Free · Open enrollment season
The Open Enrollment Guide Your Employees Will Actually Read
Fill in the blanks. Send it out. Skip the January phone calls.
Open enrollment rarely blows up over the plan. It blows up over the message.
The carrier change gets buried on page 6. Nobody mentions that everyone has to log in again this year. Then on January 3rd, somebody's kid has an ear infection and the doctor's office says there's no coverage on file.
This is the guide I've watched small employers try to write from scratch, the week before enrollment opens, for over 30 years.
Send me the template
A Word file you fill in and send to your employees. Download it the moment you sign up, and I'll put a copy in your inbox for next year.
One email with the download link. Then two short ones during enrollment season. I don't share your email address, and you can unsubscribe at any time. No hoops. No hassle.
What's in it
Three parts. Delete what you don't need.
- The What's Changing pageThe page people actually read. Premiums, plan design, carrier, dental, vision, HSA and FSA limits. One line each, in plain English.
- Sample wording for the hard newsPremiums up, a new carrier, a higher deductible, a plan going away. Plus the rare and beautiful “nothing changed.” For your eyes only. Delete before you send.
- Two ready-to-send emailsOne for the day enrollment opens, one for the week it closes. The second one reminds people the FSA doesn't roll over. It never does. Somebody is always surprised.
- The full employee guideWho's eligible, the deadline, what happens if you do nothing, plan comparison tables, a glossary, how to enroll, who to call, and a final checklist.
Who this is for
Whoever got handed open enrollment on top of their real job — the office manager, the controller, the HR generalist, or the owner. At companies with fewer than 250 employees, a health plan, and a deadline coming.
Who it isn't for
Anyone whose broker or benefits platform already builds a polished guide for them. Use theirs. Then check that it has a What's Changing page.
Who wrote it
I'm Ann Bishop. Over 30 years in employee benefits, all of it on the administration side. Which means I've taken a lot of those January phone calls.
I don't sell insurance and I earn no commission on your plan. This template is what I'd hand you if you asked.
Enrollment is coming either way.
Send a guide people actually read.