Enhancing accessibility and lowering healthcare costs — alongside broadening options and increasing flexibility — are top priorities for employers in Aon’s 2024 U.S. Health Survey. Yet, competing pressures to manage costs while investing in employees make it challenging for employers to find the right balance for their benefits. Annual healthcare enrollment is an area that U.S. employers can proactively address to potentially lower costs while enhancing benefits.  

One way to do this is by presenting employees with multiple plan options and carrier choices during annual enrollment. Our experience with Aon’s Benefit Experience is that plan costs decrease when more carriers and plan options are introduced. And when these options are presented alongside decision-making tools, employees are empowered to select the plan that best fits their needs at that point in time. 

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94% of U.S. workers surveyed prefer having more choice in healthcare carriers.
Source: Aon research

“In a traditional, single carrier model, life changes — like when an employee moves — can cause concern around availability and access to providers. Having greater choice in carriers reduces these concerns and leads to higher employee satisfaction.” says Corey Morenz, Senior Vice President and Benefit Experience Practice Leader in North America

More suitable and cost-effective health plan choices lead to enhanced health and wellbeing among employees by ensuring they have access to the plans that are right for them. There are three compelling ways that enhancing the annual enrollment process can achieve cost savings and improve the benefit experience for employees.  

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