Employers: Prepared for Open Enrollment Season?
7 Minutes
Team Curative
Sep 19, 2023
Open enrollment—the period during which employees can change benefit options through their employer—is a busy, yet exciting time for businesses. During open enrollment, employees make important decisions regarding their choice of health plan from a list of options provided by their employer. Though start dates can differ depending on the health plan an employer chooses, open enrollment season typically begins in the Fall preparing for a January start date. It’s never too soon for employers to start thinking about the enrollment season ahead. Unlock the door to success with the following best practices.
Understand employee health plan sentiment.
Benefits are an important piece of an employee package that can help with retention. Checking in with employees about whether their current benefits are meeting their health needs and expectations can help employers identify areas of concern and seek to correct them. From coverage issues to confusion over care costs, you can provide support to improve employee health outcomes. Send an anonymous survey to the staff or host a town hall to collect feedback.
Choose the best health plan options ahead of open enrollment.
Selecting the right health plan for your employees doesn’t have to be stressful. Using the employee feedback, what is your specific goal for enrollment? How do you plan to achieve that goal? Answering these questions and more regarding affordable health insurance for your organization before open enrollment begins boosts your chances of a successful season, and help ensure you select the correct health plan offerings for employees.
First, consider all health plan options available.Sometimes, legacy plans aren’t always the best choice for your workforce today. Reviewing different health plans ahead of the next enrollment season and comparing out-of-pocket expenses to potential premium savings ensures your employees are getting the right health insurance for their needs and you’re making the right decision for your organization.
Be sure to select an affordable, comprehensive health plan option. Employees trust that their employer has “done their homework” to select the best health plan options for the company. Once you’ve checked in with your employees about their current and future health insurance needs and expectations, you’re ready to research plan options. Keeping in mind important factors like cost-transparency, affordability, high-quality providers, and preventive care coverage, you have the knowledge and tools to choose a plan that transforms employee health.
Introduce and educate employees about affordable health plans they’ll love early.
The best way to educate employees is through proactive engagement. Be sure to walk through the enrollment process with your employees. Often, health insurance terminology is ambiguous, leaving members with more questions than they started with. Employers who consistently provide workers with information put themselves in the best possible position moving into enrollment season. Employers can begin by sending a general information email explaining when enrollment is starting, how to self-enroll, and details about how the health plan works (in-network options, pharmacy tiers, dental and vision plans, short-term disability, and more).
One of the best ways employers can educate their employees is by holding open enrollment meetings, where they can share a comprehensive overview of the benefits they offer. Hosted by yourself or a health plan representative, these informational workshops boost your workforce’s health literacy and health plan utilization by serving as a resource for questions and concerns. Furthermore, employers can provide enrollment kits to each employee, so they can explore their options ahead of time. Enrollment kits can include a:
Summary of benefits coverage
List of FAQs
Benefits book
Expected employee costs for each plan option
Any accommodating one-pagers
Keep employees in the loop from start to finish.
When it comes to open enrollment season, there’s no such thing as overcommunication. It’s easy for an important email to get lost in an employee’s inbox or to miss a meeting because they got pulled into other work. The more employers communicate open enrollment information across various channels such as email, work phone text blasts, staff workshops/meetings, internal newsletters, or even dedicated sections on the company intranet, the more likely employees will absorb and engage with their health plan options. If an employee has additional questions or concerns about their options, providing 1:1 advising is a great way to clear up confusion and ensure your employees enroll in the plan that’s right for them
Communication isn’t just important before enrollment begins—it’s important throughout the process. Following up on employee experience throughout enrollment helps measure the success of the overall process. For example, employers can ensure newly enrolled employees receive a welcome email and hard copy card within the first few weeks of membership. Asking employees about their open enrollment experience can help you prepare for future enrollment seasons by understanding what went well and what could be improved.
Unsurprisingly, the biggest problems that come along with open enrollment typically arise from not preparing early enough. By preparing ahead of time, employers gain breathing room to
Communicate all available options to employees. Testing and preparing documents with suppliers takes time, and isn’t a process to be rushed. Give people the time they need to consider their options and make a decision. After all, employees deserve more than 1-2 days to choose their benefits. A couple of weeks is a perfect amount of time for employees to review the information at hand.
Overall, the main goal for employers during open enrollment season should be to make sure their employees are satisfied with the benefits they’ve chosen. By guiding their employees through a successful enrollment process, employers foster a positive, productive work environment.
About Curative
Curative is health plan that employees and employers will love. Our plan focuses on affordability, engagement, and simplicity, so people feel confident getting the care they need, when they need it. Imagine—a health plan that actually delivers better health.
Affordability
People shouldn’t avoid doctor visits out of fear of surprise medical bills. After completing a Baseline Visit in the first 120 days of joining Curative, one monthly premium will enable:
$0 copays
$0 out-of-pocket fees
$0 preferred prescriptions
$0 deductibles for in-network care.
Engagement
Curative builds engagement with employees from day one by facilitating trusted relationships with a Baseline Visit and Care Navigator. Members will complete a Baseline Visit within 120 days of plan effective date to create an individualized, preventive care plan with a Curative Care Navigator to reach their health and wellness goals. We also ensure members are connected to our large and inclusive provider network.
Simplicity
Curative makes care management virtually stress-free. The Curative Pharmacy has a partnership with a national network of pharmacies and even offers same-day delivery (for select cities). Members can access virtual urgent care in partnership with NormanMD in less than 10 minutes via messaging, audio, or video chat.
No copays. No deductibles. No...really. Curative is changing the way we view health insurance with a health plan that actually delivers health.
** Patients experiencing a medical emergency should call 911 (or the local emergency number) immediately.
For more information on how affordable health insurance can help your company achieve a successful open enrollment season, visit us at https://curative.com/for-employers.
To see all disclaimers, please view here.
References
Miller, S. Open enrollment guide & resources. SHRM. Last accessed 27 June 2023. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/open-enrollment-benefits-guide.aspx
Newman, M. (19 Jul 2022). 5 health insurance renewal basics to make open enrollment more successful. Benefits Pro. https://www.benefitspro.com/2022/07/19/5-tips-to-make-health-insurance-renewal-more-successful/
3 open enrollment tips for SMB employers. (19 July 2022). ExtensisHR. https://extensishr.com/resource/3-tips-for-a-successful-open-enrollment-season/
