A S OPEN ENROLLMENT looms, it is time to make a plan to maximize employee enrollment and help your staff select the plans that best suit them.Here are some pointers to make open enrollment fruitful for your staff and your organization.
Review what you did last year
Review the results of last year’s enrollment efforts to make sure the process and the perks remain relevant. Were the various approaches and communication channels you used effective, and did you receive any feed back about the process, either good or bad?
Start early with notifications
Give your employees notice at least a month before open enrollment and provide them with the materials they will need to make an informed decision. This includes the plans that you are offering. Look at what you did last year in terms of communications to see how effective it was in maximizing enrollment. You can polly our staff to ask them what concerns they have about this year’s open enrollment and what information they’d like to make it easier for them to make a decision.
Highlight changes to plans
Talk to us about any major changes to the plans you have been offering. Whenever you adjust your insurance benefits, you need a plan for explaining the changes to your employees. If you have to make some difficult health plan changes, employees should know what drove your decision. Were claims higher than expected last year? Did your business have a tough year and now has a more limited budget for benefits? While employees may still be disappointed by these changes, when they understand why, they’ll be more understanding.
As you lead up to switching plans, provide your employees with plenty of information about what will change. Will premiums go up? Will there be new out-of-pocket expenses? Is there anew type of provider network?
Present this information in a variety of formats, such as:
• Brochures,
• Benefits packets,
• E-mails,
• Seminars,
• One-on-one discussions with the HR decision-maker, and
• Online videos if provided by the insurance company.
Get spouses involved
Benefits enrollment is a family affair, so getting spouses involved is critical. Encourage your employees to share the health plan information with their spouses so they can make informed decisions on their health insurance together.
