Over six out of 10 (63%) employees with employer-sponsored insurance say they are concerned this open enrollment season about their plans’ out-of-pocket medical costs increasing in 2018, according to a new survey. The research also gleaned employees’ attitudes towards the enrollment process. 
Research from the Securian Financial Group also found that 52% of employees were personally experiencing or knew someone who was experiencing financial difficulty due to medical bills. It further found that 44% of parents with employer-sponsored health insurance have had a child experience a major injury (e.g. emergency room visits, broken bones or lacerations resulting in stitches).
“Play-related and sports injuries are common in active families with children and can mean an emergency trip to a doctor and unplanned medical costs,” says Elias Vogen, director of group insurance client relationships for Securian, said in a press release announcing the survey results. “Among parents who have had a child experience a major injury, 71 percent paid up to $2,000 in out-of-pocket medical costs as a result of the injury, and about one in ten paid more than $5,000.”
Meanwhile, 47% of employees surveyed expressed concern that their employer will not offer enough benefit options for the coming year. And 40% of employees surveyed fear that their employer may not provide enough information or guidance about available benefits options.
How Do Employees Approach Open Enrollment?
Securian asked survey respondents to choose from a list of emojis to express their attitude towards open enrollment. The results show that respondents most frequently identified themselves as “indifferent,” but nearly as many identified themselves as “thoughtful.”
“Many employees, especially older workers, make the mistake of brushing off open enrollment because they think it’s the same old, same old,” Vogen said in the press release. “Employees should instead take this time to learn about new benefit options and to maximize opportunities that prepare themselves and their families for health and financial well-being in the year ahead.”