Open Enrollment 2021-2022: What You Need to Know

What is Open Enrollment?

Open enrollment is the one period of the year where employees can sign up for health insurance or change a health insurance plan provided by the employer. Remember that this period also allows employees to disenroll in health insurance if they no longer wish to have coverage.

The only exception to enrolling, changing a health insurance service, or disenrolling is through a qualifying event. Qualifying events can vary depending on the state the employee resides in.

Qualifying events include:

Marriage
Divorce
Having or adopting a child
Loss of insurance due to employment change or termination of employment
Death of someone covered on the plan
A dependent no longer qualifies as a dependent
Moving to a new state
Becoming a U.S. citizen

When is Open Enrollment for Health Insurance?

Open enrollment periods range depending on the healthcare provider and the state the employee lives in. Nationally, open enrollment periods begin on November 1st 2021 through January 15th 2022. In order for coverage to begin January 1st 2022, enrollees must enroll by December 15th.

Check here for Affordable Care Act (ACA) open enrollment dates by state.

California, and Washington D.C permanently extended their open enrollment dates through January 31, 2022 while other states typically close open enrollment on January 15, 2022.

Is There Health Insurance That Doesn’t Use Open Enrollment?

Yes, a few health insurance policies do not have the same open enrollment restrictions that others do. This means that there aren’t restricted time periods when employers can sign up for insurance. It is available to them year-round.

Different types of health insurances that don’t follow open enrollment rules include:

U.S. government’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
Medicaid
Short-term health insurance
Travel insurance
Supplemental insurance programs
Medigap

How Can Offering Voluntary Benefits Save Your Business Money?

Voluntary benefits are offered by employers to their employees at no additional cost to the employer. They are often referred to as employee-paid benefits or supplemental insurance. The employer makes the benefits available to the employee, but the employee pays the full cost of the plan. It is not split between the two.

This form of insurance is rising in popularity because it allows employees the flexibility to choose the type of insurance or health coverage that best fits their lifestyle instead of paying for coverage the employee does not want or need.

Employer benefits of offering voluntary benefits include:

Reducing out-of-pocket health care costs
Access to group rates
100% of the insurance cost is paid by the employee
Gives your employees choice in healthcare plans
It is available to part-time and full time employees
Helps your company attract and retain top talent (77% of workers say that benefits packages are an important part of deciding on accepting or rejecting a job offer)
Saves you billing time through automatic payroll deductions

At SBMA, we provide comprehensive coverage plans for employers to provide affordable benefits to employees. Here, our voluntary benefit plans encompass:

Health
Dental
Vision
Wellness/Lifestyle
Financial
Security
Personal and miscellaneous

Learn more about Affordable Benefits, talk with one of our team members!

Why is Employee Insurance Enrollment Important?

Employee health insurance is important for businesses, especially Applicable Large Employees (ALE). Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), ALEs who do not provide health insurance are penalized for every employee who is not offered health insurance.

This year, fines can range from $2,700 to $4,000 per employee not offered coverage. In comparison, offering our ACA-compliant Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) is an affordable way for ALEs to maintain coverage compliance. Check out our interactive calculator below for a cost comparison of how providing MEC benefits to employees saves your business money.

Besides avoiding hefty fines, employee health insurance provides the support employees need if they ever fall ill, and keeps employees healthy. One of the main benefits of coverage is that covered preventative care visits monitor any health concerns that may arise an employee cannot physically see or feel yet.

Healthy employees are more present and productive at work. Employees who are supported through covered care gain access to resources that combat preventable illness, and are more likely to be positive, engaged, and determined to do their best during work.

Another benefit of maintaining a healthy workforce is that it reduces the costs you as an employer must front when an employee takes sick leave or if you have to find someone to cover a shift.

Actionable Ways to Increase Benefit Enrollment

Actively encourage employees to sign up and renew health insurance during open enrollment, and especially before, so employees have time to prepare and choose a plan best suited for them.

Employers can encourage employees to sign up for health insurance during open enrollment 2021 through:

PDF one-pagers: One-pagers have information about health benefits that are easily distributed around the office.
Pamphlets: Similar to a one-pager, pamphlets have information, graphics, and contact information for the employee.
Offer a point of contact: A knowledgeable employee within your business can answer FAQs and help employees find the right plan.
Text or email campaigns: Sometimes the most effective method of communication is through technology.
Pay stubs: Add information about enrollment to paystubs because employees receive them regularly.

Curious about how else your business can increase health insurance enrollment this year? Read our article here on how opt-in vs opt-out insurance policies make a bigger difference than you’d think.