Benefitfocus

Start your next open enrollment without spreadsheets or guesswork. In Benefitfocus, admins open a plan builder, import plan documents, set eligibility rules (location, hours, union codes), and load rates. Create enrollment windows, life-event rules, and task reminders. Choose which data to collect from workers and dependents, and preview the experience before publishing. Brand the portal with logos and colors, assign roles for HR, brokers, and managers, and lock down permissions. Use a staging area to test changes, then push to production when ready—no IT ticket required.

Connect your ecosystem quickly and keep it in sync. Link carriers, payroll, and your HRIS using prebuilt connectors, EDI feeds, and APIs. Map fields with templates, choose time-based or event-driven updates, and validate records before they go out. A live dashboard shows file statuses, success rates, and exceptions; drill in to fix a mismatch and resend with one click. Built-in checks catch SSN/DOB errors, coverage-tier conflicts, and missing documents. Every change is recorded with a timestamped audit trail. Enable single sign-on for employees and partners. Use webhooks to push elections to payroll so deductions update on the next run.

Give employees a guided experience that cuts down on tickets. Workers sign in on desktop or phone and see only plans they qualify for. A clear flow compares options, shows per-paycheck impact and employer contributions, and explains what’s changing from last year. Decision support highlights plans based on needs like cost predictability or provider access. Users snap photos of documents; OCR reads them so fewer fields need typing. A life-event wizard handles marriage, birth, address changes, or job status updates and calculates effective dates automatically. Confirmation statements and reminders keep people on schedule.

Keep operations tight year-round. Track ACA measurement and stability periods, generate 1095-Cs, and e-file directly. Trigger COBRA notices and carrier updates when a termination is entered. Reconcile billing by comparing carrier invoices to elections and payroll deductions; variances are flagged with suggested next steps. Run dependent eligibility audits with sampling or full verification. Manage leaves of absence with coverage and premium rules. Grant scoped access to brokers or consultants for collaboration without exposing sensitive data. Build ad hoc reports or schedule exports to your data warehouse. Use a sandbox to test a new carrier connection or plan design before rollout.