Open enrollment, without the scramble.
Tobie helps employees understand what changed, what is due, and what to do next during open enrollment. It combines education, reminders, required steps, and plan information, with a clear handoff into the enrollment system you already use.
$2 per employee per month. No setup fee. See pricing
Open enrollment is the one window that matters most.
It is also the one most employees tune out. Dozens of pages of plan language, a few short weeks to decide, and every misunderstanding turns into a ticket or a rushed guess.
The document goes unread
The guide is accurate and thorough, and unread. People skim the email, put off the decision, and roll into whatever they had before.
HR fields the same questions
Deductible? HSA or FSA? Is my doctor in network? The same handful of questions land on your team again and again, all compressed into a few short weeks.
People choose blind
When the materials are hard, employees guess. They overpay for coverage they do not need, or skip protection they do, then feel it all year.
What changed, what is due, what to do next.
Open enrollment is a lot of moving parts at once. Tobie keeps the essentials in one place instead of scattered across email and a PDF.
What’s changing
Plan, cost, and carrier changes explained plainly, so people know what is different this year.
Deadline countdown
A clear countdown to the close of the window, so the deadline stays visible, not buried.
Required action checklist
The steps each employee actually needs to complete, laid out so nothing gets missed.
Educational plan comparison
Employees can compare plan options with Plan Finder, an educational tool that does not complete an election.
The terms people get stuck on.
Open enrollment is the once-a-year window to choose or change your benefits for the coming plan year. Here are the words that trip people up, in plain English.
Premium
What you pay each paycheck to have the coverage, whether you use it or not.
Deductible
What you pay yourself before the plan starts sharing most costs with you.
Copay & coinsurance
Your share of a visit or service: a flat copay, or a percentage as coinsurance.
Out-of-pocket maximum
The most you can pay in a year. After that, the plan covers eligible costs in full.
HSA vs FSA
Two tax-advantaged accounts for health costs, with different rules on who qualifies and what rolls over.
Network
The doctors and facilities your plan has agreed rates with. In-network costs less.
A calmer way to run open enrollment.
You do not need a bigger team or a bigger budget. You need your existing guide turned into something people will actually use, with steady communication for the whole window.
Simplify the source
Send us your benefits guide. We turn it into plain-English content built from what you approve.
Ask Tobie during enrollment
Employees get a source-grounded assistant that answers benefits questions with citations, on their phone, whenever they have one.
Send targeted reminders
Announce the window and send timely reminders to the people they matter to, through the channels available for your deployment.
Hand off to enrollment
When it is time to choose, employees are handed off into the enrollment system your organization already uses. Tobie runs the communications, not the elections.
Open enrollment questions.
When does open enrollment happen?
For most employer-sponsored plans, open enrollment runs for a few weeks once a year, with new coverage typically starting the following plan year. Exact dates are set by each employer, so the window your team communicates is the one that matters. Tobie helps you announce it clearly and keep answering questions the whole time it is open.
How early should we start open enrollment communication?
Earlier is better: it gives employees time to read, ask questions, and make a considered choice instead of a last-minute guess. Timelines depend on the scope of your plans, your content readiness, and any integrations, so talk with us about your specific window and we will map out a realistic plan.
How do you explain benefits to employees in plain English?
Start from the words people actually use, not plan jargon. Translate premiums, deductibles, copays, and out-of-pocket maximums into plain language, show a few real examples, and give people one place to ask follow-up questions. Tobie turns your benefits guide into plain-English content and Ask Tobie, which answers only from your approved documents.
Why do employees ignore open enrollment materials?
Dense documents and long emails ask people to decode insurance language on their own time, so most put it off and keep whatever they picked before. A mobile-first experience, short explainer videos, and an assistant that answers questions on the spot turn a passive document into something people will actually use.
Can Tobie help reduce repetitive HR questions during open enrollment?
That is the intent. The same handful of questions land on HR every season. Ask Tobie answers them from your approved guide with source support, so employees get a trustworthy answer quickly and your team has more time for the cases that genuinely need a person. Where enabled for your deployment, your team can also see the common questions and where people are getting stuck.
Does Tobie process our employees’ elections?
No. Tobie runs the open-enrollment communications, not the elections. It is not a claims, eligibility, or enrollment system. When it is time to enroll, employees are handed off into the enrollment system your organization already uses.
Get ready for your next open enrollment.
Talk with us about your next open enrollment window, and we will show you what Tobie could look like for your employees.
Or start on your own: get the free communication checklist, or score your communication in two minutes.