Employers that sponsor group health plans should provide certain benefit
notices in connection with their plans’ open enrollment periods. Some of these notices must be provided at open enrollment time, such as the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC).
Other notices, such as the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA) notice, must be distributed annually. Although these annual notices may be provided at different times throughout the year, employers often choose to include them in their open enrollment materials for administrative convenience. Some of these notices may be included in the plan’s Summary Plan Description (SPD) or detailed benefits summary provided by a health insurance issuer or third-party administrator (TPA).
