Byline credit to Jon Asfahl, Enrollment Specialist, Word & Brown General Agency
Helping your clients’ employees understand their benefit options is critical – for the employees and for your clients. One way to make sure they have the information they need is by hosting a Questions & Answer (Q&A) session as part of the group’s Open Enrollment (OE). An OE Q&A can go a long way in helping educate employees about the benefits being offered by their employer and the range of options available to them as they consider medical and other insurance coverage for themselves and their loved ones.
I hosted my first OE Q&A meeting more than 10 years ago. It was a real eye opener for that group of employees – and for me, too. It helped me understand what is important to those changing jobs and enrolling for the first time in company-provided benefits. While every group is different, there are topics and concerns that come up in nearly every Q&A.
Enrollment in Health Insurance
In preparing for your first OE Q&A, it’s appropriate to consider the following:
What format are you planning? Do you want your engagement to be live or virtual? Are employees in multiple locations? Does the group merit a hybrid meeting (because of employees’ geographic distribution?)? Does the group’s size mandate more than one meeting? Do you have an available space large enough for your expected turnout? Are there language requirements for bilingual speakers that may need to have benefits explained in their primary language. A separate meeting for non-English as a primary language employees may be warranted.
How long a meeting should you plan? Is your client okay with employees taking that amount of time for your meeting? Will handouts be distributed? If you’re hosting virtually, how will you distribute materials to those participants? Whether you’re live, virtual, recorded, or some hybrid, it’s important you carefully develop your planned PowerPoint, Teams, or other presentation. Be sure to incorporate slides, charts, handouts, or other visuals that will keep your audience engaged. (Again, are materials needed in other than English.)
What’s your planned meeting date and time? You will need to discuss timing with your client. If employees are in widespread locations, should time zones be considered? A meeting at 9:00 a.m. Pacific would mean a noon meeting in the Eastern Time Zone. Is that an issue with a scheduled lunch break? Will mandated breaks or shift changes need to be accommodated?
How will you promote your meeting? Do you have access to employee emails, or will announcements be distributed by Human Resources? How much advance notice is planned? Is an RSVP needed if you want to provide snacks or beverages for attendees? Generally, an advance notice of a week or more is suggested. A reminder email or other announcement one day in advance is ideal. Depending on the group size, you may want to ask for an RSVP confirmation or cancellation.
Making OE meetings mandatory is suggested, as it means everyone is present to hear the information at the same time – and everyone has the opportunity to ask questions. Also, ask for a current census, so ALL eligible employees can receive the information, not just those who may be currently enrolled. You may find increased participation.
If you’ll be using handouts, are they generic or tailored to the group? Preparing an informative overview or highlights piece can be helpful to your meeting participants. It can help you set the stage for topics that will be addressed during your presentation. Frequently asked questions should be included as well as a phone number if an employee has questions after your presentation.
Structuring Your Meeting
What do you plan to talk about? In what order? I suggest you introduce yourself and discuss your relationship with the sponsoring employer. It is also helpful to cover ACA information as well as the California Individual Mandate for audiences where it applies.
For example, “I’m enroller Jon, and I have been working in employee benefits for 10 years. I was selected by your employer’s broker to provide you with valuable information about the health insurance coverage being made available to you. I’ll be talking about the different options – like HMO, PPO, and HSA-eligible coverage for your next benefits year. I will also be discussing provider networks and how you can look up your preferred doctors and specialists to confirm they are in the health plans you’re considering. I will also mention the California Individual Mandate, which applies to all California residents, whether you get your insurance through your employer and on your own.”
Make sure you cover the important topics and trends. If the provider networks have changed or will be changing, share that information. It may help employees avoid making a choice they will regret later. Don’t go overboard, though. They don’t need to know that X plan is forecasting a 2% increase in premium effective next month. Remember, too, that some topics may come up in your Q&A, so you don’t have to be exhaustive in your presentation.
Encourage interaction. You want your audience to be comfortable enough to raise their questions. The underlying reason you’re hosting your event is to make enrollment easier for employees and their loved ones.
Be prepared for technical issues. No matter how often you rehearse, you may encounter a problem. It’s important to have a back-up plan. If you have a technical glitch (like an internet connectivity problem), do you know who to contact to fix it? It is a good idea to have printed materials even when using online enrollment platforms like Ease or Employee Navigator. Employees will have a chance to review prior to enrolling and will have a quick reference without having to be near a computer. It can also be helpful if employees encounter other glitches during their enrollment.
Post-Meeting Follow Up
Send a thank you message to those attending your meeting. Make sure that attendees know how to reach you if they have a question after your presentation. Also make sure that employees know about any deadlines connected to their enrollment. What forms need to be completed and returned – and by when? Solicit feedback (preferably in writing) about your presentation. Did attendees find it helpful? Was there something you left out that you can be sure to include next time? Did you make any commitment to deliver an answer, form, or other information to anyone later? If so, be sure you follow up.
Word & Brown Enrollment Help
Hosting a Q&A can educate employees about their options – and help employers stay on schedule for their groups’ enrollment. It can also boost enrollment in Ancillary offerings. A win-win for employees and for you.
You can host a Q&A on your own, or with help from a Word & Brown enroller. W&B also offers one-click enrollments with multiple online enrollment platforms, valuable HRIS tools for your clients, API integrations with carriers, multilingual enrollment support in California, and easy access to carrier enrollment kits through our Insurance Forms Library. Contact your Word & Brown rep to learn more or call 1-800-869-6989. If you’re not yet working with us, it’s easy to get started – just fill out our online registration form.
