eflexHSA.com

How to successfully communicate and market your strategy for your new Consumer Driven Health Plan with an HSA to your employees.

HSA's are relatively new and employees may not fully understand the benefits than an HSA provides. Creating an attractive HSA plan encourages employees to accept the new concept. Employees are used to HMO's and low or no deductible health plans. They are accustomed to office visit copays and prescription drug copays. They are accustomed to having the employer take care of the health plan for them, and they don't think about health care until they need it. Healthcare costs and prescription costs have been hidden with office copays and prescription copays. Employees need to be made aware of the actual costs involved both in the total monthly premiums and the actual costs for physician services and prescriptions. HSA's require employees to look at their healthcare in a new way, putting them in control of their healthcare dollars. HSA's encourage employees to change their spending habits and helps decrease utilization, thus helping control premium costs.

Your goal is to make information transparent for your employees and to change their mindset/thought pattern when it comes to medical care. Most people do not think about the true cost of a physicians visit when they are only paying $10 or $20 office copays for their visit. The same applies to prescription drug charges; people don't realize the true cost of the medication they take simply because they only are charged a set copay amount.

Set the state with the company's philosophy

• The financial security provided by benefits that are offered is a responsibility shared by the company and employees, with employees having the ultimate responsibility.

The company supports employees through:

• Up-front financial support (company contributions into employee HSA)
• Financial support of preventive care program
• Wellness programs

(These are examples; make sure to apply the appropriate information for your company)

Remember people need to see and hear things multiple times so you want your message to be simple, straight forward and communicated well in advance and on more than one occasion.

Intended Audience:

• Employees
• Employees Families

Why should they pay attention?

• Their Health
• Their Money

Tell them how much their total individual or family premium is monthly.

Immediate Financial Gain

They are in control of their accounts.

Compare your current plan design with the HSA plan design.

Illustrate the tax benefits and long term savings potential

Give them real life examples to relate to.

Communicate face to face, not just by paper, they don't read the paper you give them. If your company uses the internet, communicate via email too.

• Meetings
• Posters
• Mailers
• HR Department

Where can they go to get additional information?

• On-line tools
• Toll free numbers
• Meetings
• HR Department

Your plan should:

Educate

• President/CEO communications (shows the value you are placing on the new plan)
• E-mail
• Newsletters
• Posters
• Payroll stuffers (gets the information home to other family members)
• Brochures
• Design an webpage specific to your new plan

Engage

• Website support
• Pre-enrollment kit (include examples/scenarios up front)
• Toll free number for questions
• Benefits fair
• Have the carriers provide IN PERSON enrollers

Empower

• Monthly email
• Monthly newsletter
• Monthly payroll stuffer
• Customize information from Carrier or TPA with your group name on it
• Continually provide your employees with updates and tools, even after you have instituted the new coverage. Questions will arise beyond the enrollment period as employees adjust to having and utilizing an HSA.

You should identify the stakeholders in your company and engage them in helping get the information out. They may be:

• CEO
• Finance
• HR
• IT
• Influencers - every company has them, the employees who are networked in and are engaged and active in the company (managers, etc.)
• Department Heads (they are most aware of employee concerns)

Have the HDHP carrier do employee meetings and provide one on one assistance.

4 months out - start marketing the concept to your employees

2 months out - have a benefits fair and enrollment meetings

Remember, don't leave the employees family (spouse) out. Include them through payroll stuffers, etc. Some companies invite them to the benefit meetings.