have faced with your benefits program in the past – and enhance what has been working well already. With the tips outlined below, your organization can experience the joy of better outcomes during open enrollment and throughout the year – and fewer headaches later! 

Start Early with an Open Enrollment Plan

The sooner you start, the smoother the process will be. Here’s how to get organized:

• Review last year’s results: What worked? What didn’t? Use past data to make improvements in the current year.
• Evaluate enrollment process: Take a close look at your enrollment process. Is it easy for employees to use? Is it easy for you to administer? Are there changes that need to be made?
• Ask your employees: Prepare and disseminate a survey to gauge employee experience. What issues occurred? What improvements can be made? 
• Set clear goals: Focus your goals on areas that can be improved such as participation, utilization, administration, and communication, and define key metrics you’d like to achieve.
• Work with your vendors: Prepare and finalize benefits options, communication strategies, and education materials early to avoid any delays.
• Ask vendors about technology credits: Many benefit plan vendors will provide organizations with “technology” or “marketing” credits, which are essentially free money that can be used to support the cost of employee education and enrollment including technology platforms and marketing campaigns. Ask your vendors about these credits and if they can be used for Open Enrollment.
• Ask vendors about value-adds: Many benefit plan vendors also offer other “value-adds” such as a free EAP or decision support tool to enhance their benefit plan offering. Ask your vendors about these value-added benefits to see if they would be a good fit to include in your next upcoming Open Enrollment.
• Create a timeline: Set achievable windows and deadlines for compliance and plan document reviews, tech checks, communications, group meetings, etc.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements: Review benefits offerings to ensure they meet Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements. Ensure materials like the Summary of Benefits and Coverage are accurate and made available to employees. Make sure employees understand their rights under COBRA. Be sure to keep thorough documentation of employee benefits selections.

Simplify Employee Benefits Information

Enrolling in benefits can be confusing. Understanding benefits can be difficult. Help employees enroll and make benefits decisions with ease by making the information easy to digest:

• Enrollment Instructions: Provide clear instructions on who can enroll (eligibility), how to enroll, when to enroll, and important deadlines.
• Summarize plan details: Share clear summaries that cover costs, coverage, deductibles, what’s covered and what’s not covered
• Use visuals: Infographics and comparison charts simplify complex details. 
• Provide real-life examples: Show how benefits choices can affect out-of-pocket expenses with real-life examples such as Mary having a baby or John needing surgery.
• Offer translated materials: Make benefits information accessible to all employees by creating and offering English and Spanish versions

Use Technology for a Smoother Enrollment Process

Technology makes everything better, smoother, and more efficient – especially when it comes to enrolling and managing employee benefits. Use the right technology to simplify and enhance the open enrollment experience for you and your employees:

• Provide an online enrollment platform: If you’re still enrolling on paper, you need to stop for the benefit of your employees and your organization. Find an online enrollment platform through your payroll provider or benefit carrier that allows employees to compare and select benefits at their own pace. Digital platforms also allow for better record keeping and tracking of employee elections, and remittance of elections to payroll.
• Enable mobile access: Ensure employees can review and enroll in benefits on any device. Most enrollment platforms are mobile-friendly, but it’s always a good idea to test it before open enrollment begins to ensure it’s working properly.
• Use decision-support tools: Help employees find plans based on coverage, cost, and personal needs. Some enrollment platforms have these tools built in. Check and see if this tool is offered through your platform or one of your benefit plan vendors.

Enhance Employee Benefits Communications 

Communication is key! So it should come as no surprise that good communication increases participation and helps employees feel confident in their choices:

• Announce open enrollment dates early: Give employees plenty of notice. At least two to four weeks before Open Enrollment, prepare an email or mailed notification.
• Create a benefits resource hub: Make it easy for employees to access all the information they need to make an educated decision on their benefits.
• Address common questions: Cover frequently asked questions about coverage, costs, and eligibility. Communicate updates to coverage or costs directly. 
• Use multiple digital communication channels: Emails, webinars, newsletters, posters, flyers, and even social media to help reach everyone.
• Offer group meetings and virtual events: Hold group meetings – either in person or virtually – at convenient times so that employees and their families can participate.
• Provide benefit decision support: Offer benefits advisors available for one-on-one support. Help employees estimate expenses with interactive tools. Emphasize programs like wellness incentives or health savings accounts (HSAs).
• Incentivize engagement and participation: Reward employees who complete enrollment early, participate in a group or virtual meeting or schedule a one-on-one session with a benefit advisor. with valuable incentives.
• Send enrollment reminders: Keep employees informed as the deadline for Open Enrollment approaches via email, text, and portal notifications.

Refine Your Open Enrollment Strategy Post-Enrollment

After open enrollment ends, be sure to evaluate how everything went from start to finish. Only by diving into this year’s process will you be able to make tangible improvements for the next year:

• Review issues with HR and providers: Issues are bound to occur. Keep a running tally of the biggest issues and challenges, and start to brainstorm solutions.
• Gather post-enrollment feedback: Following completion of open enrollment, send employee surveys or feedback forms to identify help areas for improvement.
• Analyze participation trends: Review plan and coverage migration. Which plans saw the most traction? Which plans saw the least traction? These insights can help you plan accordingly for next year.
• Monitor utilization and claims trends: Keep an eye on utilization and claims trends throughout the year to identify areas of concern and in need of attention before your next renewal.
• Make improvements: Adjust plan designs, enrollment processes, technologies, communications, deadlines, and offerings for the next year based on what worked and what didn’t this year.

How We Can Help

At VSMG, we know that open enrollment is more than just a yearly task—it’s a chance to help employees better understand their benefits make informed choices, and improve their internal resources and processes. We work with organizations to simplify enrollment, improve utilization, increase participation, and offer benefits that reflect what employees need. Contact us today to learn how VSMG’s better advice and better benefits can help support your organization and your employees’ well-being.

About VSMG 

Built by and for Arizona public sector employers, VSMG is a leading employee benefits consultant dedicated exclusively to serving Arizona school districts, municipalities, and other public entities for over 20 years. With offices in Phoenix and Tucson, we deliver expert advice, forward-thinking strategies, and cost-effective solutions that help our clients attract and retain top talent.