Aidar Akmaev
Disclosure: NOXI publishes this guide and is one of the tools it mentions; the 12 slides below work in any presentation software. This guide helps you build and deliver the deck. It is not benefits, tax or legal advice. What your plan covers, and what any employee should choose, comes from your own plan documents and from the official sites cited here.
Open enrollment presentation: enrollment for 2027 Healthcare.gov coverage opened on 1 November 2026 and closes on 15 January 2027, with 15 December the last day for coverage starting 1 January. Build 12 slides around those three dates. The 2027 HSA limits are published, $4,500 self-only and $9,000 family; the 2027 health FSA limit is not. Checked 1 November 2026.
Enrollment opened this morning, and most of the ready-made decks you can find today still carry last year's dates. Several print a 2027 health FSA limit the IRS has not published. This guide gives you the 12 slides, the three dates, the figures that exist with their citations, and a plain line for the one that does not. The worked example is fictional and every calculation is shown.
In short
- Three datesEnrollment for 2027 Healthcare.gov coverage opened 1 November 2026 and closes 15 January 2027. The last day for coverage starting 1 January is 15 December 2026.
- 12 slidesFrom what is changing, through the dates, the options, the cost per paycheck and the notices, to who to ask and by when.
- Published for 2027HSA $4,500 self-only and $9,000 family; HDHP deductible floors $1,750 and $3,500; out-of-pocket caps $8,700 and $17,400 (Rev. Proc. 2026-24).
- Not publishedThe 2027 health FSA limit. The 2026 limit is $3,400 with a $680 carryover (Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.15). Leave the 2027 line blank and say why.
- If someone does nothingHealthCare.gov says automatic re-enrollment may apply on the marketplace if you do not act by 15 December. At your employer, that rule lives in the plan documents.
- Four shifts, one deckBuild the 12 slides once, then cut a 15-minute version and a one-screen email from the same file.
One deck, several rooms. Build the twelve slides once, then decide what each audience gets and what you want them to walk out saying.
| Room | Length | Slides from the 12 | The line to leave them with |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-staff or shift meeting | 25 min | All 12 | Your own election deadline, repeated twice |
| Short shift meeting | 15 min | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12 (7 slides) | If you do nothing, here is exactly what happens |
| Night shift, standing up | 10 min | 1, 2, 3, 5, 11 (5 slides) | Two dates and the link, nothing else |
| Email and intranet | One screen | 2, 3, 11, 12 as text | The deadline, and who answers questions |
| Staff over 65, or caring for a parent | 5-min add-on | 9 | Medicare runs on its own calendar |
| New hires and life events | One to one | 8 | Tell us within the window your plan allows |
Key numbers
Six figures from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HealthCare.gov and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), opened on 1 November 2026.
Changed in the past week (checked 1 November 2026): CMS published the Plan Year 2027 Marketplace Plans and Prices fact sheet on 30 October 2026 [1]; HealthCare.gov's dates page now carries the banner "Enroll for 2027 now" [2]; and its keep-or-change page now leads with "Automatic re-enrollment keeps you covered" and the caution "In some cases, you won't be automatically re-enrolled." [3]. The IRS newsroom's latest release is dated 29 October 2026 and contains no 2027 inflation adjustments [9].
The dates for 2027 coverage, and who sets each one
Enrollment for 2027 Healthcare.gov coverage opened on 1 November 2026 and runs through 15 January 2027, and 15 December 2026 is the last day to enroll or change for coverage that starts on 1 January. Those two statements come from two different pages, so cite them separately: CMS states the opening and closing dates in its fact sheet, and HealthCare.gov's consumer page states the 15 December rule.
| Date | What it is | Whose page says it | The wording on that page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 November 2026 | 2027 marketplace enrollment opens | CMS fact sheet, dated 30 October 2026 [1] | "The Open Enrollment Period to choose Healthcare.gov coverage for 2027 begins on November 1, 2026" |
| 15 December 2026 | Last day for coverage starting 1 January | HealthCare.gov, dates and deadlines [2] | "December 15: Last day to enroll in or change plans for coverage to start January 1" |
| 15 January 2027 | Enrollment closes | CMS fact sheet [1]; HealthCare.gov [2] | "runs through January 15, 2027" |
| After 15 December | Coverage starts 1 February | HealthCare.gov [2] | The dates page lists 1 February as the next coverage start |
| 15 October to 7 December 2026 | Medicare's autumn window | Medicare.gov [4] | Recurring rule, not year-stamped; see the Medicare section |
| 9 November to 14 December 2026 | Federal employees, Open Season | OPM [14] | "Sign up by December 14." |
The 76-day window, and the 45 days that decide January
Count both end dates and the window from 1 November 2026 to 15 January 2027 is 76 days. From 1 November to 15 December is 45 of them. That is the whole calendar argument for your slide 2: anyone who wants cover in place on the first working day of January has 45 days, not 76. Say the number out loud, because "mid December" is heard as "some time before Christmas" and 15 December is a Tuesday.
Your own election deadline is almost certainly earlier than any of these, because payroll needs time to load the elections. It comes from your plan documents or your payroll calendar, and it belongs on slide 2 and again on slide 11. No federal page can give it to you.
State based marketplaces set their own dates
Some states run their own exchange rather than using HealthCare.gov, and the dates can differ. This guide lists no state's dates, because none was checked for it. Put one line on the slide instead: if your state runs its own marketplace, check that marketplace. Guessing a state deadline in front of 180 people is the most expensive mistake available at an enrollment meeting.
Use the CMS fact sheet for the dates, and attribute anything else
The fact sheet carries its 30 October 2026 date and is the cleanest source for the opening and closing dates. Its body also carries policy claims about premiums and plan counts. If you put one on a slide, attribute it to CMS with the date, as CMS's statement rather than a neutral statistic. For this deck, the two dates are all you need from it.
The open enrollment presentation outline: 12 slides
Five of the twelve slides carry a published federal figure with a citation. The other seven can only be filled from your plan documents, your payroll file and your HR system, and knowing which is which is what stops a deck drifting into advice.
| # | Slide | What goes on it | The number, and where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What is changing this year | One sentence, in the first fifteen seconds. If nothing is changing, say that too, in one sentence. | Your plan documents |
| 2 | The three dates that matter | Your own election deadline first, then 15 December and 15 January for anyone buying their own coverage. | CMS [1]; HealthCare.gov [2] |
| 3 | What happens if you do nothing | Your plan's rule, in your plan's words. Then the marketplace rule for anyone who buys their own cover. | HealthCare.gov [3]; plan documents |
| 4 | Your plan options side by side | One table, same row order as the enrollment system, same plan names as the carrier uses. | Your plan documents |
| 5 | What each one costs you per paycheck | Per pay period, not per month, because that is the number people recognise on a payslip. | Your payroll calendar |
| 6 | Deductible and out-of-pocket maximum, explained once | One definition, one picture, no repeats later in the deck. | HDHP floors for 2027: $1,750 and $3,500; caps $8,700 and $17,400 [6] |
| 7 | HSA or FSA, and which one you can use | The published 2027 HSA limits, and an explicit line that the 2027 FSA limit is not published yet. | $4,500 and $9,000 [6]; 2026 FSA $3,400 and $680 [8] |
| 8 | Dependents and life events | Who counts as a dependent, what proof is needed, and how many days people have to tell you. | Your plan documents |
| 9 | Medicare, for anyone over 65 or with a parent who is | Two windows and one link. Nothing else, because this is not your plan. | 15 October to 7 December; 1 January to 31 March [4] [5] |
| 10 | The notices you are being given, and why | Name each document, say what it is for, say where it lives after the meeting. | SBC timings, 29 CFR 2590.715-2715 [10] |
| 11 | How to enrol, step by step | Screenshots of your own system, numbered, with the deadline repeated at the bottom. | Your HR system |
| 12 | Who to ask, and by when | A name, a channel, the hours, and the last date on which a question still helps. | Your team |
The order matters more than the design. People arrive wanting two things, whether anything changed and when the deadline is, so those are slides 1 and 2. The money and the dependants sit in the middle, while they are still listening. The last slide is the one most of them photograph. The general principle is in our guide on how to structure a presentation.
What employees actually ask, and the slide that answers it
These are the questions in employees' own words, not in benefits language, and each maps to a slide you have already built. The third column is what you can say from the front of the room without stepping into advice.
| What they ask | Slide | What you can answer from the stage |
|---|---|---|
| "Do I have to do anything if I'm happy with my plan?" | 3 | Read your plan's own rule for making no election. For anyone buying their own coverage, HealthCare.gov says you may be automatically re-enrolled if you do not act by 15 December, and in some cases you will not be. |
| "Why is more coming out of my paycheck?" | 5 | Show this year's and next year's per-paycheck amount side by side. If you do not have the written reason for the change, say you will send it, and send it. |
| "Is my doctor still in the network?" | 4 | Point at the carrier's own directory and the date it was last updated. Never confirm a named doctor from the stage; directories change weekly. |
| "What is a deductible, again?" | 6 | One sentence and one picture. You can add that for 2027 an HSA-eligible plan must have a deductible of at least $1,750 self-only or $3,500 family, and say that is the federal floor, not your plan's number. |
| "Can I put my partner on my plan?" | 8 | Read the plan's definition of a dependent out loud, word for word, then take the question offline with a name and a date. |
| "Our baby is due in March. What do I do then?" | 8 | Tell HR within the window the plan allows. Say the number of days only if you have read it in the plan document that morning. |
| "If I don't spend my FSA, do I lose it?" | 7 | For 2026 the maximum carryover is $680, if the plan permits a carryover at all. The 2027 limit and carryover are not published, so say that rather than guessing. |
| "How much can I put in the HSA next year?" | 7 | The published 2027 limits are $4,500 self-only and $9,000 family. Put the per-paycheck division on the slide if people ask for it, and do not tell anyone what to contribute. |
| "I turn 65 in February. Do I need to do Medicare too?" | 9 | Medicare runs its own calendar, and its autumn window is 15 October to 7 December. Give them Medicare.gov and a time to talk privately. |
| "When is the actual last day?" | 2 and 11 | Your own election deadline, said twice, plus 15 December and 15 January for anyone on the marketplace. This is the only answer you should be able to give in your sleep. |
Two habits help. Write the answers on a card before the first session, so the fourth gets the same wording as the first. And keep a tally: the questions asked three times are next year's slide 1. That tally is what our guide to a training presentation calls a question log.
What happens if someone does nothing
There is no single federal answer, and that is the thing to understand before you write slide 3. Three different situations, three different sources, and only two of them have a .gov page behind them.
| Who | What the official page says | What goes on your slide |
|---|---|---|
| Someone buying their own marketplace plan | HealthCare.gov: "If you don't act by December 15, you may be automatically re-enrolled for January 1 coverage"; "In some cases, you won't be automatically re-enrolled."; "Your plan doesn't start until you pay your first monthly premium." [3] | Quote the page, keep the word "may", and add the premium sentence. People forget that last one. |
| A federal employee | OPM's Open Season Highlights for the 2027 plan year: "Health, dental, and vision enrollment will automatically continue from year to year unless a participant chooses to make a change during Open Season." [15] | Only if you are a federal agency. Note it comes from the Highlights PDF, not from the Open Season landing page. |
| A federal employee with FSAFEDS | Same document: "However, FSAFEDS requires re-enrollment each year for eligible employees who wish to continue participation in the next Plan year." [15] | The single most useful line in this section, and the one people miss. It is a federal employee rule only. |
| Everyone at a private employer | No .gov page states a general rule. | Your plan documents decide whether elections roll over or lapse. Read the sentence from the plan document onto the slide and name the document. |
The failure mode is a well-meaning slide saying "if you do nothing, your current elections continue" because that is what the last three employers did. If the plan document does not say it, the slide cannot. Put the document's own sentence on screen, in quotation marks, with its name underneath. It removes the whole class of complaint that starts with "nobody told me".
HSA and FSA for 2027: what is published, and what is not
The 2027 HSA and high deductible health plan figures are published and quotable; the 2027 health FSA limit is not, and no amount of searching will change that this month. Rev. Proc. 2026-24 is the primary document for the first set. It was carried in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2026-25 dated 15 June 2026 and says it is "effective for HSAs for calendar year 2027".
| Item for 2027 | Self-only | Family | Base and citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSA contribution limit | $4,500 | $9,000 | An individual with that HDHP coverage, section 223(b)(2); Rev. Proc. 2026-24 [6] |
| HDHP minimum annual deductible | $1,750 | $3,500 | Section 223(c)(2)(A); Rev. Proc. 2026-24 [6] |
| HDHP maximum out-of-pocket | $8,700 | $17,400 | Deductibles, co-payments and other amounts, not premiums [6] |
| Excepted benefit HRA, maximum newly available | $2,250 | Plan years beginning in 2027; Rev. Proc. 2026-24 [6] | |
| Direct primary care arrangement, monthly fee cap | $150, or $300 where the arrangement covers more than one individual | Aggregate monthly fees per individual, not a self-only and family split; Rev. Proc. 2026-24 [6] | |
| Health FSA salary reduction limit | Not published for 2027 | 2026 figure is $3,400 with a $680 carryover; Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.15 [8] | |
The sentence to put on slide 7, word for word
When a number does not exist, the professional move is to say so on the slide rather than to leave a gap that someone fills from a blog. This is the sentence: "The IRS has not yet published the 2027 health FSA limit. The 2026 limit is $3,400 with a $680 carryover (Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.15)." It fits on one line, it answers the question honestly, and it is the sentence that saves you from a correction email in January.
Three checks sit behind that line, all done on 1 November 2026. The IRS newsroom's latest release is dated 29 October 2026 and carries nothing on 2027 inflation adjustments [9]. The newest revenue procedure on irs.gov is Rev. Proc. 2026-34, which is the employee plans compliance resolution system. And bulletins 2026-43, 2026-44 and 2026-45 carry no section 125(i) item for 2027. The $3,500 and $700 figures on benefits blogs are third party projections.
Two cautions worth printing on your own notes
First, the $1,000 HSA catch-up contribution for people aged 55 and over is a statutory amount and is not inflation indexed. The word "catch-up" does not appear anywhere in Rev. Proc. 2026-24. If you mention the amount, do not cite that revenue procedure for it.
Second, Rev. Proc. 2026-24 covers HSAs, direct primary care arrangements and excepted benefit HRAs. It contains no health FSA figure at all, so it cannot be the citation under an FSA line, in any year.
If someone asks for the limit per paycheck
Do the division on the slide and label it as arithmetic. On a 26-period biweekly payroll, $4,500 divided by 26 is $173.08 and $9,000 divided by 26 is $346.15. On a 24-period semi-monthly payroll it is $187.50 and $375.00. Showing the sum is helpful; telling anyone what to contribute is advice, and that is not your job at the front of a room.
Medicare dates, for the staff who need them
Medicare.gov prints two windows as standing rules with no year on them: 15 October to 7 December, and 1 January to 31 March for Medicare Advantage. Applied to this cycle that means the autumn window closes on 7 December 2026 and the Medicare Advantage window runs from 1 January to 31 March 2027. Say on the slide that you are doing that arithmetic, because the page itself does not.
| Window | This cycle | Who it is for | What Medicare.gov says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Enrollment | 15 October to 7 December 2026 | Anyone with Medicare | Changes "are effective January 1 of next year", and the plan "must get your enrollment request by December 7" [4] |
| Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment | 1 January to 31 March 2027 | Only someone already in a Medicare Advantage plan | "Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (only if you're already in a Medicare Advantage Plan) January 1-March 31" [5] |
One terminology note, because it shows up in half the decks online. Medicare.gov calls the autumn window "Open Enrollment", not the Annual Election Period, and "AEP" appears on none of the pages checked for this guide. The shorthand adds a term nobody can look up.
Keep the slide to two windows, one sentence each, and a link. Anyone over 65 who is still working has a complicated set of choices, and a slide is the wrong place for them. Offer a private conversation and the official site, in that order.
The notices employees are handed at enrollment
The Summary of Benefits and Coverage has federal timing rules you can quote, and the CHIP model notice carries its own state-list date, but little else about enrollment notices could be read from a .gov page this week. This section lists only what an official page states.
| Situation | Timing in the regulation | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Renewal with written application materials | "the SBC must be provided no later than the date on which the written application materials are distributed" | 29 CFR 2590.715-2715(a)(1)(ii)(E)(1) [10] |
| Renewal by automatic re-enrollment | "no later than 30 days prior to the first day of the new plan or policy year" | Same paragraph, (E)(2) [10] |
| On request | "in no event later than seven business days following receipt of the request" | (a)(1)(ii)(F) [10] |
| A material modification outside renewal | "not later than 60 days prior to the date" the change takes effect | (b) [10] |
| Language | "must provide the SBC in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner" | (a)(5) [10] |
| CHIP model notice, state list | "The following list of states is current as of July 31, 2026." | DOL model notice [13] |
| CHIP, the employee's own deadline | "you must request coverage within 60 days of being determined eligible for premium assistance" | DOL model notice [13] |
One thing this guide will not tell you is how often an employer must distribute the CHIP notice. That could not be read from any page that would open this week: the DOL landing page lists resources without a frequency, the model notice states none, and the statute sits in ERISA section 701(f)(3)(B)(i), which the federal code sites would not serve. Writing "annually" on a compliance slide because everyone else does is the habit this guide is trying to break.
And it will not list the other notices. Medicare Part D creditable coverage, the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act notice, the Newborns' Act notice, grandfathered plan notices, special enrollment notices and the marketplace exchange notice are all real, and none was checked for this guide, so none is listed. Your benefits broker or counsel owns that list. Slide 10's job is to name the documents people are handed and say where they live afterwards.
Running it: four shifts, one deck, one email
| Session | When | Who | Length | Slides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tue 10 Nov, 10:30 | First shift, group A, 46 people | 25 min | All 12 |
| 2 | Tue 10 Nov, 13:30 | First shift, group B, 46 people | 25 min | All 12 |
| 3 | Wed 11 Nov, 15:45 | Second shift, 54 people | 25 min | All 12 |
| 4 | Thu 12 Nov, 06:15 | Third shift and office, 34 people | 15 min | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12 |
The arithmetic, computed twice. The four sessions reach 46 + 46 + 54 + 34 = 180 people, which is everyone on the payroll. Presenting time is 25 + 25 + 25 + 15 = 90 minutes. Employee time is (46 + 46 + 54) x 25 + 34 x 15 = 146 x 25 + 510 = 3,650 + 510 = 4,160 person-minutes, which is 69 hours and 20 minutes of paid attention. On the day, 169 of the 180 attended, which is 93.9% (169 divided by 180 = 0.9389), and the eleven who were away got the recording and the email.
Her calendar: the email goes out on Monday 2 November with the three dates and the company deadline, a reminder follows on Monday 16 November, and the deadline is Friday 20 November. That is nineteen days after enrollment opened, well inside the 45 days that lead to coverage starting 1 January for anyone also buying marketplace cover for a family member.
Slide 7 shows $4,500 and $9,000 with the citation under them, then the per-paycheck division for a 26-period payroll, $173.08 and $346.15, labelled as arithmetic. Underneath sits the FSA sentence, unchanged. Her first draft had carried $3,500, copied from a benefits newsletter. That was the one line the deck could not have survived, because the employee who writes it on a form in December is the one who calls in March.
Session four differs in one respect only: it is shorter. Seven slides standing up next to the press shop, the same numbers, the same deadline said twice. If the meeting also carries company news, our all hands meeting presentation guide keeps the benefits part from swallowing the rest, and survey results presentation shows what people asked and what you changed.
Accessibility, the recording and a Spanish version
An enrollment meeting is the one internal presentation whose audience is the entire company, so the usual assumptions about eyesight, language and shift patterns all fail at once. Five things fix most of it.
| What | Why it matters here | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Type size | Half the room reads a deductible figure from six metres away | Numbers at the size of a headline, never in a table footnote |
| A printed one-pager | Production and warehouse staff may not have a work email | Slides 2, 3, 11 and 12 on one sheet, pinned where the rota is pinned |
| A recording with captions | The people who miss the session are the ones who most need it | Record session one, caption it, link it in the reminder email |
| A Spanish version | The regulation sets that standard for the SBC itself, which must be provided "in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner" [10]. The meeting is yours to pitch at the same level | Translate the deck, then have a bilingual colleague read it before it is shown |
| One named human | Written answers scale, but the hard questions are private | Slide 12: a name, a channel, the hours, and the last useful date |
One honest limit on the Spanish version: a translated deck is a translated deck. It is not a translated Summary of Benefits and Coverage, it is not a legal review, and it does not change what your plan documents say. If the documents themselves are needed in another language, that is a question for whoever produces them, and it has a lead time.
What this guide deliberately does not do
This page helps one person build and deliver a deck. It is not benefits, tax or legal advice, and it is written so that it cannot be mistaken for it.
| It does not | Because |
|---|---|
| Tell anyone which plan to choose | That depends on the plan documents, the person and circumstances none of us can see |
| Print a 2027 health FSA limit | The IRS has not published one. Every figure in circulation is a projection [9] |
| Cite the $1,000 HSA catch-up amount to Rev. Proc. 2026-24 | It is a statutory amount and the phrase does not appear in that document [6] |
| List any state marketplace's dates | None was checked. Send people to their own state exchange |
| State how often the CHIP notice must go out | No page that would open this week states a frequency [12] [13] |
| List every required enrollment notice | Only the SBC and CHIP notices were verified; the rest belong to your broker or counsel |
| Repeat the reported court decision about a 15 December end date | No .gov source states it. The CMS fact sheet simply gives 15 January [1] |
Three prompts for an open enrollment deck
Square brackets are yours to replace. Give the tool your own plan names and your own deadline: it has no way to know either, and a tool that invents them is the problem, not the shortcut.
Build a [25]-minute open enrollment presentation for [180 manufacturing employees across three shifts] for plan year [2027]. Twelve slides in this order: what is changing in one sentence; three dates, with our own election deadline [Friday 20 November 2026] first and then 15 December 2026 and 15 January 2027 for marketplace coverage; what happens if you do nothing, using the wording I paste below from our plan document; plan options side by side [paste table]; cost per paycheck on a [26-period biweekly] payroll; deductible and out-of-pocket explained once; HSA or FSA, with the 2027 HSA limits $4,500 self-only and $9,000 family and the line "The IRS has not yet published the 2027 health FSA limit"; dependents and life events; Medicare dates 15 October to 7 December and 1 January to 31 March; the notices we hand out; how to enrol step by step; who to ask and by when. Every figure carries its source. No advice about what to choose.
Make a [10]-minute version of this deck for [34 people standing up at 06:15]. Keep five slides: what is changing, the three dates, what happens if you do nothing, cost per paycheck, and how to enrol with the deadline repeated at the bottom. Numbers at headline size, readable from [six] metres. Remove every table with more than four rows. Keep the same deadline wording as the long version, word for word.
Turn slides 2, 3, 11 and 12 into one screen of text for an email to [180] employees: the three dates with our own deadline first, one short paragraph on what happens if you take no action, four numbered steps to enrol, and a named contact with hours. Under [220] words, no jargon, no advice about which plan to pick, and the deadline written twice.
Build it in NOXI: finish a draft you have started
Write the first slides yourself, because only you know your plan names, your deductibles and your deadline. Then let NOXI finish the rest in the same structure. On the NOXI Home page that is the Complete a draft workflow, and it suits this deck precisely because it starts from your file rather than a blank prompt.
Step 1: Write the three slides only you can write
In PowerPoint, Word or a plain text file, write slide 1 (what is changing), slide 4 (your plan options, as a table) and slide 5 (cost per paycheck). These carry your plan names and payroll numbers, and nothing should generate them for you. Put your election deadline at the top of the file so it cannot be missed.
Step 2: Choose Complete a draft and attach the file
Open noxi.ai, choose Complete a draft and attach your file. NOXI accepts PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel or CSV and images up to 200 MB on a free account. One thing to know: NOXI builds this deck from your file alone, because web research is off by default when you attach a file. For this deck that is what you want, and it is why the dates and limits have to come from you.
Step 3: Give it the order and the sentences that must not change
In the brief, paste the 12-slide order, the three dates, the 2027 HSA limits of $4,500 and $9,000 with their citation, and the FSA sentence word for word, and say those lines are fixed text. The layout, the rhythm and the images are NOXI's job.
Step 4: Read every number back against the sources
Open this guide's tables next to the finished deck and check slide by slide: the dates on slide 2, the HDHP floors on 6, the HSA limits and the FSA sentence on 7, the Medicare windows on 9. Fix a wrong line in the chat ("On slide 7, replace the FSA line with this exact sentence"), or click the element on the slide and tell the AI what to change.
Step 5: Cut the short versions from the same deck
Ask for the night shift version in the chat: keep slides 1, 2, 3, 5 and 11, numbers at headline size, no tables. Then ask for the email text from slides 2, 3, 11 and 12. Both come out of the same file, so the deadline cannot drift between the long version and the short one.
Step 6: Share for sign-off, then export and present
Send a view-only link to your broker or counsel for sign-off, and an edit invitation to whoever owns the plan documents: you can co-edit in real time and restore an earlier version. Download an editable PowerPoint with real text boxes and embedded fonts, or a PDF for the printed one-pager, and present full-screen. NOXI is free: 1,000 credits a month, and a full deck uses about 25. To finish in PowerPoint itself, our guide on how to get PowerPoint for free lists the official routes.
Choosing a tool rather than building one deck? Our ranking of the best AI for PPT scores ten of them on printed rules, and best AI tools for work covers the wider set of jobs an HR team has. For the deck that follows this one in the calendar, the onboarding presentation guide covers what new joiners need in week one.
Frequently asked questions
- When does open enrollment start for 2027?
- It started on 1 November 2026. The CMS fact sheet dated 30 October 2026 states that the period to choose Healthcare.gov coverage for 2027 begins on 1 November 2026 and runs through 15 January 2027. HealthCare.gov's dates page now carries the banner "Enroll for 2027 now". State based marketplaces set their own dates.
- When is the deadline for coverage starting 1 January?
- 15 December 2026. HealthCare.gov's dates and deadlines page states that 15 December is the last day to enroll in or change plans for coverage to start on 1 January. Enroll after that and the next coverage start date shown on the page is 1 February. Your employer's own election deadline is usually earlier.
- What happens if an employee does nothing?
- It depends on whose rule applies. On the marketplace, HealthCare.gov says you may be automatically re-enrolled if you do not act by 15 December, and in some cases you will not be. For federal employees, OPM's 2027 Highlights says health, dental and vision continue automatically, but FSAFEDS requires re-enrollment each year. At a private employer, the plan documents decide.
- What are the 2027 HSA contribution limits?
- $4,500 for an individual with self-only high deductible health plan coverage and $9,000 for family coverage, under Rev. Proc. 2026-24, which was carried in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2026-25 dated 15 June 2026. The separate $1,000 catch-up amount for people aged 55 and over is statutory and does not appear in that revenue procedure.
- What is the 2027 FSA limit?
- The IRS has not published it. Checked on 1 November 2026: the newsroom's latest release is dated 29 October 2026 with no 2027 inflation adjustments, and no revenue procedure or bulletin carries a section 125(i) figure for 2027. The 2026 limit is $3,400 with a $680 carryover (Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.15). Figures circulating on blogs are projections.
- What is the HDHP minimum deductible for 2027?
- Rev. Proc. 2026-24 sets it at not less than $1,750 for self-only coverage and $3,500 for family coverage. The same document caps 2027 out-of-pocket amounts, which exclude premiums, at $8,700 self-only and $17,400 family. Those are the federal tests for a high deductible health plan, not any particular plan's own numbers.
- When is Medicare open enrollment?
- Medicare.gov states the window as 15 October to 7 December, as a recurring rule rather than year-stamped dates, which for this cycle means it closes on 7 December 2026 and changes take effect on 1 January. A separate Medicare Advantage window runs 1 January to 31 March, and only for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan.
- What should an open enrollment presentation include?
- Twelve slides: what is changing, the three dates, what happens if you do nothing, options side by side, cost per paycheck, deductible and out-of-pocket once, HSA or FSA with the published 2027 figures, dependents and life events, Medicare dates, the notices being handed out, how to enrol, and who to ask by when.
- How long should an open enrollment meeting be?
- Twenty-five minutes for the full twelve slides, which leaves time for questions, and fifteen minutes for a shift version of seven slides. A night shift standing up needs ten minutes and five slides. Longer sessions do not raise understanding; repeating the deadline twice and naming one contact does.
- Do we have to present the same deck to every shift?
- Present the same numbers, not necessarily the same number of slides. Build the twelve once, then cut a seven-slide and a five-slide version from the same file so the dates and figures cannot drift between sessions. Record one session with captions for anyone who is away, and send the same text by email.
Sources & methodology
How this guide was made: every date, dollar limit and quotation comes from a CMS, HealthCare.gov, Medicare.gov, IRS, eCFR, Department of Labor or OPM page opened on 1 November 2026, and each is cited to the page that says it rather than to a summary. The 12-slide outline, the room versions, the timings and the meeting plan are editorial recommendations, not published standards. This guide is not benefits, tax or legal advice. Kettlebrook Tool and Die, Denise Carter and their figures are fictional, and every calculation was recomputed. Where a figure was not published or could not be read from an official page, this guide says so instead of filling the gap.
- [1] "The Open Enrollment Period to choose Healthcare.gov coverage for 2027 begins on November 1, 2026, and runs through January 15, 2027." The same fact sheet also carries policy claims about premiums and plan counts, which are attributed to CMS wherever used CMS, Plan Year 2027 Marketplace Plans and Prices fact sheet (30 October 2026).
- [2] Banner "Enroll for 2027 now"; "November 1: Open Enrollment starts."; "December 15: Last day to enroll in or change plans for coverage to start January 1"; "January 15: Open Enrollment ends"; 1 February as the next coverage start HealthCare.gov, Dates and deadlines.
- [3] "Automatic re-enrollment keeps you covered"; "If you don't act by December 15, you may be automatically re-enrolled for January 1 coverage"; "In some cases, you won't be automatically re-enrolled."; "Your plan doesn't start until you pay your first monthly premium." HealthCare.gov, Keep or change your plan.
- [4] The autumn window of 15 October to 7 December, printed on the page as a range; "The changes you make during Open Enrollment are effective January 1 of next year"; the plan "must get your enrollment request by December 7" Medicare.gov, Open enrollment.
- [5] "Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (only if you're already in a Medicare Advantage Plan) January 1-March 31"; coverage starts on the "First of the month after the plan gets your request to join." Medicare.gov, Joining a plan.
- [6] 2027 HSA limits $4,500 self-only and $9,000 family; HDHP deductible "not less than $1,750 for self-only coverage or $3,500 for family coverage"; out-of-pocket amounts that "do not exceed $8,700 for self-only coverage or $17,400 for family coverage"; excepted benefit HRA $2,250; direct primary care fee caps $150 and $300; "effective for HSAs for calendar year 2027". The phrase "catch-up" does not appear in the document IRS, Rev. Proc. 2026-24 (PDF).
- [7] Rev. Proc. 2026-24 carried in the bulletin dated 15 June 2026 IRS, Internal Revenue Bulletin 2026-25.
- [8] 2026 health FSA limit: "the dollar limitation under section 125(i) on voluntary employee salary reductions for contributions to health flexible spending arrangements is $3,400"; "the maximum carryover amount is $680". The item sits in SECTION 4, 2026 ADJUSTED ITEMS, at .15, so the citation is section 4.15 IRS, Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (PDF).
- [9] Latest release dated 29 October 2026, with nothing on 2027 inflation adjustments; the newest revenue procedure published on the site is Rev. Proc. 2026-34, which is the employee plans compliance resolution system IRS Newsroom.
- [10] SBC timings on renewal, on automatic re-enrollment, on request and for a material modification; the uniform glossary; "in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner"; the penalty and the per-participant rule eCFR, 29 CFR 2590.715-2715 (edition of 29 October 2026).
- [11] SBC templates, samples, instructions and the uniform glossary, grouped by plan year US Department of Labor, Summary of Benefits and Coverage materials.
- [12] The CHIPRA landing page, which links the model notice and a fact sheet and states no distribution frequency US Department of Labor, CHIPRA.
- [13] "Premium Assistance Under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)"; "The following list of states is current as of July 31, 2026."; "you must request coverage within 60 days of being determined eligible for premium assistance"; "OMB Control Number 1210-0137 (expires 5/31/2029)" US Department of Labor, CHIP model notice (PDF).
- [14] Federal Benefits Open Season of 9 November to 14 December 2026, printed on the page as a range, with "Sign up by December 14." The page itself says nothing about taking no action OPM, Open Season.
- [15] "Health, dental, and vision enrollment will automatically continue from year to year unless a participant chooses to make a change during Open Season."; "However, FSAFEDS requires re-enrollment each year for eligible employees who wish to continue participation in the next Plan year." OPM, Federal Benefits Open Season Highlights, 2027 Plan Year (PDF).
Build the twelve slides once, check every figure against the table it came from, and give each shift the version it needs before your own deadline. NOXI finishes a draft you have started, in your structure, and returns it as an editable PowerPoint or PDF, free.
