open enrollment
October 6, 2026
How to Announce Open Enrollment to Employees
Open enrollment allows your workforce to make decisions about their health plans and benefits for the upcoming year. How and when you inform employees about this period can determine whether they fully engage with this opportunity, passively enroll or let it pass them by entirely. A rushed or vague announcement can lead to confusion, missed...
October 1, 2026
Managing Benefits Coverage Across Multiple Renewal Dates
A benefits package often functions as a coordinated program, with each line of coverage moving through renewal and enrollment on the same timeline. Over time, however, carrier changes, new benefit offerings and organizational transitions can place individual plans on different renewal schedules. While differing effective dates may seem like a minor administrative detail, they can...
September 10, 2026
Open Enrollment Changes to Watch For
Open enrollment often appears unchanged from one year to the next, but you may be surprised by what is new when you enroll this cycle. Carriers adjust plan pricing, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) updates contribution limits, and employers revise their benefits offerings based on utilization and employee feedback from the prior year. As a...
August 31, 2026
2027 Open Enrollment Trends to Monitor
Open enrollment season is arriving with a different feel this year. Costs are climbing faster than they have in over a decade, employees are asking for benefits that reflect the realities of their lives rather than a one-size-fits-all package, and new technology is changing how people choose their coverage. For employers, that means open enrollment...
August 10, 2026
8 Tips for Effective 2027 Open Enrollment Communication
Now more than ever, employees are looking to their employers for guidance on navigating their available benefits and how to stretch their dollars further. Many of today’s workers want help understanding how much money to put aside for retirement, emergency savings and health care expenses. That means employers have an opportunity to shine by effectively...
July 14, 2026
How to Drive Employee Participation
Many employees do not realize how much their employer contributes to their benefits package. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, benefits account for 30.1% of total compensation in the private industry, yet low participation remains a widespread challenge for employers. Without meeting carrier participation thresholds, employers risk losing access to group coverage altogether,...
November 4, 2025
Marketplace Plans Opened Nov. 1, Premium Increases Expected
Starting Nov. 1, Americans can log on to HealthCare.gov and state-run exchanges, as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace (Marketplace) open enrollment period began for 2026 coverage. This year’s enrollment window runs through Jan. 15, 2026, in most states, with some extending deadlines into late January. The average Marketplace premium after tax credits...
October 16, 2025
Small Business Health Plans Could See 11% Increase in 2026
Every year, health insurance companies inform state officials of their expected cost changes and propose new prices for plans that comply with the Affordable Care Act regulations. A report from KFF, an independent source for health policy research, focuses specifically on plans for small businesses, typically those with 50 or fewer employees. These plans can...
