'A wake-up call on employee benefits': COVID is driving more interest in open-enrollment.

Expect employees to pay extra attention to their benefits choices during this open enrollment season.

While a vast majority of employees (92%) typically choose the same benefits year after year, that could be changing. Nearly half (49%) of U.S. workers polled by Aflac say the pandemic has served as "a wake-up call" to invest more time researching and selecting the best coverage options for their situation.

"Employees are on autopilot when it comes to the (benefit) choices they make," said Matthew Ownby, Aflac's chief HR officer. "However, COVID has inspired important conversations."

A MetLife study found similar results, saying the pandemic has raised to red-alert levels employee concerns about their own and family members' health and the financial disaster that could follow a bout of serious illness. Among the results:

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