Open enrollment may still feel a little ways off, but the work that makes enrollment smoother usually starts much earlier.
For employers, the most effective open enrollment seasons are rarely built in a rush. They are built by reviewing the right items before renewal conversations intensify, employee questions start coming in, and deadlines begin stacking up. That early review window matters because some benefit materials and required notices are tied to plan changes, coverage details, and enrollment timing. For example, group health plans and insurers generally must provide a Summary of Benefits and Coverage, or SBC, at certain points including open enrollment, and material modifications that affect the SBC can trigger separate timing rules.
This is why a gentle runway into Q3 and Q4 can make such a difference. The goal is not to make every decision early. The goal is to identify what needs attention before the season gets crowded.
1. Review your renewal timeline before everything else
Before employers evaluate plan design or communication strategy, they should look at the calendar.
When do renewal terms usually arrive? When do decisions need to be finalized? When do employee communications need to be ready? When do payroll, HR, and enrollment platform updates need to be complete?
Those questions matter because open enrollment is not just a communication event. It is an administrative sequence. If the timeline is compressed, even small delays can spill into employee confusion, missed updates, and rushed decision-making. CMS’s SBC rules and DOL notice requirements reinforce that enrollment communication timing is not just a preference issue. It has operational and compliance implications.
2. Look back at what created confusion last year
One of the best starting points for open enrollment planning is not the new renewal. It is last year’s friction.
Employers should review:
- common employee questions
- recurring points of confusion
- missed deadlines
- carrier or vendor issues
- enrollment errors
- payroll deduction corrections
- ID card or eligibility problems
- communication pieces employees did not seem to use
This step is practical, but it also helps employers better meet disclosure and communication expectations. DOL materials on employee benefit plan disclosures make clear that participants need understandable plan information, and confusion often signals that important details are not landing the way employers think they are.
3. Revisit contribution strategy and affordability early
Employers should not wait until the last minute to revisit how much they want employees to contribute toward coverage.
Even before final rates are known, it is helpful to review the current employer contribution approach, employee cost sensitivity, class strategy if applicable, and whether the current structure is still aligned with hiring, retention, and budget goals. For applicable large employers, affordability also matters under the ACA employer shared responsibility framework, and the IRS annually updates the affordability percentage used for that analysis. For plan years beginning in 2026, the IRS affordability percentage is 9.96%.
Not every employer is subject to the same ACA requirements, but every employer benefits from reviewing contribution strategy before decisions become rushed.
4. Review plan performance, not just premium changes
Premium increases always get attention. They should. But they are not the only thing worth reviewing.
Before open enrollment planning starts, employers should look at:
- utilization trends
- large claimant impact at a high level where appropriate
- specialty drug pressure
- network disruption issues
- employee complaints about access or billing
- service turnaround from carriers and vendors
- gaps between what employees expected and what the plan actually did
This is often where better decision-making starts. A plan can look acceptable on paper and still create repeated real-world problems for employees.
5. Confirm which notices and documents may need attention
Open enrollment planning is also a document-readiness exercise.
Depending on the plan structure and the changes being made, employers may need to review items such as SBC distribution, Summary Plan Description updates, summaries of material modifications, HIPAA special enrollment rights notice practices, cafeteria plan materials, and any carrier-specific enrollment pieces. DOL guidance requires a notice of special enrollment rights at or before the time an employee is initially offered the opportunity to enroll in a group health plan, and DOL disclosure rules also govern when SPDs and plan modifications must be furnished.
This is one of the easiest places for avoidable stress to show up later if the document review starts too late.
6. Check whether eligibility rules and administrative processes still make sense
Open enrollment can expose process problems that have actually been sitting in the background all year.
Before planning begins, employers should review:
- waiting periods
- class definitions
- dependent eligibility practices
- life event change procedures
- enrollment platform settings
- payroll deduction mapping
- carrier feed or file issues
- internal handoff points between HR, payroll, and brokers or vendors
This matters because employees experience benefits through process, not just plan design. A technically solid offering can still feel frustrating if administrative execution is inconsistent.
7. Review employee communication materials before they are urgent
Many employers wait to think about communication until rates are final. That is understandable, but it can create rushed messaging.
The better approach is to review the communication structure early:
- what employees need to know first
- what should be repeated
- what needs plain-language explanation
- where plan comparison tools are weak
- which audiences need different messaging
- whether managers or internal contacts need talking points
CMS requires SBCs to use a standardized format so individuals can compare coverage more easily, but even with standardized materials, employers still need a clear communication plan if they want employees to make more confident decisions.
8. Identify decisions that need lead time
Some decisions are easy to make late. Others are not.
If employers are considering plan changes, contribution shifts, vendor moves, enrollment platform updates, new voluntary benefits, decision-support tools, or revised communication strategies, those items usually benefit from lead time. They may require internal approval, vendor coordination, payroll testing, or updated employee education materials.
The earlier those discussions begin, the more room there is for thoughtful choices instead of reactive ones.
9. Make sure the employer knows who owns what
One of the quietest causes of open enrollment stress is unclear ownership.
Who is reviewing notices? Who is coordinating with the broker? Who is updating payroll? Who is testing deductions? Who is watching enrollment progress? Who is answering employee questions? Who is escalating carrier issues if something goes wrong?
Employers do not need a huge team to run open enrollment well. They do need clarity.
10. Treat pre-enrollment review as risk reduction, not extra work
It is easy to think of early open enrollment review as one more task on an already full list.
In reality, it is often a way to reduce avoidable problems later. Reviewing plan performance, contribution strategy, employee confusion points, required materials, and administrative ownership before the season begins can help employers communicate more clearly and execute more smoothly when the pace picks up.
At Maddock & Associates, this is where good open enrollment seasons usually begin. Not with the final employee announcement, but with the earlier employer review that makes everything after it more manageable.
Looking ahead to open enrollment? Explore more employer-focused guidance from Maddock & Associates in our News & Resources library.
