HR teams are expected to guide employees through complex benefit decisions while managing enrollment and administration. Here are ways to give employees better support without adding to HR’s workload.
HR leaders care about open enrollment. They’re doing everything they can to facilitate a positive experience but all the while, employees are reporting that they don’t get open enrollment support at all.
But what if that could change?
Overview
The landscape: Open enrollment support is where your benefits investment pays off
Employers know the importance of health insurance. It’s a major tool for recruitment and retention, and health insurance is the largest benefit cost for private employers.1 Unfortunately, a frustrating open enrollment experience can unravel that investment.
In this article, we’ll discuss the negative and positive repercussions that open enrollment support can have on business. The surprising upside is that two major players, HR and employees, want the same thing. And CHOICE Arrangement could be an HR solution to make open enrollment easier.
The HR lens: We need to reduce the HR burden of open enrollment support
HR leaders want to do right by their workforce, but their workload limits how much open enrollment support they can give. The good news? The problem is workload, not willingness.
Consider this:
→ 95% of HR leaders say the job is too much work and stress and 62% are considering leaving the profession.2
→ 71% of benefits decision-makers say managing health benefits is one of the most difficult parts of their job.3
The employee lens: We want solutions to make open enrollment easier
Health benefits can be hard to understand, and employees are looking to HR for solutions. Even with HR’s best efforts, almost half of employees say they get no guidance at all.
Consider this:
→ 46% of employees report receiving zero guidance during open enrollment, and most lack clarity on basic health plan mechanics.4
→ 81% of Zillennials feel that HR departments should provide employees with more help during the open enrollment process.5
→ 72% want their employer to provide benefits communications tailored to their individual needs.7
The potential: What would happen if HR and employees had the support they wanted?
HR would provide more personalized support to employees
HR teams want to connect with employees during open enrollment. They want to put their knowledge and skills to use. And the 1:1, personalized help employees are asking for? That’s exactly what HR would provide if admin responsibilities didn’t take up so much of their day.
If HR leaders had freed-up admin time, it would go to supporting employees:
→ 56% would educate employees on maximizing their benefits, and
→ 51% would provide more individualized support to employees.6
Employees would be more productive
Productivity and staff tenure have huge impacts on a business. While it’s common knowledge that training new hires is expensive, it’s lesser known that health benefits have a considerable impact on how much employees get done and whether they stay at their job.
→ Employees who understand and are satisfied with their benefits are 1.2 times more likely to be productive at work.7
→ When employees are happy with their open enrollment experience, they’re two times more likely to stay with their employer.8
HR responsibilities with group health insurance vs. ICHRA/CHOICE Arrangement
Group insurance requires more management year after year, and CHOICE Arrangement takes more front-loaded effort but then runs on established processes and administrator support.
Quick note if you’re new to ICHRA/CHOICE Arrangement
CHOICE Arrangement is a health benefits model. Employers set a monthly allowance, and then employees buy their own insurance plan from ACA or a state marketplace.
There is an ICHRA administrator who manages many aspects of the account, including employee (open enrollment) support.
There are key considerations if you’re evaluating ICHRA vs. group health insurance.
How CHOICE Arrangement lightens the load for HR
Renewals. There isn’t an annual carrier negotiation. After the one-time setup, the yearly decision is whether to adjust the allowance.
Budget. The employer sets the monthly allowance, so the cost doesn’t depend on carrier rates or claims history. Your budget stays consistent unless you choose to change it.
Employee questions. The ICHRA administrator helps employees choose a plan and provides onboarding and open enrollment support. Questions about the plan itself go to the administrator, not to HR.
→ Take Command Signature for enterprise provides on-site, 1:1 open enrollment support, plus dedicated employee, HR, and broker contacts
Compliance. The administrator produces legal-plan documents, sends IRS-required communications to employees, and handles tax reporting. HR is accountable as the plan sponsor, but you aren’t tracking regulatory changes or ensuring compliance yourself.
The front-loaded effort required with ICHRA/CHOICE Arrangement
Setup. HR and leadership make decisions about plan design including employee classes, allowance amounts, what to reimburse, and a start date. The administrator provides guidance, but the decisions require education and discussion among executives.
Budget. To determine a monthly allowance, you’ll need to gather information including employee demographics, coverage needs, local individual market premiums, and three to five years of group renewal history.
Change management. Many employees have never chosen an individual plan or used an allowance. The administrator provides communication guidance and onboarding support. HR announces the change, explains the timeline, and tells employees where to get help.
Open enrollment support efforts with group health insurance and CHOICE Arrangement
| Stage | Group health insurance | CHOICE Arrangement |
| Pre-enrollment planning | The broker negotiates renewal rates with carriers. HR and leadership review options and choose a plan. | The employer sets the allowance and contribution strategy. Take Command helps with setup and plan configuration. |
| Communication | HR oversees employee communications, often using carrier or broker materials. | Take Command provides communication guidance and onboarding support. HR announces the change to employees. |
| Plan selection and employee questions | Employees choose from the plans selected by HR. Plan questions often go to HR. | Employees shop for individual plans based on the Marketplace. Take Command fields plan questions and helps employees navigate plan selection and enrollment. |
| Required notices and compliance | The broker or TPA advises on requirements. HR tracks notices and deadlines. | Take Command sends required communications and produces plan documents, which helps employers access information and monitor the benefits. |
| After enrollment closes | The broker or TPA supports compliance. HR enters elections and deductions, reconciles carrier bills, reports employee changes, and continues to answer questions and process life events. | HR monitors participation and reports employee changes. Take Command verifies coverage, provides reimbursement reports, and offers ongoing benefits support to employees. |
HR solutions to make open enrollment easier: what to look for in an ICHRA administrator
If you decide to explore CHOICE Arrangement, do your homework. Interview administrators and make sure they offer HR solutions that make open enrollment easier.
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Who helps employees choose a plan? Look for an administrator with deep healthcare knowledge, so you’re backed by strong expertise.
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Where do employee questions go? Ask how plan-specific questions are handled and what happens if there is a road block.
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What communications do you provide? Look for email templates, one pagers, and other communication that will cut down on questions that come back to HR.
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How is compliance managed? Make sure that the administrator provides regulatory expertise and handles admin tasks like affordability checks, proof of coverage, and tax reporting.
- What tools do you offer employees? Ask for demos of the administrator’s online tools that employees can use on their own.
Conclusion: ICHRA can make open enrollment easier (and has a host of other benefits)
Providing open enrollment support can feel like an insurmountable challenge, but there is hope yet.
Moving from group health insurance to CHOICE Arrangement can ease HR’s burden of open enrollment support and offers advantages well beyond OE:
→ Budget control
→ Personalized plan choices for employees
→ Simple, flexible plan designs
→ No employer responsibility for health risks
→ No participation concerns
Employers are quickly realizing these benefits. From 2025–26, ICHRA adoption increased an average of 113% for employers with 50 to 499 employees.
If you’re interested in exploring CHOICE Arrangement, contact a Take Command expert. We’re a pioneer in this field, and we’re here to help.
Keep Reading
What 1,500+ Employees Can Teach Us About Open Enrollment
Take Command surveyed more than 1,500 employees to understand how they felt about their current health plan and how that experience is shaping their mindset heading into their next enrollment decision.
The best ICHRA administrator is the one who cares
You can tell when a company cares. It’s not just their attitude, it’s having the people and technology to truly support customers.
Evaluating ICHRA vs. group health insurance
When it comes to benefits funding options, more and more employers are comparing Individual coverage HRAs to group health plans. Choosing the best option depends on your business.
References
- https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecec.pdf
- https://www.sage.com/en-us/sage-business-cloud/people/resources/research-analyst-reports/the-changing-face-of-hr-research-report/
- https://www.hrotoday.com/news/ticker/89-of-employers-considering-ichras-for-health-benefits-solution-over-next-three-years/
- https://www.savvifi.com/articles/workplace-benefits-statistics-2026-open-enrollment-guidance-gaps
- https://www.justworks.com/newsroom/supporting-zillennials-choosing-health-insurance
- https://www.hcamag.com/nz/news/general/hr-leaders-want-less-admin-more-connection/555914
- https://www.metlife.com/about-us/newsroom/2025/september/new-metlife-data-finds-half-of-employees-report-feeling-disconnected-undervalued-at-work/
- https://mediacenter.adp.com/how-can-technology-improve-the-open-enrollment-experience
