As is the case with everything else, signing up for coverage has been impacted by COVID-19.
As has been the trend with virtually everything in 2020, health insurance plan enrollment has been impacted by the presence of the pandemic.
The coverage and benefits have altered due to the impact of the pandemic on health care.
As insurers, employers, and even Medicare have seen the needs of policyholders change throughout the pandemic, they have made changes to coverage in an effort to better respond COVID-19. Consumers are also taking a closer look at their own benefits before securing their health insurance plan enrollment. They have been more careful to make certain that they understand their coverage and what it entails in a world affected by a pandemic.
According to a recent Voya financial planning firm survey, approximately 70 percent of employees intend to take additional time to review their benefits due to the pandemic, when compared to the amount of time they spent examining their coverage during the previous enrollment period.
Employers have also been making an effort to make health insurance plan enrollment easier.
Many employers have tried to make it easier for their employees this year when it comes to being able to compare benefit plans. They have stepped beyond simply offering information on corporate websites. Due to the pandemic, this year many employers have offered additional features such as virtual enrollment fairs, online sign-up options and even informational webinars, said insurance brokerage Willis Towers Watson managing director for health and benefits, Julie Stone.
Equally, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have been upgrading and expanding the Plan Finder tool on Medicare.gov, through additional tools and other improvements to make it easier for consumers to inform themselves and make the right choices for their needs.
Other changes to consider during the health insurance plan enrollment is that there are new features such as telehealth, which became widespread due to the pandemic, and that 
aren’t likely to be going away any time soon. Furthermore, employees are now finding that they often have additional plan choices to ensure the best fit can be selected.
