The most important part of a successful enrollment campaign is communication. Insurance has been a hot topic for the last few years, and each year brings new laws into effect which can affect your employees. Coverages, co-pays, deductibles, and more will be changing. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you are planning to start your insurance enrollment campaign.
- THE EARLIER THE BETTER: Start early. As soon as you have dates for your open enrollment, start getting them out to the employees. Talk about it, then talk some more. If you don’t keep it in front of them, who will?
- USE MULTIPLE PLATFORMS: In this day of information, there are so many ways to get your news in front of everyone. Use the traditional methods, including signs in the break rooms, communication meetings, and informational mailers. In addition, post it on the company’s Facebook page and Twitter account and send out mass emails. While the older staff will open mail and read it, the younger ones will be more apt to come across a Facebook post disclosing your information. Meetings may be successful, but if the employees are in the middle of something, they may be looking at their watches instead of paying attention. As you can see, each type of information channel works with different people. By combining them, you can get the best results.
- INCREASE FOCUS AS TIME CLOSES IN: Keep bringing it in front of the employees, and have a talking point for each email blast. Consider discussing how the laws are changing, what the age requirements for dependents are, what is needed when new dependents are added, etc. Discuss any changes in coverages, such as deductibles, maximum lifetime coverages, and copayments. Talk about secondary coverages, dental care, vision and other extras. Let them know if the provider list has changed since the last enrollment. As time draws near, remind them that there may be new paperwork needed, letters from spousal employers, or court documents. Now is the time to secure those.
- ENCOURAGE THEM TO GET IT DONE EARLY IN THE OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD: There is no reason to wait for the last day, and peace of mind is the reward for getting it out of the way.
- BE AVAILABLE FOR THOSE WHO WAIT OR HAVE QUESTIONS: Any time you have open enrollment, there will always be those who wait until the enrollment is almost over and then realize that they almost missed it. You will want to procure extra personnel and allocate more time for these issues, so that their emergency doesn’t become your emergency.
Open enrollment is a very busy time for Human Resource Departments and you should be doing as much as possible now to encourage a smooth transition into next year. Each step you take now will help your employees to focus on the things that affect them and give them the information they need to be prepared.
There is a multitude of options for healthcare available in the marketplace. Trying to find the best one can be overwhelming and then using it can cause even more of a headache. Help your staff take the worry out of healthcare. Keep in mind these five things you consider when developing an open enrollment communication strategy. Contact us at (251) 237-1115 or toll-free at 1-888-821-9007.
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