What else can employers do to help ensure a successful transition?
Successful consumer-directed health plans are supported from the top. Research has shown that employers who contribute to their employees’ health savings accounts may achieve higher rates of employee participation than those who don’t contribute. Even if it’s a one-time contribution, it’s better than nothing.
Some employers are easing into consumer-directed care by slowly increasing deductibles each year. Others are offering incentives, such as lower premium contributions, to employees who enroll in these plans over the more traditional coverage they also offer.
Creative options that consider the needs of each work force are available.
What are some other tactics employers use to help employees feel comfortable with these plans?
Recognize that this type of plan design represents change for employees — in some cases, a significant change. The more prepared they are for the change, the better. Begin a communications effort early and don’t worry about overcommunicating.
Create special but inexpensive communication material just for this campaign, such as employee bulletin boards, newsletters, payroll stuffers, information sessions and your intranet. You may also want to send information to employees’ homes, where it can be shared with a spouse. Encourage two-way communication and invite questions one on one so employees can evaluate their own personal situation. It’s important that they understand all their costs and responsibilities so they are not surprised or discouraged after enrollment.
Emphasize and re-emphasize the connections between unhealthy lifestyle habits such as smoking and obesity and the dramatic impact such habits can have on health care costs. Reinforce the idea of proactively tackling bad health habits now to deter high medical costs later. The message can be as simple as, ‘If you stay healthy, you will preserve more money in your HSA.’
Many health plans offer 100 percent coverage for the cost of approved health education programs such as smoking cessation and weight loss — at no cost to the employer.
Finally, stress to employees that they are not on their own after they enroll. Make your human resources staff available to review information and answer questions. Small companies can receive help from their health plans. Health insurers are committed to helping members be comfortable with their decision to choose consumer-directed health care and to be smart users of health care services.
Representatives are trained to educate employees about the process and the decision-making tools available to them.
DAVID CROSBY is regional president of HealthAmerica. Reach him at [email protected].