You understand the importance of open enrollment. You know it’s your one chance to help employees select the benefits they need to be satisfied, productive and protected throughout the following year. You recognize the importance of encouraging engagement in the process while also following state and federal regulations. Despite all of this, you may still be forgetting something important – all the people who don’t show up to work every day but still have the right to participate in open enrollment.
People Who Fall Through the Cracks
It’s pretty easy to remember the faces you see around the office every day. Current employees are present to see announcements posted in the break room, and they’re around for the meetings where open enrollment is discussed. But what about everyone else? What about the COBRA participants, retirees and individuals paying for their health coverage through direct billing?
These individuals need to be included in the open enrollment process as well. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, being out of sight may also leave them out of mind.
And that’s a big problem.
According to the Department of Labor, COBRA participants must be given the same coverage options as non-COBRA beneficiaries during open enrollment. Additionally, changes to the benefits for active employees also apply to coverage for COBRA participants.
Retirees and other individuals who use direct billing also need to be included in open enrollment.
Failing to involve these groups could result in numerous calls from angry or confused individuals demanding to know what’s going on with their coverage or complaining about enrollment opportunities that they’ve missed – adding to your already stressed workload. Even worse, it could result in compliance issues.
Filling in the Gaps
Although it’s easy to forget about the people you don’t see regularly, there is a simple way to make sure these individuals aren’t forgotten: automation.
With the right software system, managing open enrollment tasks for COBRA enrollees, retirees and direct bill participants can be hassle-free.
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- Send out notice of open enrollment, new rates and other plan changes on time, every time.
- Customize correspondence letters easily.
- Schedule communication generation in advance – before you’re overwhelmed with open enrollment duties.
- Generate and access reports so you have the data you need to make informed decisions.
- Reduce the risk associated with human error.
- Save time.
If you’re an HR professional or third-party administrator interested in reducing your workload while also limiting risk, Travisoft’s T-COBRAWEB is the software is the solution you’re looking for. Now, it comes with Open Enrollment and Print Fulfillment add-ons which can result in a 75% reduction in the time you spend on COBRA, retiree and direct bill audiences! If you purchase T-COBRAWEB in Q3 or Q4 of 2018, you can save 10%. Learn more and lock-in your savings here.