by Jessica Hawkins
February 15, 2024
For some employees, their annual open enrollment is the only time of year that they are engaged with their benefits. When employers place a focus on year-round benefits education, employees have the information they need to make informed decisions, and they will utilize their coverage more effectively.
Employee benefits aren’t always easily understood. Therefore, a monthly communication strategy can begin with topics such as health care terms (deductible, coinsurance and copay) or how to read a benefit summary.
As the year progresses, topics can include how to review medical bills for discrepancies, when you can conduct a telehealth visit, qualifying life events or how to conduct research in order to save on medical procedures.
Employers can tailor their plan communication based on their industry and the demographics of their workforce. Utilizing various methods (ex: emails, lunch and learns, texts, etc) can be helpful to maintain engagement.
Communicating about benefits year-round will certainly be helpful by the time the next open enrollment comes. Employees will be more confident and are more likely to examine their existing coverage and add coverage to fill gaps if their lifestyle or needs have changed. Overall, taking the time to provide benefits education can reduce healthcare costs for employers and employees in a time when healthcare costs continue to be on the rise.
