It is October, which can mean only one
thing — open enrollment season has
arrived. This is an important time of year for employees as they have the opportunity
to make additions, changes or deletions to
their health benefits elections.
As health care costs continue to rise, however, many employers have had to pass this
burden on to their employees through higher premiums or decreasing benefits, resulting in greater out-of-pocket costs. Some
employers have even changed insurance
carriers in an effort to reduce health care
spending. Additionally, a new era of consumer-directed health plans has expanded
the role that employees play in managing
their health care decisions.
These trends, among others, have made
open enrollment a confusing, frustrating
and overwhelming experience for some
employers and their employees.
“Open enrollment season can be a stressful time of year,” says Bill Berenson, senior
vice president of Aetna’s Small and Middle
Market Business for the North Central
Region. “As insurance carriers, we have the
ability to ease employers’ anxiety by working with them to find the health benefits
plan that best suits their business.”
Smart Business spoke with Berenson,
who offered tips to employers on what they
should consider when making decisions
related to their businesses’ health benefits.
How do you recommend employers approach
open enrollment?
As you approach open enrollment, establish your organization’s goals. Do you want
everyone enrolled by a certain date so that ID
cards arrive in early January? Is your company switching to a consumer-directed health
plan (CDHP) and, if so, what information
needs to be communicated to employees?
Based on your goals, create a workable
timeline so that employees and managers
have the right information at the right time.
For example, if you are working with your
health insurance carrier to offer new online
tools, make sure your IT team is at the table
early. Also, make sure you give employees
enough time to assemble, analyze and discuss plan information with family members
before the enrollment deadline.
What are the benefits associated with implementing a wellness program?
A wellness program can offer employees a
wide variety of services, such as discounts
on memberships at fitness clubs or home
exercise equipment and weight loss or
weight management programs. Smoking
cessation programs and discounts on alternative health care options, such as herbal
and natural remedies, vitamins and nutritional supplements, as well as massage and
acupuncture therapy are also available.
These discount programs are not insurance,
but are free, added features to many insurance plans.
Wellness programs and discounts won’t
just help employees get healthier — they
will also help maintain the ‘health’ of a successful business. Programs that promote
good health can impact worker satisfaction
and productivity. They can also reduce costs
related to health benefits claims, sick leave,
absenteeism, disability and workers’ compensation, making them an important
recruiting and retention tool.
How important is access to online
resources?
Tools and information are a key component of any CDHP, so if your business is
switching to one of these plans this open
enrollment season, make sure your employees have the information they need to make
educated, informed choices. Find an insurance carrier that provides secure interactive
tools that allow employees to access their
own personal data and find other relevant
health-related information, such as price
and performance comparisons between
doctors and hospitals.
What do employers need to know about integration?
Simply put, benefits work better when
they work together. Integrating data, systems and medical management across the
spectrum of benefits products, including
medical, dental, disability, behavioral and
pharmacy, allows your insurance carrier to
take a more holistic view of the individual
members of your work force. As a result,
your carrier can more easily identify those
employees who are most at risk for certain
health conditions and take action to see that
their needs are met.
Integrating systems is also important in
the administration of benefits, which is why
a growing number of insurers have developed self-service, Web-based tools to make
it easier for employers to update and change
member enrollment information. These
tools provide online access to member eligibility information for medical, dental, pharmacy, and life and disability coverage. They
give employers the ability to expedite online
member additions, terminations, life event
changes and selection of benefits.
These tips will help put you on the path to
a successful open enrollment. However,
employers should ultimately look to their
insurance carriers for assistance as they are
ready to work with you to help you establish
the right blend of benefits features, employee contributions and marketing efforts to
achieve your enrollment goals.
BILL BERENSON is senior vice president of Aetna’s Small and Middle Market Business for the North Central Region. Reach him at
(312) 928-3323 or [email protected].
