ary·Health InsuranceOpen enrollment: Two weeks that influence a year of careBy Orla NixonBy Orla Nixon Orla Nixon is Vice President and Head of Claim Operations, New York Life Group Benefit Solutions (NYL GBS) .
Prior to joining NYL GBS, Orla served as Assistant Vice President of Group Benefits Claims at The Hartford, where she led key enterprise initiatives, including Continuous Imvement, and chaired the employee resource group for established fessionals.
She previously spent 16 years at Aetna’s U.S. Group Life & Disability , prior to its acquisition by The Hartford in 2018.
Decisions, decisions.Getty ImagesAs fall begins and year-end planning picks up, the opportunity to prepare for open enrollment season is right around the corner.
For most organizations, the open enrollment period runs from November 1 to January 15.
This annual window gives employees the chance to review, , or select their workplace benefits — choices that often shape how well they’re supported when life takes an unexpected turn.
The down impact of these decisions becomes later, when someone is caring for a family member with special needs, recovering from a major health event, or taking unexpected leave.
With the right apach, open enrollment becomes more than a deadline. It’s an opportunity for employers to actively guide their workforce with empathy, insight, and clarity.
That means supporting employees through every stage of the cess: building awareness before decisions are made, ensuring their choices are aligned with their evolving needs, and helping them activate the coverage they’ve selected when it matters most.
Preparation: equip employees ahead of key decisions Open enrollment often arrives amid packed schedules and competing priorities.
With so much happening, it’s easy for employees to overlook plan or delay benefits decisions.
Yet the options chosen during this short window can shape how well employees are supported in the year ahead. That’s why preparation shouldn’t start with the enrollment deadline.
When benefits are introduced within broader conversations around wellness and financial planning, it gives employees context to understand what’s available and what’s changed.
Early engagement ensures enrollment feels less a transaction and more an investment in stability and security.
Alignment: Use data to anticipate moments that matter Behind every benefits decision is a personal story, and over time, those stories reveal patterns.
Trends across enrollment choices and claims dashboards can highlight how benefits are being accessed and where there’s room to imve relevance, awareness, or experience.
While enrollment data shows what employees are selecting, claims dashboards vide insight into how those choices play out.
For example, consistently low enrollment in a particular benefit, combined with frequent high-cost claims it could have helped cover, reveals a missed opportunity to tect employees more effectively.
Employers who act on these insights can make thoughtful adjustments to offerings, close gaps in coverage, and ensure grams evolve with workforce priorities.
From a perspective, leveraging this data reinforces organizational values and helps maximize the return on benefits investments already in place.
Activation: translating choices into meaningful outcomes Offering and selecting the right coverage is only part of the equation.
Activation is making sure those choices translate into employees feeling confident using their benefits when it matters most.
This is where service excellence and a human-centered apach make a difference.
Accessible tools, resources, and thoughtful guidance empower employees to take action, even in moments of stress or uncertainty.
When the benefits experience feels simple, inclusive, and tailored to real needs, employees don’t just feel covered — they also feel cared for.
A moment that lasts all year Open enrollment may only last a few weeks, but its impact reaches far beyond the deadline. For employers, it’s more than a seasonal requirement.
It’s an opportunity to create an experience where employees feel supported, informed, and valued, both now and in the future.
When apached with empathy and insight, open enrollment reflects something deeper: a commitment to caring for the people who keep the organization strong.
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