From navigating tax codes to turning bills into laws, thegovernment really knows how to complicate things, andMedicaid enrollment is noexception.

In fact, there’s so much confusion regarding qualifications andapplication requirements for Medicaid that it scares away manyeligible individuals. The Urban Institute estimates that only about66 percent of Medicaid-eligible adults are enrolled in theprogram.

The confusion surrounding Medicaid enrollment is also one of thereasons so many employers are overlooking this option for theirlow-income employees.

For brokerswith Medicaid-eligible clients, this means that finding waysto break through the confusion, build trust, and help clientsnavigate their options should be a top priority.

There are four main areas of confusion surrounding Medicaidoptions and enrollment that brokers need to clarify for theirclients:

1. Clients don’t realize how much money they couldbe saving.

In the 31 states and the District of Columbia thathave expanded Medicaid under the ACA, Medicaid coverage isavailable to workers making as much as $33,465 per year for ahousehold of four. Yet employers continue to spend billions eachyear insuring Medicaid-eligible workers and funding theirclaims.

One national survey found that in 2013, anemployer’s average annual cost for private health insurance wasapproximately $10,800 per employee. However, the typical annualoutsourcing cost for Medicaid enrollment is only $200-300 perenrollee. And helping clients enroll their employees in Medicaidwill reduce or eliminate clients’ exposure to claims that couldnegatively impact their insurance rates or budgets.

Educating employers about the money-saving benefits of enrollingeligible employees in Medicaid should be a high priority forbrokers. It will prove to clients that you’re a trusted adviser andbenefit expert and set you apart in a crowded field.

Begin making Medicaid enrollment a topic in your clients’ annualreview and planning session. When you compare the costs, coverage,and employer benefits to private insurance plans, clients willquickly see the value.

2. Clients don’t realize their workers would be betteroff.

Many employers assume that because their private healthinsurance is so expensive, it has to be better than Medicaid. Butin most cases, this isn’t true.

Medicaid offers no or low premiums and co-pays, no deductibles,coverage for the whole family, and dental and vision insurance forchildren (and adults in most states). It has a providernetwork comparable to most employer-sponsoredinsurance plans.

And more Medicaid recipients are satisfied with their plans thanpeople who purchase private coverage — 87 percent compared to 73 percent.

Brokers can best help clients understand the differences betweenMedicaid and private insurance by outlining them in a visual way.Utilize webinars, slideshows, charts, and other presentation toolsto demonstrate how Medicaid coverage measures up to otheroptions.

3. Clients don’t understand the role they can playin the process.

Because Medicaid isn’t employer-sponsored, many employersbelieve they have no role in getting employees signed up.

In many cases, they assume their Medicaid-eligible employeeshave already taken care of enrolling on their own.

But in reality, the confusion around determining qualificationand working through the application deters as many eligibleindividuals as it does their employers.

Working people have a particularly hard time signing up forbenefits because they have inflexible schedules and can’t take timeoff from work. Over the years, my company has encounteredinnumerable people who either didn’t realize they qualified forMedicaid or couldn’t have completed the application without theiremployers stepping in.

Employers who want to reap the benefits of moving their eligibleemployees over to Medicaid must also realize they have a duty (andan interest) in helping those employees through the process.

Brokers should discuss ways they can assist employees, such asallowing employees time off work to visit an adviser orcollaborating with a third-party enroller who can walkthem through the process.

4. Clients don’t understand why they need help froman expert.

Even if clients understand the benefits of enrolling theiremployees in Medicaid, there’s still so much about enrollment theyaren’t prepared or qualified to handle on their own.

But working with experts allows clients to implement alow-income population management strategy without hittingunexpected roadblocks that waste time and money.

For example, many employers aren’t aware that they can’t legallyask their employees certain questions — or that some employees areunwilling to fully disclose information about their households totheir employer.

My company encountered this when working with a past client. Onemember of the company’s team had recently married but was afraid totell her employer about the marriage.

Only because of our confidentiality clause did the employee feelsafe enough to speak honestly and complete the applicationprocess.

The rules around Medicaid qualifications are perplexing, andonly Medicaid experts can help clients (and sometimes brokers)understand whether different strategies will work. These expertscan take some of the burden off of you and even provide you withsome commission for the job.

The confusion surrounding Medicaid enrollment can scare a lot ofpeople away from the program.

That’s why brokers need to go the extra mile to not only explainthe program’s benefits to their clients, but also assist themthrough the application process.