Program Enhancement Takes
SmartSuite^SM to New Level

Humana’s Smart family of products, of which SmartSuite is the most popular, has proved to be a successful, innovative product that involves consumers in their own health care, allowing them to use online tools to compare benefits and costs and to choose a plan that works best for them. And there is no better validation than the words of a satisfied customer.

SmartSuite “has been well-received by our work force and … is one of our most visible employee benefit products,” said Michael Langford, human resources director of the Center for Health Care Services, a behavioral health care provider with more than 600 participants in metropolitan San Antonio, Texas. “Every February we conduct an employee benefits satisfaction survey with our staff. This February, in our first year with SmartSuite, we had the highest satisfaction rating since we began collecting this data in 1998.”

Now Humana has found a way to improve upon SmartSuite’s success.
SmartAssurance, a new program enhancement, takes SmartSuite to a higher level, combining the “choose and use” approach for consumers with a guaranteed second-year rate cap of no more than 9.9 percent for their employers. Over the past four years, the annual average health care inflation rate has been between 10 percent and 15 percent, making SmartAssurance a smart option for employers looking for cost-savings and an improved health care experience for their employees.

As part of the SmartAssurance experience, members will use Humana’s online tools, such as Plan ProfessorSM, Internet Wizard, e-Enrollment Center, communication calendar and e-mail to compare, select and manage their coverage options.

Humana also offers a variety of Web tools and disease management programs, as well as the Personal Nurse® service — designed to achieve the goal of improved patient support and self-management of health conditions.

Patients with access to education about health and insurance coverage and who have more options for care and support tend to be healthier and make more informed, effective choices about how they use those resources. That may mean the ability to better manage their health, illnesses and control of chronic conditions. In addition, patients who are informed about their health coverage by the payer are less likely to depend on — and take time from — their physician or health care provider for this information. “We hope that translates into a better focus on patient care,” said Langford.

SmartAssurance also encourages employers to consider another option, instead of cutting benefits or coverage — thereby promoting access to insured health care.

In turn, the program offers participating employers the cost containment and predictability that will allow them to invest in company growth and protect their intellectual capital — keys to remaining competitive.

Cutting benefits and eliminating health care coverage have become increasingly common in today’s volatile economy — SmartAssurance offers employers a viable option to these cost-saving tactics, and allows them to display their commitment to involving employees in benefits selection and providing a greater selection of health plans.

“We have put together a variety of communication tools for benefits administrators to provide to their employees,” said Eileen Hutchison, vice president of marketing for Humana in Louisville, Ky. She added that these tools can make for more “savvy consumers.”

“If the employer is willing to invest some time and effort educating its work force on managing its own health care …, that investment should produce good results,” said Langford.

The SmartAssurance program enhancement offers employers significant cost containment and predictability and transforms employees into savvy, value-seeking consumers of health care — a winning proposition for everyone.

For more information about SmartAssurance, visit the “Members” section of www.Humana.com.

Back to top