Healthcare reform has been talked about a lot in the past year. But even with so much information talked about and online, people still have questions. Business leaders still wonder what lies ahead for healthcare plans. Workers worry how much the cost of health insurance will rise.
With all these questions, open enrollment could be a harder to work with this year. Open enrollment is a specific time when employees can join a group health plan. At most companies and businesses, open enrollment occurs once a year.
Benz Communications in San Francisco offers some advice for HR and benefits managers.
The firm says the days of employers taking care of everything are over. Today, most employers only provide help for employees choosing benefits.
Many company leaders say they will move more health insurance costs onto their workers. Leaders should teach workers about making good short-term decisions. Leaders should also help workers plan for the future. They should help workers compare how health and financial safety stack up.
So, how can human resources, or HR, and benefits managers talk to workers this year? Here are some tips for the 2011 open enrollment campaign:
Be focused.
Our government cannot figure it out. Our nation's companies cannot figure it out. So it's doubtful your company or workers can solve the problem of healthcare costs. Yet, there are simple steps you can take to help control costs.
Keep focusing on the positives. Remind employees what changes they really can make. These are the messages that make employees and their families feel better.
Tell employees about real things that can affect their lives. Share things they can do to save money on healthcare costs. Here are just a few steps they can take:
- Get preventive care.
- Sign up for a biometric screening. A biometric screening is a series of measurements. Usually, the measurements include height, weight, blood pressure, fitness tests and more. Biometric screenings can help employees figure out how healthy they are. They also can help prevent serious diseases.
- Join a wellness program.
- Enroll in a health plan that offers more value.
- Switch to generic medicines instead of brand name.
- Use mail order prescription programs.
For HR managers, open enrollment is also a good time for employee reminders. For example, let employees know about benefits they may not be using. Many times, employees may not know what's available.
Be personal.
It's hard to get employees to always pay attention to their healthcare plans. You can keep their attention if you focus on their needs. Don't talk about the company's needs.
For example, many companies today are offering workers more voluntary benefits. The employee can choose whether or not to purchase them. Generally, voluntary benefit plans costs companies less money. You should explain how voluntary benefits could help employees. Workers with family coverage need to be clear about how the family deductible works.
Be simple.
Keep open enrollment communications simple and direct. Employees don't use or understand benefits jargon. Question the words you use. Are you using everyday, real-life language as simply as possible? Define terms. Repeat concepts. Try different ways to say the same things. Don't bury workers with too much print. Use visuals.
Use bullet points, graphics, and charts in your presentations. Offer question-and-answer sessions that help workers understand their plans.
These tips are even more important as benefit plans become more complex. For example, maybe you're offering a results-based wellness program. Or, you've switched to a value-based plan. These need to be talked about in a way that makes sense to employees. And you must talk about the plans without raising people's fears.
Be frequent.
With today's technology, people can stay in touch with each other 24/7. Your company can use this technology to help share health plan information. For example, you can share information all year long. Use social media tools like blogs. This will help workers stay informed. And, they are cheaper than printing brochures.
Not sure what to say? There are countless resources, tips, and reminders you can find online. Websites like Google, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube can help you get started. Another source of free ideas and content is Benz Communications' Benefits Tip Twitter feed (www.Twitter.com/BenefitsTip).
Open enrollment can be a scary time for employees. It can also be a hectic time for HR and benefits managers. But, as you can see, there are many ways to lessen the tensions.
Your company's healthcare plan is a great benefit to employees. Just make sure you give them all the information they need in a simple way. Because the more employees understand, the more benefits they'll use. Then, the more benefits they use, the happier they'll be. And happy employees are productive employees.
