Onboarding Musts: explaining health insurance
While only 9% of the US population has an understanding of basic health insurance terms, 46% of employees say their HR departments are the best sources of health insurance information. Download our eBook for an appendix of healthcare terms and a break-down of popular health insurance plans, such as PPOs and HMOs.
While it is legally required for employers with over 50 full-time employees to offer some sort of health benefits, it’s also in their best interest. In a 2013 survey of over 900 organizations, 53% of them reported being effective in leveraging their health insurance carriers to drive health and productivity. Moreover, 93% of these businesses reported that their healthier employees produced better workplace outcomes.
So, how does one determine which health plan is most appropriate for which lifestyle? There are a plethora of healthcare options, from a highly regulated, all-in-one Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) to an independent Flexible Savings Account (FSA)– and dozens of acronyms in between. With appropriate research, every employee should be able to find a healthcare option to suit his or her needs.
There’s only one problem: health insurance is daunting. With all the technical jargon, it’s about as easy as understanding taxes…
It’s Complicated
In fact, in a 2017 study conducted by UnitedHealthcare, only 9% of the U.S. population had an understanding of basic health insurance terms such as premium, deductible, and co-insurance.
Pssst: If you’re slumping deeper into your chair while reading this, you’re clearly not alone. Download our eBook at the bottom of this page for our appendix on healthcare jargon.
Beyond these terms, there are caveats and acronyms at every turn while navigating the health insurance landscape. In fact, according to a 2016 workplace benefits study conducted by the Guardian, one in four Americans said that choosing a healthcare plan was a total “guessing game.”
Data Sourced from Aflac.
The same study reported that the majority of employees wanted “more choices” and “clearer language for explanations” to improve their experience enrolling in an employee healthcare plan. What’s more is that 46% of respondents cited their HR department as the most reliable source of benefits information. This is a big responsibility. How big, you may ask?
The Onus is on HR
Well, a positive onboarding experience is extremely impactful on how employees feel towards their new organizations. This is especially true when it comes to the ease and confidence of understanding new health insurance plans. In the same 2016 workplace benefits study, 75% of respondents who reported having an “excellent” experience and feeling “highly confident” in their choice of health insurance wanted to stay at their new companies for at least five years. However, only 53% of employees who had a “poor, fair, or good” experience choosing plans wanted to stay at least five years.
Data sourced from Guardian Workplace
Want to maximize on this potential loyalty from employees? Download our eBook for a useful appendix of basic healthcare jargon and simplified breakdowns of the most popular healthcare plans across the nation. Pass it along to your employees and utilize this guide to help answer all of their healthcare-related questions.
