Continuous enrollment, not annual
New hires, terminations, dependent changes — anytime, no lock.
When you need to add a new employee to your health plan, waiting months for the next enrollment window isn't practical. Benefi MEC plans use continuous enrollment, meaning you can add or remove employees from coverage any day of the year.
How continuous enrollment works
Traditional group health plans lock you into annual enrollment periods. Miss the window, and new hires wait months for coverage. Benefi works differently.
Key differences from annual enrollment
- Add employees immediately. New hires get coverage starting their first day of eligibility.
- Remove terminated employees promptly. Stop paying for people who no longer work for you.
- Handle life changes anytime. Marriage, divorce, new dependents processed when they happen.
Your HR team submits changes through the employer portal whenever needed. Coverage typically starts the first of the following month, though same-day effective dates are available for qualifying events.
This flexibility matters for variable-hour workforces where staffing changes weekly. You're not carrying coverage for employees who left in January until the next open enrollment in November.
What this means for your budget
Continuous enrollment gives you precise control over your benefits spend. You pay only for currently eligible employees each month.
Consider a 200-employee company with 25% annual turnover. Under traditional annual enrollment, you might carry coverage for 10-15 terminated employees at any given time while new hires wait to enroll. With continuous enrollment on the Essential plan ($59/employee/month), removing those 10 employees saves $590 monthly.
The same flexibility applies to plan changes. Employees can move between Essential and Plus tiers when their needs change, not just once a year. An employee facing health challenges can upgrade to Plus for additional in-person visits, then switch back to Essential when those needs resolve.
For employers managing ACA compliance, continuous enrollment also simplifies tracking. Your coverage reports reflect real-time enrollment, making it easier to demonstrate you're offering MEC to all full-time employees as required under §4980H(a).
Ready to simplify your benefits administration? Let's discuss how continuous enrollment can work for your team.