Open enrollment is a critical opportunity for employers and benefits teams to empower employees, inform benefits decisions, and maximize engagement. As the dust settles on 2024 enrollments and you begin looking ahead, did your 2024 open enrollment process achieve the engagement and outcomes you were hoping for? Or are there lessons to learn and changes to implement next year?
Planning for 2025 starts now, and success lies in how well you empower employees to make informed benefits decisions. From leveraging personalized tools to year-round communication, these five data-driven tips will help transform your next open enrollment into a smooth, effective, and meaningful experience.
1. Open enrollment is more than a transaction
Too often, open enrollment is treated as a quick, one-time transaction. Employees rush through decisions, often re-enrolling in health insurance plans that no longer fit their needs – a costly mistake for the employee and employer.
The better approach? Active enrollment. This strategy requires employees to review their healthcare options carefully and make informed selections rather than defaulting to previous choices. While active enrollment takes more time and effort, it offers big benefits, including improved financial wellness and the ability to tailor plans to employees’ evolving circumstances.
Employers can support active enrollment by providing contextual data, such as past medical claims and expected healthcare expenses. Tools like Truven Benefits Mentor guide employees through their choices, empowering them to make smarter, data-informed selections.
2. Personalize the healthcare experience to show employees you care
Over 50% of employees admit to being confused about their health insurance plans, with many spending less than 30 minutes selecting their benefits. Personalization can help by tailoring the experience to each employee's clinical and financial circumstances.
Personalized communication and tools make the process easier and show employees that you value their well-being. For example, Benefits Mentor enables year-round messaging, providing employees with reminders based on their previous healthcare expenses and usage. This not only removes stress from the enrollment experience, but also aligns health insurance coverage with their real-world needs.
Why personalization matters
3. Leverage benefits decision support tools
Decision-support tools are no longer a luxury—they’re essential for simplifying the complexities of benefits enrollment. Advanced tools like Benefits Mentor analyze claims data, predict future utilization, and guide employees toward the best-fit health insurance plan.
HR professionals can also benefit from these tools by analyzing overall enrollment trends, identifying under-utilized programs, and calculating the ROI of employee benefits decisions. These insights can inform plan design adjustments for future years and make data your ally.
According to a recent study, over 78% of employees who use such tools select their best-fit plan, drastically improving satisfaction while reducing unnecessary costs.
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4. Communicate beyond enrollment season
Open enrollment isn’t just a one-time event—it’s an ongoing education program that spans the entire year. Why? Continuous messaging keeps benefits top-of-mind, improves plan utilization, and helps employees feel supported. Here’s how you can maintain ongoing engagement:
- Quarterly newsletters: Answer FAQs and share updates about benefits programs, wellness initiatives, or changes in healthcare policies, such as updates to the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
- Wellness incentives: Create campaigns around preventive care services by reminding employees about free screenings, vaccinations, or health check-ups included in their plans.
- Life event-driven support: Offer timely advice for qualifying life events, like parenthood, marriage, or moving districts, so employees know their eligibility and how to adjust coverage.
5. Promote financial wellness as part of your benefits strategy
Healthcare costs continue to rise, with inflation impacting household spending and the cost of medical care. Employees are often unprepared for unexpected out-of-pocket expenses, which can lead to stress and lower engagement at work.
Benefits programs that prioritize financial wellness, such as HSAs and FSAs, can offset these challenges. Employers can help by educating employees on the pre-tax advantages of these accounts and incorporating decision guides to simplify savings contributions.
According to Forbes, 30% of employees would accept a lower salary for better benefits. By offering cost-effective and comprehensive healthcare options, you not only boost employee satisfaction but also enhance retention rates.
Improve employee financial wellness
Looking forward to 2025
Open enrollment doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By emphasizing personalization, leveraging data-driven tools, and focusing on financial wellness, you can create a more meaningful enrollment process for your employees. Additionally, fostering active enrollment and providing constant communication will ensure your workforce feels informed, empowered, and appreciated.
Ready to make open enrollment a smoother, smarter experience? Start a chat with Truven
