Things to Know about Group Health Insurance for Open Enrollment

What Does Group Health Insurance for Open Enrollment Mean?

Open enrollment refers to the time range every year when the insured can sign up for or make modifications to his group health plan. It is considered an ideal time to examine health insurance with reference to its coverage.

The Time Period for Open Enrollment:

The open enrollment period for employer-sponsored insurance may vary from employer to employer. Many employers prefer an open enrollment period to be scheduled at the beginning of their fiscal year. Typically, the time under group health insurance for open enrollment is 45 days.

Five Concerns to Address under Group Health Insurance plan for Open Enrollment:

Employers are looking for ways to cut costs, particularly since the price of healthcare is rising relentlessly. Some employers may even consider reducing health insurance benefits and/or shifting premium costs to employees. Employees must read the terms and conditions of the group health insurance plan for a better understanding of the open enrollment feature. Below are the mentioned points the employee must consider.

1. The employee should check if his/her dependents i.e., spouse, children or any other dependents are covered under the policy. Typically, there are no additional charges for adding dependents, however, few plans may charge a nominal cost for inclusion.
2. One should review if there are changes in the pre-requisite documents list of the plan.
3. If an employee is under certain prescribed pharmaceutical drugs, he must make sure that the details of the drug are disclosed in the group health insurance during open enrollment.
4. It is necessary for the employee to go through the inclusions and exclusions under the group health insurance plan.

Case Study:

Raja Biscuits Pvt. Ltd has insured its workforce of 70 employees under a group health insurance policy with a renowned insurance company. The insurance company offers a one-time open enrollment opportunity to all its employees for a period starting from November 01st 2022, till January 15th 2023.

Vikas is one of the 70 employees who is enjoying the benefits of the group plan. During the open enrollment of the group health insurance plan, Vikas made some changes by including his wife and also added supplementary vision coverage for his father.

Conclusion:

Employees should consider several criteria during the group health insurance’s open enrollment period. If the employee misses this deadline or the timeframe, he might have to wait until the next annual open enrollment period to make changes.