Open Enrollment Starts This Week: Here’s What You Need to Know

Open enrollment begins this week for all benefits-eligible employees of Columbia University Irving Medical Center. From Nov. 4 through 22, employees can use this opportunity to review and update benefits selections for the upcoming year. Changes made during the enrollment period will take effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

This year there are new available benefits and changes to existing benefits. Read on to get a sneak peek at the changes rolling out in this year’s open enrollment and learn about some senior HR officers’ favorite benefits at Columbia.

What is open enrollment?

Open enrollment is an annual opportunity to change your benefits selections, including health insurance, life and disability insurance, and many tax savings accounts including flexible spending allocations for medical and dependent care expenses. Employees with a qualifying life status event (e.g., new child or marriage) have 31 days to update their benefits after the event, but since most employees won’t have a qualifying event in a given year, open enrollment is the main opportunity to make changes.

One important note is that flexible spending allocations for health and dependent care do not roll over year to year—employees must make these selections each year during open enrollment, even if they wish to continue the previous year’s allocation. (Transit spending accounts are different: allocations do roll over and monthly allocations can be changed any time during the year).

“It’s important that everybody pays attention to open enrollment, because even if you're very satisfied with the benefits that you currently have in 2024, there are new benefits to consider in 2025,” says Sara Leupp, executive director for benefits at Columbia University Human Resources. “Additionally, some benefit programs do not automatically roll forward into the new year. Open enrollment is also a good opportunity to make sure that your data, dependents, and beneficiaries are listed accurately.”

Across Columbia, about 60% of employees take an active role in making their open enrollment elections, and Leupp cautions that the other 40% could be missing out.

“We would love to see people make a change who need to make a change,” Leupp says. “Health savings accounts and dependent care flexible spending don’t roll over; Be sure you don’t leave money on the table.”

What’s new this year with open enrollment?

Several new benefits are available, including a new well-being app and support for people experiencing menopause.

Starting in 2025, members will have access to Maven Menopause & Midlife Health, a new component in Columbia’s comprehensive suite of supportive benefits. Maven is currently a vendor with Columbia, providing support for maternity, fertility, surrogacy, and adoption.

“Members can connect with menopause specialists, access all types of educational resources around menopause and perimenopause, and receive mental health support from experts through Maven. Maven’s Menopause & Midlife Health program also provides support for men’s reproductive health and wellness,” Leupp says. “It’s a nice offering for many in our community who have asked for these resources.”

Another new benefit is additional caregiving resources available through Columbia’s legal plan with MetLife. Employees who select this benefit will have access to the MetLife Family First Program, which helps members create care plans and offers resources and guidance for all types of family care decisions.

Employees covered under United Healthcare will also have free access to Calm Health. This app offers self-guided content like mental health screenings, coaching, guidance for good sleep, and meditation tutorials, as well as recommendations for additional solutions and services offered under the health plan.

See a full list of changes and new benefits on the CU HR website.

What factors should I consider when choosing my benefits?

Which health plan to choose, how much to allocate to flexible spending, and what other benefits elections to select are personal choices. Neil McClure, chief human resources officer at CUIMC, advises employees to think ahead to the coming year when making these decisions.

“If you think you're going to have a hospital stay in the next year, maybe because you’re having a child or planning an elective surgery, you may want to consider choosing a plan that offers more coverage,” McClure says. “Of course, there’s a lot you can't plan for, but those costs can be very different based on the health plan you select. You can also plan ahead with your flexible spending. If you’re planning to have LASIK next year or another procedure that’s not covered by insurance, you can increase the amount you’re putting into your flexible spending account to set aside pre-tax money for those expenses.”

McClure also notes that employees can spend their entire allotment of flexible spending beginning Jan. 1, when their benefits elections take effect, and do not need to wait to fully fund the account. The money will continue to be withdrawn from the employee’s paycheck throughout the year.

What are some Columbia benefits employees may not be aware of?

Columbia offers many benefits, so it can be challenging to keep on top of all the offerings. Neil McClure says his favorite under-the-radar benefit is OnePass, which offers access to any gym in your chosen network tier, virtual classes, group fitness classes, and more.

“Our OnePass membership is phenomenal,” McClure says. “You cannot beat the price and the accessibility to gyms in our area and all over.”

Employees may also want to look into voluntary benefits, which are designed to fill gaps in insurance. Some options must be selected during open enrollment or soon after a qualifying life status event. Other options, including auto insurance, home insurance, identify theft protection, and pet insurance, can be added at any time.