To simplify benefits enrollment and health navigation, HR leaders can do a few things:

Tailor communications for specific employee segments: Rather than promoting every benefits program to the entire workforce, employers could take the steps to understand the health care needs of different employee segments and then send targeted messages based on those specific needs. For example, employees with Type II Diabetes would receive more outreach about nutrition and physical activity programs, whereas employees with high blood pressure would receive alerts about heart health resources. Personalization is key to engagement, as it helps employees more seamlessly connect with the right care.
Provide educational resources and financial guidance: Low health literacy has been associated with less healthy choices, riskier health behavior, poorer health status, inappropriate use of health services, and higher costs. Make it as easy as possible for employees to understand basic health care information and make well-informed decisions based on cost and quality of care. It's important they have a good grasp on things like out-of-pocket costs, what a deductible is and how to track against it, and what to look for when searching for the best-fit provider.
Partner with a health navigation solution: This will make it easier to keep employees informed of new benefits available to them, as most navigation platforms can serve as a communication hub and reduce the administrative burden for the benefits team. In addition, by leveraging predictive analytics and member data (i.e., claims, biometrics, and user search activity), the navigation platform can narrow down what programs and providers should be recommended to which employees, thus avoiding overwhelming employees with a deluge of both relevant and irrelevant options.

3. Involve the C-suite

As benefits management increasingly becomes core to overall workforce strategy, critical benefits conversations must go beyond the HR team. Centering a company's culture around employee health and wellbeing will be a lot easier if there is buy-in and commitment from the organization's decision-makers—because change often starts at the top. As company leaders adopt a culture of health and wellbeing, so will their direct reports and their teams.

Instant Insights /

3 strategies for making benefits enrollment and health care navigation easier

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