Benefits guides for employees
Short, plain-language guides to help you understand your benefits at work and make confident choices at open enrollment.
Last checked: Nov 2026
Guide 1
Open Enrollment 101: What It Is and What to Do, Step by Step
What open enrollment is, the 2027 HealthCare.gov dates, what to do if you miss it, and a simple 10-step walkthrough for picking your benefits.
Guide 2
Health Insurance Words Explained: Premium, Deductible, Copay, Coinsurance, and Out-of-Pocket Maximum
Premium, deductible, copay, coinsurance, and out-of-pocket maximum explained in plain English, with simple examples from HealthCare.gov.
Guide 3
HMO vs PPO vs HDHP: How to Choose a Health Plan
HMO vs PPO vs high-deductible plans in plain words: how networks and costs differ, the 2027 HDHP limits, and questions to help you choose.
Guide 4
HSA Explained: What It Is, Who Qualifies, and How It Works
What is an HSA? Who qualifies, the tax breaks, 2026 and 2027 contribution limits, what you can spend it on, and what changes when you get Medicare.
Guide 5
FSA Explained: How It Works and the "Use It or Lose It" Rule
How a health FSA works, the 2026 limit, the grace period vs. carryover rule, what you can buy with it, and how a dependent care FSA is different.
Guide 6
HSA vs FSA: Which One Fits You?
HSA vs FSA side by side: who owns the money, what happens at year end, 2026 limits, whether you can have both, and questions to help you pick.
Guide 7
401(k) Basics and Employer Match: How Not to Leave Free Money Behind
How a 401(k) works, pre-tax vs. Roth, how an employer match and vesting work, 2026 limits, and common ways people miss free match money.
Guide 8
Life and Disability Insurance at Work: Do You Need It?
Life and disability insurance at work in plain words: how common they are, the $50,000 life insurance tax rule, and how disability benefits are taxed.
Guide 9
Dental and Vision Coverage: Is It Worth the Cost?
How dental and vision plans usually work: coverage tiers, annual maximums, waiting periods, and a simple way to check if the cost is worth it.
Guide 10
Open Enrollment Checklist: A Simple Checklist for Every Year
A simple, reusable open enrollment checklist: health plan, HSA or FSA, dental and vision, life and disability, 401(k), and paperwork to check.
Guide 11
COBRA Explained: Keeping Your Work Health Plan After You Leave
What COBRA is, who qualifies, how long it lasts, what it costs, the deadlines to elect and pay, and how it compares with a Marketplace plan.
Guide 12
Turning 65 and Still Working: Medicare Basics
Turning 65 with health insurance from work? When you can delay Part B, who pays first, the 8-month window, 2026 penalties, and HSA rules.
Guide 13
Life Changes and Special Enrollment: Changing Coverage Mid-Year
Marriage, a new baby, a move, or lost coverage? Which life events let you change health plans mid-year, and the 30- and 60-day deadlines.
Guide 14
Dependent Care FSA and Commuter Benefits Explained
How a dependent care FSA and pre-tax commuter benefits work: who and what qualifies, 2026 IRS limits, and how they fit with the child care credit.
Guide 15
How to Read Your Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC)
A walk through the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC): the Important Questions, cost tables, coverage examples, and how to compare plans.
Guide 16
Prescription Drug Costs: How Your Plan Works
How drug tiers, formularies, deductibles, copays vs coinsurance, prior authorization, generics, mail order, and coupons affect what you pay.