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Publish Date: November 15, 2024
Author: Christian Gabarda
Tags: Blog - SeubertU

5 Tips to Help Navigate Through Open Enrollment

By Christian Gabarda | Client Well-Being and Engagement Consultant

Open enrollment season is upon us. Without a game plan, this can be confusing and sometimes stressful for everyone, especially if we are in different phases of our careers or life stages. Many of the workforce today consists of 4 or 5 different generations, which includes the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and now Generation Z.  For example, you might be looking to retire in the next couple of years, so you are ensuring you have enough retirement income to support you and your spouse versus someone single and new to the workforce who is still learning about the different options with their benefits package. Understanding where you are and your future goals for yourself and your family could help put everything in perspective of what choices you need to make during open enrollment.  

Here are some tips to help you navigate open enrollment season: 

1. To start the open enrollment journey, understand where you are in your career and life. You might be looking for something more specific compared to your colleagues. Some essential questions to ask yourself include:

  • What do I need to be prepared for my future? 
  • What benefit(s) would help me be prepared? 
  • Who do I need to take care of? 

For example, a Generation X person with a young family and aging parents will seek health benefits that can cover the entire family and potentially provide caregiving benefits. This generation might also be considered the Sandwich Generation, as they simultaneously care for their young kids and aging parents. This is a very stressful stage for many, and finding the right benefits to assist them is crucial.  

Below is a sample chart of the multigenerational workforce, priorities, and benefits based on career and life stages.  

2.The next part of the open enrollment journey is to be aware of all communications from your employer. Employers can send these communications out by email, company internal digital announcements through the intranet, and even old-fashioned mail. This allows the company to reach all workforce generations based on communication preferences. 

These communications can provide vital information that includes:

  • Open enrollment begin date
  • Open enrollment end date
  • Benefit webinars
  • Benefit fairs
  • Benefit town halls
  • Benefit changes/updates
  • Frequently Asked Questions

Make sure you take time to review these communications, as they often contain important information that can help you with your benefits selection. 

3. Next, attend the webinars, town halls, or benefits fairs. This will allow you to ask important questions about your benefit packages. To make these events valuable, have questions prepared to ask. 

Questions can include:

  • What is changing with my medical benefits?
  • Will my provider/physician still be in the network?
  • What is changing with my pharmacy benefits?
  • What is changing with my copays or coinsurance?
  • What benefits do I have to prepare for retirement?
  • What can I use flexible spending account funds for?

4. Ask your human resources representative clarifying or final questions about the different options for your benefit. Your HR team is here to assist you with any of your questions. They have access to insurance carriers and vendors that can support them in helping you.

5. Schedule time on your calendar to complete your benefit selections before open enrollment ends. Review all of the research you’ve completed to understand the available benefits. Select the best options based on your needs, budget, and goals. 

With the tips above, open enrollment season can be manageable when prepared. Don’t let it stress you out this year. 

 

Reference:

“The Changing Generational Values.” Imagine, Johns Hopkins University, 17 Nov. 2022, https://imagine.jhu.edu/blog/2022/11/17/the-changing-generational-values/. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.

Christian MS, MBA is Seubert’s Well-Being & Engagement Coordinator. Christian joined Seubert’s Employee Benefits Division in 2024 with over 13 years of professional experience. He helps clients enhance workforce well-being by developing tailored wellness programs, managing Seubert’s data analytics, building vendor relationships, and presenting data-driven strategies to clients.

 

Contact Christian to see how you could minimize risk.
412.223.1433  | [email protected] | LinkedIn

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