Watson Wyatt found employers are offering gift cards, cash and discounted premiums to workers and, in some cases, their spouses for undergoing a health risk assessment or participating in smoking cessation, weight management or fitness programs.

Hewitt research shows that most companies offer tools to help you go through your health care claims from the past year. With this information you can then figure out which plan going forward is best.

Here are some tips from me and Hewitt to help you during open enrollment:

-- Being trifling can cost you. Don't assume you will be put back into the same coverage you had last year. Although it's a low figure, 8 percent of employers move employees who do not make an active decision during enrollment to the highest benefit coverage levels, Hewitt found. And 10 percent, having heard nothing from an employee, don't sign him or her up for any coverage.

-- Give your health plan a check-up. What you had last year might not exist in your plan this year. Also, it's important to know which parts of your coverage worked for you or your family. A few questions you might want to ask yourself: How much did you spend on co-payments and out-of-pocket costs last year? Are your doctors still covered under your plan? Did you start seeing any new doctors who were not covered by your old plan?

-- Go over your options. "Many people spend more time shopping for a new refrigerator than they do selecting their benefits," Taylor said.

-- Consider a change. Don't become so wedded to one plan that you don't even investigate other options. Plans change for the better and for the worse. For example, because of high HMO premium increases for 2010, many companies are dropping less efficient HMOs and adding other networks, Hewitt data showed. If you don't look carefully, you may miss that your employer has ejected your plan from last year. You can't assume that what you had will still be available.

I know I've said it before. But I'm saying it again. Please study carefully your open enrollment materials. This isn't something you should put off.