An innovative advisor will work to deliver the best possiblehealth care experience for employees at the lowest possible cost tothem and to their client's business. One of the strategies they'llimplement in order to make this goal a reality is to collect healthand medical data from employees for underwriting. Some of theinformation may include:

• Chronic conditions
• Past surgeries and procedures
• Family history of disease

The phrase “data gathering” and the nature of the questions mayworry some employees. The right adviser, however, will work with ateam of people who empathize with workers' concerns. This meansthat they'll not only recognize the fear and frustration that thehealth care system may have caused employees, but also worktirelessly to offer them a newer, better health careexperience.

Part of this improved experience means operating under acommitment to privacy, anonymizing data and openly explaining toboth employees and business leaders that employees' medicalinformation won't be shared directly with their employer. A goodadviser will make it clear that the data they gather from employeeswill only be used as a tool to achieve high-value health care; ifan adviser can't effectively deliver this message and makeemployees feel comfortable with this crucial process, the companymay want to consider another adviser.

Here are some of the ways that data gathering and underwritingcan create a better benefits plan foremployees: 

Lower costs 

Underwriting has developed a somewhat negative reputation due tolarge insurance companies who have used the process to raisepremiums or deny coverage to patients because of their medicalhistory. An adviser's goal, however, is to loweremployees' health care costs, and the underwriting processis another tool they can use to do so.

By collecting relevant medical data, an adviser can ensure thatemployees are paying only for the benefits they need. For example,if an employee's medical history reveals no pre-existing conditionsor tobacco use, there's no reason for them to pay for a benefitsplan that assumes they'll need heart surgery later this year. Onthe other hand, if an employee might be at risk for significanthealth problems, an adviser can recommend preventative servicesthat might lessen the severity of the situation while stillaccounting for the potential treatment down the road. Under thismodel, the proactive approach to health care means a betterexperience for the employee and significantly reduced costs for allparties, especially if the need for the major procedure iseliminated with early intervention. The more an adviser knows aboutemployees' medical data, the more equipped they'll be to findopportunities to save them money.

Increasedengagement 

The more employees are engaged with their benefits plan, themore likely they are to implement the tools and strategies anadviser recommends. When an adviser sits down with employeesone-on-one to help them complete a medical questionnaire, it givesthem the opportunity to educate employees on how they can win usingthe tools provided to them. It also establishes a kick-off pointfor future face-to-face meetings between employees and advisers,increasing the level of trust between employees and the peoplemanaging their benefits plan. 

A personaltouch 

Appreciation and recognition are important for employees. Astudy by Office Team revealed that 66 percent of workerswould quit if they didn't feel appreciated at their job, and abenefits plan provides various opportunities to let employees knowhow much they're valued. When an adviser sits down with employeesand builds a benefits plan that's designed to give them the bestcare at the lowest cost, it sends workers a message that theymatter.

For a growing business, this personal touch is crucial and canbe a huge advantage against competition. Large corporations are farmore likely to provide one-size-fits-all coverage for theiremployees, which can end up being more expensive for both workersand the business. Ensuring that each employee gets one-on-one timeand assistance from an adviser through the data collection processcan make a big impact on how they view their worth within thecompany. 

The right data in the righthands 

Advisers can help make the data-gathering and underwritingprocess a tool to increase employees' satisfaction with theirbenefits plan. Being able to properly assess and anticipateemployees' individual health care needs doesn't just help them savemoney, it also engages them with their plan and lets them know thattheir employer truly values them.