5 ways to better support employees during open enrollment

With clear communication and the right tools, open enrollment can become a more confident, empowering experience for employees.

Aug. 7, 2026

Video

Many members with employer-sponsored insurance don’t spend too much time choosing their health plan. In fact, according to recent research:¹

27% of members took no action and were automatically re-enrolled in their health plan from last year
24% of members took less than 30 minutes
20% of members took less than 1 hour
19% of members took between 1–5+ hours

That means that 4 out of every 5 members took less than an hour to choose their health plan,¹ even while average family premiums for employer coverage were $26,993 in 2025.² At the same time, 53% of Americans eligible for workplace benefits regret their benefits selections because they either failed to adjust benefits to match lifestyle changes, forgot to make changes before the deadline or did not fully understand their options.³

This is where education can play a huge role. More than half of employees rely on materials or information sessions provided by their employers to help them make decisions during open enrollment³ — making employer-led communications one of the most influential touchpoints in the entire benefits experience.

1. Provide clear, proactive education before open enrollment begins

One of the most effective ways to support employees during open enrollment is to start the education process before open enrollment. About 3 in 4 employees begin preparing for their benefits section only 1 week prior to open enrollment.⁴ Providing open enrollment information earlier may enable employees to make more informed decisions about their benefits — without feeling rushed or overwhelmed.

Early communication also allows time for employees to review their options, ask questions and consult with their families and financial advisors if needed. It also helps reduce confusion among employees and limit errors during the open enrollment process, which can lead to higher satisfaction and reduced workloads for HR teams.

That's why UnitedHealthcare created Benefit Explorer, a new, modern pre-enrollment website experience available to employers with 500+ employees, with an intuitive, retail-inspired design that helps employees quickly understand their options and make confident open enrollment decisions. Personalized at the customer level, each site delivers pre-loaded smart content that gives employees what they need for open enrollment, when they need it — including education on all benefits offered, any plan or cost changes and new additions.

2. Simplify the enrollment experience with engaging resources

Benefits information can feel complex — and when employees are overwhelmed, they may make rushed decisions or miss coverage that matters. Clear, interactive tools like videos, provider directories and decision trees can make a real difference in how confidently employees show up to enrollment.

UnitedHealthcare offers open enrollment resources built around how employees actually think, feel and act during the process. These resources — including presentations, videos, enrollment emails and reminders, cost comparison grids and pre-member websites — can be configured by account management teams to fit an organization's specific needs, at no additional cost, whether the employer is offering medical, behavioral, pharmacy or specialty benefits.

For employers who want ready-to-use materials, the UnitedHealthcare®Getting Started Toolkit provides phased communications designed to engage employees before the plan begins, at launch and through the first few months. It includes fliers and videos aimed at reducing administrative work and driving stronger participation. Employers with fewer than 5,000 employees may also have access to the UnitedHealthcare Employee Engagement Planner®, allowing HR leaders to select any ready-made materials that they can share directly with employees based on timely and relevant moments throughout the year.

3. Personalize education and assistance

Employers who have access to claims data can use those insights — or those provided by their carrier, broker or consultant — to help inform the benefits they choose for their workforces as well as their communication about those benefits. Personalizing education and support can go a long way toward making an employee feel known and cared for.

For instance, employers may want to tailor messages or educational sessions based on the generational demographics represented in their workforces. They may want to use different formats to reach certain segments of their employees, whether via email, video calls or in-person sessions to match learning styles and communication preferences.

At UnitedHealthcare, employers of all sizes have access to personalized support for their workforces. For instance, small and midsize businesses can lean on Field Account Managers (FAMs) while larger businesses can benefit from the insight of their account or client management teams and dedicated service representatives to facilitate educational sessions or provide additional member support.

4. Promote use of digital tools and available member support

HR teams often face an open enrollment bottleneck: a surge of questions and support calls on top of their everyday responsibilities. An intuitive digital experience can help relieve that strain — giving employees the ability to find answers on their own, on their own schedule, which is what most prefer anyway.

The UnitedHealthcare® app and myuhc.com® serve as the front door to health care for members, giving employees and their families a single place to access health plan ID cards, care options, cost estimates, claims tracking and more. From there, members can also connect with 2 additional layers of support:

Avery, UnitedHealthcare's AI companion, is available 24/7 to help members understand their coverage and personal benefits, check claim status, get cost estimates, search for network providers, schedule appointments and more. Avery adapts to each member's specific plan and demographics — and when a question needs a human touch, it seamlessly transfers to a live Advocate along with a full summary of the conversation, so members never have to repeat themselves.
Advocacy support for complex needs that go beyond self-service. Through the WholePath Advocacy model, compassionate, trained experts are ready to step in and step up — looking across a member's full benefits to help them navigate complex health situations and address their whole-person health needs.

These embedded capabilities can help ensure employees have access to 24/7 support, resulting in fewer issue escalations to HR teams and more satisfying benefits experience that double as a competitive edge for recruitment and retention.

5. Keep benefits education going year-round

Missed checkups, ER visits and unused wellness benefits all drive higher costs for employers and can contribute to poor health outcomes. Year-round education may promote more informed and less costly decisions. In fact, 73% of surveyed employees want more benefits education.⁵

Working with a carrier like UnitedHealthcare, which sends personalized and triggered member communications based on general population needs or trends, can be helpful to:

Remind employees about preventive care, behavioral health services and wellness programs
Highlight cost-saving opportunities, like alternatives to the ER, which may save thousands per visit
Offer timely tips for maximizing health savings accounts (HSAs) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs), such as reminders for school physicals or year-end balances

Learn more about open enrollment resources

Video transcript

Screen visuals:

The UnitedHealthcare logo stretches into a ribbon that swipes across the screen and flies away, revealing the words “Open Enrollment.”

Narrator:

You know what rocks about open enrollment tools for your employees? They’re ready for use 365 days a year…

Screen visuals:

From the “Open Enrollment” title, the letters “O” and “E” isolate and come together to form the “OE” acronym. Fliers, websites, event signage and videos flow in to create a collage of open enrollment materials that surround the “OE” acronym. The collage scrolls, and the words “365 days a year” appear. The collage scrolls again, and the words “366 (if you count leaps)” appear.

Narrator:

…and served up digitally for an easier, more convenient experience.

Screen text:

95%*

of eligible employees prefer a digital-first OE experience

*UnitedHealthcare OE Consumer OE Experience and Preferences, August 2025.

Screen visuals:

A hand holds a smartphone. On its screen, a video begins to play.

Narrator:

Ready to dig in? Let’s roll.

Screen text:

Ready to dig in? Let’s roll.

Narrator:

First is a series of quick-tip, bite-size videos — based on a range of popular topics, like how a health plan works, the importance of preventive care and more.

Screen text:

Educational Videos

Screen visuals:

A series of video title screens scroll from right to left. They’re titled “How a health plan works,” “Preventive care,” “Tips for choosing a plan” and “Value of UnitedHealthcare.”

Narrator:

You can personalize the videos by adding a company name, website and phone number…

Screen text:

Personalize with:

Company name
Website
Phone number

Screen visuals:

On a desktop computer screen, a video begins to play. The video begins with a customizable welcome message that says, “Hello Customer Name. Let’s dive in.”

Bullet

Bullet

Bullet

Narrator:

...then share them out with employees in emails, on intranet sites and more.

Screen visuals:

On a desktop computer screen, a video titled “How to choose a health plan” begins to play.

Narrator:

All the videos are designed to make the health care universe easier for employees to understand—so they’ll feel better about their health care experience.

Screen visuals:

On a desktop computer screen, a video titled “Digital tools included with your health plan” begins to play. The desktop computer screen clears, and a video titled “Preventive care” begins to play.

Narrator:

And have you heard about the new Benefit Explorer pre-enrollment websites? If you have over 500 eligible employees, you get a tailored experience that gives employees 24/7, year- round access to explore their benefit options digitally. For example, you can include a plan comparison feature for up to 3 plans and the wellness and care management programs you want.

Screen visuals:

A web address bar appears and "exploreuhcplans.com/yourcompany" is typed into it. The web page appears then shrinks to fit into the screen. It scrolls up revealing the website's home page. The arrow clicks on "Back to top" then on an arrow pointing to the right showing how to compare up to 3 plans as it scrolls from left to right. Next, the mouse moves and clicks on "Included extras" revealing a page with the headline "Health and well-being benefits are part of the plan" before scrolling down.

Narrator:

Now let’s talk event support. Whether they’re in person, online or off-hours, these event support tools are built to help employees understand their benefits.

Screen text:

Event Support

Helping employees learn about their benefits

Narrator:

Presentations provide overviews on things like how a health plan works, what additional benefits and wellness programs may be available, ways to use digital plan management tools and more —

Screen text:

Topics include:

Health plan overviews
Additional benefits
Digital tools

Screen visuals:

A laptop opens, revealing a scrolling library of presentations.

Bullet

Bullet

Bullet

Narrator:

and they work great for your in-person meetings, webinars and other events. For added convenience, presentations can be recorded for employees—so they can watch anytime.

Screen visuals:

A library of presentations continues to scroll on a laptop screen. A video icon appears next to one presentation. In a new setting, the laptop sits between a desk lamp and a mug of tea. As the view zooms out, the lamp arm angles upward, and a presentation fills the laptop screen.

Narrator:

Employees attending events can find stand-out hand-outs and reminder cards with QR codes connecting them right to their Benefit Explorer pre-enrollment website or pre-recorded presentations.

Screen visuals:

A person wearing an event lanyard stands next to a table that displays fliers. Next, a hand holds out a card with a QR code. A second hand reaches out to take the card.

Narrator:

Helping employees to choose the plan that fits them best is next on the check-this-out list.

Screen text:

Comparing Plan Details

Narrator:

Consumers say that being able to easily compare options is really important to them…

Screen text:

When choosing a health plan, consumers want to compare costs and coverage.*

*UnitedHealthcare OE Consumer Experiences and Preferences, August 2025.

Screen visuals:

A laptop opens, and a woman is on its screen. As her arm reaches out, a variety of document icons fan out above the laptop.

Narrator:

so there are tools that give employees at-a-glance key benefit information in a clear, concise way—like grids that help them compare plan option costs to help them understand what to consider when choosing a plan.

Screen visuals:

A variety of document icons spread out. A hand appears and taps on one of the documents, which flips over to reveal a cost grid flier. The flier isolates and gets bigger, and new columns appear on the flier.

Narrator:

There’s an email series to help employees stay connected to all things open enrollment. The emails announce the open enrollment period and deliver important info and links right into employees’ inboxes.

Screen visuals:

A hand holds a smartphone. On its screen, an email notification alert appears. A finger taps on the notification to open the email. The email opens, zooms in and begins to scroll. A tab slides out of the phone. On the tab, there’s a megaphone. The tab retreats as the email continues to scroll. The tab slides out again. There’s a medical file folder on the tab.

Narrator:

Additional benefits, like wellness programs, get their spotlight too, in the form of fliers, power point presentations, and even a video, where employees can see additional benefits in action.

Screen visuals:

The words “Spotlight on Additional Benefits” are on the screen. A spotlight appears and sweeps its light across the screen, revealing a collage of materials, including fliers, a presentation, video and more. The materials begin to scroll, and the video gets larger. As the video title, “Wellness programs and health services,” appears, a lotus flower, apple, bandage, digital thermometer, smartwatch, blueberry, drug capsule and medical cross nestle into a neat pile.

Narrator:

With all these open enrollment resources and tools at the ready—every day is a great day…...to educate......and engage your employees in their benefits.

Screen visuals:

Fliers, websites, event signage and videos flow in to create a collage of open enrollment materials. The collage scrolls, and the words “a great day to educate and engage” appear.

Narrator:

Now you’re ready to rock enrollment. And that’s music to everybody’s ears.

Screen visuals:

The abbreviation “OE” appears on screen and transitions to “Oh yeah!”

Screen text:

Want to learn more?

Scan to watch a video on Tips for Choosing a Plan

Scan to visit the demo Benefit Explorer website (National Accounts and Public Sector)

Scan to visit the demo Benefit Explorer website (Key Accounts)

Screen visuals:

Providing a quick way to access more information, a scannable QR code for a video is shown on the left. In the middle is a scannable QR code for the demo Benefit Explorer website for National Accounts and Public Sector and on the right is another scannable QR code for the demo Benefit Explorer website for Key Accounts.

QR code

QR code

QR code

Screen text:

Questions?

Contact your UnitedHealthcare representative

Screen visuals:

The Ribbon swipes across the screen and turns into the UnitedHealthcare logo.

Screen text:

Insurance coverage provided by or through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or its affiliates. Administrative services provided by United HealthCare Services, Inc. or their affiliates. Administrative services provided by United HealthCare Services, Inc. or their affiliates, and UnitedHealthcare Service LLC in NY. Stop-loss insurance is underwritten by UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or their affiliates, including UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance Company in NJ, and UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of New York in NY. © 2026 United HealthCare Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 26-6206042 EI232327667.2 7/26

Screen visuals:

The UnitedHealthcare wordmark is shown on the screen.

Turning open enrollment experiences into ROI contributors

Impacts from the selections an employee makes during open enrollment can often be felt in the next plan year and potentially for years to follow. If an employee doesn’t understand their options, they may not make the best choices. As a result, inadequate coverage could cause their health to suffer, they could spend more out-of-pocket than they budgeted for, and their satisfaction with their employer could dip. For employers, that may in turn increase their year-over-year risk and thus their rates or costs in addition to the threat of lower productivity and employee retention rates.

Employers looking to maximize their ROI should work with their UnitedHealthcare representative, broker or consultant to make sure they are prepared and ready to offer their employees support during open enrollment, once their plan year begins and throughout the year.

Learn how UnitedHealthcare is delivering a better member experience

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Footnotes

Most Spend Under an Hour Choosing a Plan, as Satisfaction With Affordable Options Declines EBRI, June 4, 2026. Available: https://www.ebri.org/docs/default-source/fast-facts-(public)/ff-556-cehcs4-4jun26.pdf?sfvrsn=db01022f_1.
Annual Family Premiums for Employer Coverage Rise 6% in 2025, Nearing $27,000, with Workers Paying $6,850 Toward Premiums Out of Their Paychecks. KFF, Oct. 22, 2025. Available: https://www.kff.org/health-costs/annual-family-premiums-for-employer-coverage-rise-6-in-2025-nearing-27000-with-workers-paying-6850-toward-premiums-out-of-their-paychecks/.
Equitable Survey Finds Majority of Working Americans Regret Benefits Selections During Open Enrollment. Equitable, Oct. 15, 2024. Available: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241015329395/en/Equitable-Survey-Finds-Majority-of-Working-Americans-Regret-Benefits-Selections-During-Open-Enrollment. Accessed: July 14, 2024.
Americans Who Plan Ahead for Workplace Open Enrollment are Twice as Likely to Have a Positive Outlook on Retirement. Corebridge Financial Research, Oct. 1, 2024. Available: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241001873834/en/Americans-Who-Plan-Ahead-for-Workplace-Open-Enrollment-are-Twice-as-Likely-to-Have-a-Positive-Outlook-on-Retirement. Accessed: July 14, 2026.
73% of Employees Want More Education on Company Benefits; Employers’ HR Administrative Burdens Are Getting in the Way. Payroll Integrations, Sept. 19, 2024. Available: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240919989299/en/73-of-Employees-Want-More-Education-on-Company-Benefits-Employers-HR-Administrative-Burdens-Are-Getting-in-the-Way. Accessed: July 14, 2026.

Disclaimers

The UnitedHealthcare® app is available for download for iPhone® or Android®. iPhone is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. Android is a registered trademark of Google LLC.

Avery is an AI companion that uses generative artificial intelligence to provide general information and educational assistance. Avery’s responses may be incomplete or inaccurate and should not be relied upon as error-free. Avery is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, professional advice, a benefit determination, a guarantee of coverage, a referral, or an authorization for health care services. Avery is not a substitute for the advice or judgment of your health care provider or other qualified professionals. Coverage and benefits are subject to the terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions of your applicable health plan.

Advocate services should not be used for emergency or urgent care needs. In an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. The information provided through Advocate services is for informational purposes only and provided as part of your health plan. Wellness nurses, coaches and other representatives cannot diagnose problems or recommend treatment and are not a substitute for your doctor’s care. Your health information is kept confidential in accordance with the law. Advocate services are not an insurance program and may be discontinued at any time.

Certain preventive care items and services, including immunizations, are provided as specified by applicable law, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), with no cost-sharing to you. These services may be based on your age and other health factors. Other routine services may be covered under your plan, and some plans may require copayments, coinsurance or deductibles for these benefits. Always review your benefit plan documents to determine your specific coverage details.

The UnitedHealthcare plan with Health Savings Account (HSA) is a qualifying high deductible health plan (HDHP) that is designed to comply with IRS requirements so eligible enrollees may open a Health Savings Account (HSA) with a bank of their choice or through Optum Bank, Member FDIC. The HSA refers only and specifically to the Health Savings Account that is provided in conjunction with a particular bank, such as Optum Bank, and not to the associated HDHP.

Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) are administered by UnitedHealthcare and are subject to eligibility and restrictions. A flexible spending account is not insurance. It may also be referred to as a flexible spending arrangement. This communication is not intended as legal or tax advice. Please contact a competent legal or tax professional for personal advice on eligibility, tax treatment, and restrictions. Federal and state laws and regulations are subject to change.

Employee benefits including group health plan benefits may be taxable benefits unless they fit into specific exception categories. Please consult with your tax specialist to determine taxability of these offerings.

Insurance coverage provided by or through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or its affiliates. Administrative services provided by United HealthCare Services, Inc. or their affiliates.