According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, 27% of employees took no action at all during open enrollment last year. They were simply re-enrolled in whatever they had before. Another 8% spent less than five minutes making their decision.
Add it up, and roughly a third of your workforce is choosing (or not choosing) their benefits faster than it takes to make a cup of coffee.
Your employees are not disengaged. Many of them were simply never given the tools to feel confident making these decisions in the first place.
The Problem With a One-Time Approach
If your benefits education strategy is a printed guide handed out once a year during open enrollment, you are probably not getting the return you are hoping for. That is a real investment of time and printing cost for something many employees will skim, if they open it at all.
Many employees do not know how to navigate the healthcare system, and that is not a knock on them. Comparing costs, finding a quality provider, or knowing when telehealth makes more sense than an urgent care visit is not something many people are taught. So they default to whatever feels easiest or familiar, even when it costs them, and your plan, more than it needs to.
That gap shows up as:
- Employees overpaying for routine care
- A health plan that is used inefficiently, which drives costs up for everyone
- Frustration with benefits that were supposed to help in the first place
A Small Decision Can Make a Big Difference
Picture two everyday moments.
An employee needs an MRI. One provider charges $2,000. Another, just as qualified, charges $600. If that employee knows how to compare, that is real money saved for them and for your plan.
A parent’s child has an ear infection. A trip to the ER could run $1,500. A telehealth visit handles it in twenty minutes for a fraction of the cost. Same outcome, very different bill.
Neither of these examples requires a complicated intervention. They just require employees who know their options exist and feel comfortable using them.
What Year-Round Education Looks Like
The good news is that fixing this does not mean overhauling your entire benefits program. It means rethinking how, and how often, you communicate with your team.
A few ideas that work well together:
Workshops and webinars. A short live session on telehealth, deductibles, or how out-of-pocket maximums work can go a long way. These do not need to be long or formal to be effective.
Educational materials that are genuinely useful. Instead of one dense guide, think in smaller pieces: “How to Find the Best Provider for Your Needs” or “A Step-by-Step Guide to Comparing Prescription Prices.” Shorter, more specific content tends to get read more often.
Ongoing, simple communication. A monthly email or text with one practical tip goes further than you would think. Something as small as “you can save $50 by filling your prescription at a different pharmacy” builds the habit of paying attention.
A mix of channels. Benefit guides, videos, texts, emails, decision support tools, even a postcard now and then. Your workforce is likely multi-generational, and people take in information differently. A single format is never going to reach everyone.
The Real Payoff
Employers who treat benefits education as a year-round conversation, rather than a once-a-year event, see it pay off. Employees make more informed choices. Costs come down for the plan and for the people using it. And employees feel more supported, which shows up in how they feel about their benefits overall.
If you would like to see what this could look like for your team, we are happy to talk it through. DM me for more information.