# Open enrollment reminders

> Messages for benefits open enrollment: what changed and the deadline on the first day, a reminder after a week and a last call before it closes.

Category: Onboarding and playbooks

Canonical: https://shuffl.ai/templates/open-enrollment-playbook

## When to use it

Most benefit changes happen once a year, in a window people forget. Three short messages, timed to the window, cover most questions before they reach HR.

This plan counts from the day enrollment opens, for a two-week window. Move the last call to the day before your window closes.

## Open enrollment is open, each person

To each person, on the date you pick.

```text
**Open enrollment is open, {{hire}}**

For the next two weeks you can change your benefits for next year. Check what changed, then confirm or change your choices before the deadline.

- [ ] Read what changed this year
- [ ] Confirm or change your benefits
```

## One week left to choose your benefits

To each person, 7 days after the date you pick.

```text
**One week left to choose your benefits**

If you have already chosen, there is nothing more to do. Questions go to HR.
```

## Open enrollment closes tomorrow

To each person, 13 days after the date you pick.

```text
**Open enrollment closes tomorrow**

After tomorrow, most changes wait until next year or a qualifying life event.

- [ ] Confirm your benefits today
```

## How to adapt it

- Shuffl fills in {{hire}} and {{manager}} for each person. Replace them by hand if you send the message yourself.
- Say what changed this year in the first message, in plain words.
- Link the plan documents, so the messages never replace them.

## One window a year

- **$26,993** average annual premium for employer-sponsored family health cover in the US, 2025 [kff-ehbs-2025]
- **71%** of US private industry workers had access to employer medical care plans in March 2026 [bls-ebs-2026]
- **30 days** to request special enrollment in the US after losing other coverage [dol-special-enrollment]

## What the research says

For most people, open enrollment is mainly a health insurance decision. KFF’s 2025 survey found average annual premiums of $9,325 for single coverage and $26,993 for family coverage, and workers paid an average of $6,850 toward family coverage.[kff-ehbs-2025]

Access isn’t the same as use. In March 2026, 71% of US private industry workers had access to medical care plans, but 46% took part.[bls-ebs-2026] Some of the gap is people covered elsewhere, and some is people who never understood the offer.

## What the law requires

In the US, federal special enrollment rules let employees join a group health plan midyear after losing other coverage, marriage, birth, adoption or placement for adoption. After a loss of coverage, the employee must request enrollment within 30 days.[dol-special-enrollment]

## Common mistakes

- Sending one message and hoping it is read.
- Not saying what happens if someone does nothing.
- Leaving out what changed since last year.
- Replacing the plan documents with a summary.

## Common questions

**What should an open enrollment message include?**
What changed this year, the deadline, what happens if someone does nothing, and where to find the plan documents and ask questions.

**Can employees change benefits outside open enrollment?**
In the US, special enrollment rules let employees join a group health plan midyear after events like losing other coverage, marriage, birth or adoption. After a loss of coverage, they must ask within 30 days.

**How many reminders should you send?**
Three works for most windows: one when it opens, one halfway and a last call the day before it closes.

## Sources (read 2026-10-13)

- [kff-ehbs-2025] KFF, “2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey” (October 22, 2025): https://www.kff.org/health-costs/report/2025-employer-health-benefits-survey/
- [bls-ebs-2026] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Employee Benefits in the United States Summary” (September 25, 2026 (March 2026 data)): https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ebs2.nr0.htm
- [dol-special-enrollment] US Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, “Retirement and Health Care Coverage: Questions and Answers for Dislocated Workers” (Current DOL publication): https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/about-ebsa/our-activities/resource-center/publications/questions-and-answers-for-dislocated-workers

## In Shuffl

Use in Shuffl: [New playbook](https://shuffl.ai/app/playbooks/all?create=1&template=open-enrollment). Opens a new playbook with these steps and timings. Each person’s steps wait for your approval before they send.

Guide: [Playbooks for other moments](https://shuffl.ai/docs/playbooks#templates)

## Related terms

- [Open enrollment](https://shuffl.ai/glossary/open-enrollment)
- [Employee benefits](https://shuffl.ai/glossary/employee-benefits)
- [Total compensation](https://shuffl.ai/glossary/total-compensation)

All templates: https://shuffl.ai/templates

Agent documentation index: https://shuffl.ai/llms.txt