During this uncertain time for health care in America, and as we look to the future for viable solutions for employers, employees and their dependents, we encourage you to take this opportunity to help us help you educate your employee population on this very important subject of Employee Benefits. One of the largest benefits you provide for your employees is access to some kind of health care program. So many times, we experience a situation when an employee does not fully understand their benefit package. The normal attitude is that they don’t really consider all the options until they actually need to use the benefit. By that time, it is sometimes too late.
There are many tools that can be used to educate your employees. For example, if you are using an online enrollment system, encourage your employees to utilize the site and review the information available to them. Many employers want to make the enrollment process “easy” for their employees and tell them that they don’t need to worry about anything if they don’t want to make any changes. I think this is a disservice, because those employers are encouraging them not to be interested in this subject.
The subject of “insurance” awareness is similar to “tax code” or “investment” awareness. Most people throw up their hands at the mere mention of these subjects, feeling that they are too complicated to understand and they will deal with it when and if they have to. I say to be forewarned is to be fore-armed. The time to know the best place to take your child for emergency treatment of a broken arm is not when it happens. You should know which facilities are in your network and whether it is best to go the Emergency Room of a hospital (probably not), an Urgent Care Facility, or your doctor’s office.
We need to have more informed consumers of health care. They need to be educated in fraud and abuse tactics so that they can be instrumental in containing health care costs. If they have had a recent array of testing done by a doctor, they should know that sometimes these test results can be shared with a second doctor and not have them repeated. We have all heard the term “second opinion,” but how often do people actually get one? Do employees realize that sometimes the best place for treatment may not be in their own community? There are facilities that have been designated as “Centers of Care” for specific conditions or procedures.
The attitude of “I don’t have to worry, the insurance will pay for it” needs to stop. People need to be educated to assume responsibility and participate in managing their health care. There is no such thing as a “free lunch.” You will pay for it now or later in the form of increased premiums or other costs.
The bottom line is: encourage your employees to be educated in their entire employee benefit package. Don’t offer short cuts; keep them involved. Knowledge is power. In the long run, they can help contain your costs by becoming responsible, knowledgeable consumers of health care.
#1 by Karen Ficke on November 13th, 2009
Thank you for sharing this timely topic that we all need to become consumers of health care, just as we are consumers of other commodities. We all have a responsibility in this quest. Brokers have to be able to explain the details of the insurance industry. Employers have to provide the tools and resources to employees to educate themselves. And we all need to encourage each other to take the time to care and ask questions about health insurance. Let’s adjust the knowledge expectation and learn to be better health care consumers!