HR teams often find open enrollment season just as stressful as employees do. Most balance employer expectations on employee enrollment and specific plan uptake while minimizing employee concerns and questions. They also balance employee expectations of providing meaningful and affordable choices and enrollment support. The solution to both can be a well-planned enrollment campaign combining comprehensive benefits communication and enrollment support.
While that might seem like a tall order, it can be as simple as following these four steps.
- Invest in employee health care literacy. Research shows employees continue to struggle with health care (and health insurance) literacy. When employees don't understand key terms, concepts and processes related to their benefits, they often make choices, which may negatively impact their coverage, their wallets, and ultimately, their health.
A recent Optavise study finds that 22% of workers say they want to know how to choose a health plan but don't have the tools to do so effectively. That same study finds that about one-third (34%) of respondents have taught themselves health insurance terms and processes by going online or reading other materials, rather than turning to benefits experts.
To help address this problem, HR teams should focus on educating employees on the basics of choosing and using their coverage. Open enrollment is the ideal place to start since the focus is on benefits already. However, addressing health literacy should be a year-round effort. Plan communications efforts should happen throughout the year to reinforce the messages from open enrollment and to keep benefits information and resources top of mind. By increasing health care literacy rates, employees can feel empowered to make the best decisions for themselves this open enrollment season and year-round.
- Create an active enrollment process. Employees' lives and health care needs are constantly changing. It's important for employers to emphasize that the health care conversation does not stop when open enrollment ends. And employees need to understand that what worked last year might not make sense for them this year. Many companies allow their employees to passively rollover health plans year after year. However, this inaction is a disservice to employees. While "active" enrollment — requiring employees to affirmatively elect coverage (at the risk of losing coverage or defaulting to minimal coverage if they don't) may seem strict, it can be a valuable tool in driving employees to learn about current employer offerings.
This is even more important when new options or plans are being introduced. It's vital that employees understand what's available, the potential benefits and costs, and how the offerings might meet their needs. Adding modeling tools, one-on-one meetings and individualized enrollment support will give employees a better understanding of which plans work best for them and where voluntary and supplemental plans and programs might fill perceived gaps.
- Prioritize personal communications. Everyone has unique needs and preferences when it comes to receiving information. Make sure benefits information is conveyed using a variety of media, including print, online and in person, and that content is accessible 24/7 and from any location or device.
Interactive enrollment guides, summary plan descriptions (SPDs) and other communications can engage employees and their family members while also making it easy for them to find the information they need.
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