California Individual And Group Health Insurance Plans

Business Wire - Sept. 20: Lincolnshire, Ill. - Despite concerns over rising health care costs and the increasing complexity of health plans, a new study from Hewitt Associates, a global human resources services firm, found that most employees aren't effectively managing their health care and are looking to employers to provide resources that can help them make better and more informed decisions throughout the year.According to Hewitt's study of more than 18,000 U.S. employees, almost 80 percent worry health care coverage will ultimately become unaffordable, and more than half believe that choosing and using the health care plan that best meets their needs gets more complex every year. Yet just 34 percent track their current health care expenses, and less than half take the time to estimate future health care expenses. Further, while the majority of employees believe their companies provide sufficient tools and information to choose and use their health plans, only half say they used those tools."Employees are increasingly being tasked with making tougher and more important choices about their health care, but most are struggling to make the best choices at enrollment and throughout the year," said Jennifer Murphy, health care communication leader, Hewitt Associates. "While companies are providing additional education and resources to employees to help them make better choices, too much health care communication is still focused on enrollment, with little promotion or education throughout the year when people are really using their plans. As health plans become more complex, it's critical that employers have a year-round strategy that includes ways to promote the tools and educate employees and their families. Bottom line, companies need to be the ones who support and influence consumers' health care behaviors." Navigating Complex Health Plans According to Hewitt's study, the increasing level of complexity involved in choosing and using health care plans continues to be an issue for employees, particularly for those enrolled in high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) with health savings accounts (HSAs). Hewitt's study found employees' overall understanding of and satisfaction with these plans is low among those who are participating in them. Only 30 percent of employees using HDHPs with HSAs said they understood and were satisfied with their selection, and more than half said they wouldn't re-enroll next year. Although HSAs feature longer-term savings benefits, few people who enrolled said they were taking advantage of that aspect of the plans. Approximately 40 percent chose them because of the lower premium costs versus other plans, and more than two-thirds used the plans to deal with routine health expenses. "As health care costs continue to rise, HSAs are great vehicles for helping employees save for future health care expenses, but they can be ineffective or confusing to employees if they aren't using them in the right way," said Murphy. "Positive testimonials from employees who have enrolled in an HDHP coupled with an HSA show that a greater emphasis on tools can help employees understand how to use their health plans and can boost satisfaction while improving next year's enrollment results. It's also critical that the education flow continues after enrollment so employees can avoid making mistakes." Influencing Healthy Behaviors According to Hewitt's study, tools such as health risk questionnaires (HRQs) can make a difference in influencing healthy behaviors by helping employees more easily understand and address their health care needs. Of the employees who completed a health risk questionnaire, three-quarters said they found the results valuable. More than 40 percent said they learned something new about their health, and more than half said they took actions to reduce or manage potential health risks. However, only 32 percent of those who completed an HRQ said they were required to participate in any follow-up actions or activities, and less than a quarter said their spouses or partners were invited to complete one, making it difficult to assess family health needs."A great first step in providing an environment that supports and enables healthy behaviors is offering a health risk questionnaire, a resource designed to heighten employees' awareness of their health risks," added Murphy. "New or increased awareness is helpful, but behavioral changes might not take root to form new habits if companies don't provide any follow-up for employees. Companies can help employees maintain the momentum that an HRQ might provide by adding programs that encourage employees to take action after the initial questionnaire is completed." Hewitt's study also found the percentage of employees who said they practiced healthy behaviors, such as regular exercise, balanced diet, regularly scheduled physicals and preventive medicines, has remained constant over the past three years. In addition, the frequency of behaviors related to doctor's visits, including researching illness symptoms, asking doctors questions and discussing treatment options, has stayed relatively constant."To see sustained improvement in healthy behaviors, companies need to provide incentives that reward the desired behaviors through their plan designs, and then reinforce the right messages in communication throughout the year not just at enrollment," said Murphy.