Open enrollment is your annual opportunity to review and make changes to your employer-sponsored healthcare benefits. Unlike most other times of the year, you can enroll in a new plan, drop coverage, add or remove dependents, and adjust your contributions to accounts like FSAs or HSAs without needing a qualifying life event. For most employers, this window is typically 2-4 weeks in the late fall, and changes take effect on January 1st. Missing the deadline means you’ll generally be locked into your current elections until the next cycle-or until you experience a qualifying event like marriage, birth, or job loss.
Traditionally, the process involves logging into your company’s benefits portal-often powered by a platform like Workday, ADP, or a benefits administration system-reviewing the available plan options (HMO, PPO, HDHP with HSA), comparing premiums, deductibles, and networks, and then making your selections. But a new category of benefit-the Health-To-Wealth approach-is changing what “changing your plan” can mean. Instead of simply swapping one insurance carrier for another, you can now add a system that works alongside your existing plan to turn preventive health actions into automatic wealth. That system is WellthCare.
What you can actually change during open enrollment
At its core, open enrollment is about three types of plan changes. Understanding these will help you make a smarter, more strategic decision-especially if you’re looking at options like WellthCare:
1. Changing your medical plan
You can switch from a BUCA carrier (like Blue Cross, United, Cigna, Aetna) to a different carrier, or from a traditional co-pay plan to a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) with a Health Savings Account (HSA). The key variables to compare are:
- Monthly premium - what you pay each paycheck
- Annual deductible - what you pay before the plan starts covering most services
- Out-of-pocket maximum - the most you could pay in a year
- Network - which doctors and hospitals are in-network
- Rx coverage - drug tiers, pharmacy networks, and PBM involvement
Most employees focus only on these variables. But there’s a new metric that matters: preventive engagement and wealth-building potential. WellthCare, for example, isn’t a replacement for your medical plan-it’s a system you add alongside it. So during open enrollment, you can elect to add WellthCare with no new out-of-pocket employer cost, and it fundamentally changes the value of whatever plan you choose.
2. Changing your supplemental benefits - like WellthCare
Many employers now offer voluntary benefits that go beyond traditional medical, dental, and vision. WellthCare is one of them-and it’s unique because it creates wealth from health. During open enrollment, you can:
- Add WellthCare at zero cost (employer funds the first $3,000 in preventive rewards).
- Start earning free money at the WellthCare Store™ for simple actions like an annual physical, lab work, or a preventive scan.
- Automatically build Pension or SEP retirement savings from those same actions-no paperwork, no extra deductions.
- Access $0 co-pay care that gets used before your primary plan, reducing your out-of-pocket drain.
Because WellthCare works alongside your plan, you don’t have to rip and replace anything. You simply opt in during enrollment, and the effect is immediate: healthier behavior, less out-of-pocket spending, and a growing retirement account.
3. Changing your benefits admin and compliance setup
Open enrollment is also your chance to adjust how you manage benefits-like updating your payee information, setting up auto-deposits for HSAs, or confirming dependent eligibility. For employers who adopt WellthCare, the system includes compliance-grade recordkeeping for ERISA, HIPAA, and ACA requirements, so employees never have to worry about missing a form or deadline.
How to evaluate if your current plan is the best option
Most people only compare premiums and deductibles. But the real question is: Does your plan help you get healthier and wealthier, or just cover you when you’re sick? Here are the key factors to weigh this open enrollment:
- Rate of premium increases - BUCA carriers have been raising premiums far faster than wages. If your plan’s cost is going up more than 5-7% annually, it’s time to look at alternatives like a self-funded plan or an add-on like WellthCare that reduces claims.
- Prevention alignment - Does your plan reward you for preventive care beyond a free annual physical? Most don’t. WellthCare rewards 75 preventive actions with real dollars that go to a store and your pension.
- Pharmacy transparency - PBMs (pharmacy benefit managers) are under fire for hidden spread pricing. If your Rx costs keep climbing, ask about WellthCare Pharmacy™, which replaces the PBM with aligned, transparent pricing.
- Retirement benefit gaps - Over half of Americans have no retirement plan at work. WellthCare automatically funds a pension or SEP based on your health behavior-turning a weak benefit into a compounding wealth tool.
You can ask your HR team for a WellthCare Readiness Index™ evaluation, which uses your actual health behavior data (not guesses) to show how much switching to WellthCare Complete™ (the full self-funded replacement) would save your family-and your employer.
The only “change” you might need is adding WellthCare
The most powerful change you can make during open enrollment isn’t switching carriers. It’s adding a Health-to-Wealth Operating System that works with whatever plan you already have. WellthCare’s “Three Employee Value Streams” operate simultaneously:
- Free money at the FSA Store™ - Earned instantly from actions like a preventive scan or lab test. No reimbursement. No paperwork.
- Free money into your Pension/SEP - Automatically deposited and compounded over time. Every healthy behavior adds to your long-term wealth.
- Out-of-pocket savings - $0 co-pay care used first reduces the drain on your deductible and FSA/HSA balance.
This flywheel-free care → less out-of-pocket → earned store dollars → growing pension-means that even if you keep your existing medical plan, your total cost of healthcare drops. And your financial health improves.
What to do right now
Open enrollment windows are narrow. Here’s your action plan for this year:
- Review your current total cost - Don’t just look at premium. Factor in deductible, copays, Rx costs, and lost FSA funds.
- Ask your employer if WellthCare is offered - If not, share the brand guide and CSV with your HR team. The ROI is immediate: lower claims, higher retention, and no new employer cost.
- Enroll in WellthCare if available - It takes 15 minutes. You scan your preventive actions, and the system automates the rest. You’ll see your free store dollars and pension balance grow in real time in the app.
- Use the Readiness Index™ - After 6-12 months, request a report to see if switching to WellthCare Complete™ could save your employer 30-45% on premiums-while you keep all your benefits.
Open enrollment used to be about picking the least-bad insurance plan. Now, it can be about joining a system where Healthcare pays you back. That’s the power of changing your plan the right way.