Disclaimer: This Inside South Florida segment is sponsored by The Hartford. All opinions and views are of the advertiser and does not reflect the same of WSFL-TV.
Benefits enrollment season is approaching, and most employees are making a costly mistake: choosing the same benefits year after year without a second look.
Laura Marzi, chief marketing officer of employee benefits at The Hartford, says three out of 4 employees fall into what she calls the "rollover rut", and it could be hurting their finances.
"Don't get yourself into the rollover rut where you keep the same benefits year after year," Marzi said. "The rollover rut happens even when your life may have changed." Marzi said benefits are not static.
Employers change coverage every year, meaning deductibles, provider networks, and available benefits can all shift, even if an employee does nothing.
"Most of us spend less than eight minutes making benefits decisions right now at enrollment time," Marzi said. "I am pretty sure that's less time than most of us spend trying to pick a movie or a TV show to watch."
The first question employees should ask themselves, according to Marzi, is whether the benefits they chose last year still make sense.
Major life changes are a signal to take a closer look. Getting married, planning for a baby, switching jobs, scheduling a surgery, or recently coming off a parent's insurance plan are all reasons to reassess.
"Life is super fast," Marzi said. "Your benefits need to keep up."
The third question Marzi says workers should ask is whether their medical plan provides everything they need. Many people assume it does, and that assumption can be expensive.
"Life's getting more expensive," Marzi said. "The last thing you need is an accident, serious illness, or a hospital stay to derail your budget."
Medical plans often leave employees with out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and co-pays. Marzi said supplemental health benefits, including accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity insurance, are designed to work alongside a medical plan and provide cash for expenses like gas, groceries, or transportation during a medical event.
"These are the unsung heroes of benefits," Marzi said. "Frankly, they're overlooked."
Marzi's advice for workers heading into enrollment season: get out of the rollover rut, review your options, talk to your HR representative, and visit thehartford.com for additional resources.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.