Five Broker tips for a positive open enrollment season

Five Broker tips for a positive open enrollment season -

With Open Enrollment 2015 fast approaching, insurance brokers and agents prepare for one of the busiest times of the year. Here are tips from Mercer five for brokers to ensure a positive and successful open enrollment season

Tip 1 :. Revisit Consumer Health Plans

Consumer Health Plans (CDHPs) more and more popular as a cost-savings and cost-containing policies are becoming. Since CDHPs encourage employees to make informed decisions to spend their money wisely, this can for employers to significantly lower costs result

The movement toward this type of arrangement grows. according to Mercer, 39 percent of large employers offered a CDHP in 2013 and say 64 percent said they expected a in 2016 to offer

• In 2013, there were an estimated $ 23.8 billion in HSAs and HRAs, about 11.8 million "accounts" to spread.

• The number of accounts from 2012 to was easy when there were 11.7 million accounts.

• Total assets of $ 18 to were billion in 2012 (source).

There is also a trend towards CDHPs with small employers. For example, small employers quickly transition employees group health insurance plans to "pure" defined contribution health plans and individual health insurance. A "pure" defined contribution approach is ideal for smaller employers who are not subject to the mandate, but still want to provide a health benefit for its employees available

Tip 2 :. Communicate

is the Affordable Care Act (ACA) employer in 2015 make shared responsibility mandate equal a big year for employers and brokers early and often. According to Mercer, brokers should communicate early and often about "coming into question why they come into question, as the eligibility was determined, what that means and what they now consider." Those who should not be eligible to be educated on their options the marketplace and the individual health insurance market

Mercer research yielded .:

• A third of employers have to make changes their compliance with the ACA

  to ensure

• Ten percent of employers are already in compliance with the ACA

• other employer in accordance with the ACA were before

Tip 3: Make voluntary, much of the open enrollment message advantages

employers also enrich voluntary services using existing core services and the overall performance package to expand. According to Mercer, the most popular offers voluntary product vision, dental, accident, disability and life insurance

are

Tip 4 :. Use Open Enrollment wellness programs to strengthen

encourage use Enrollment employers with wellness programs open to enhance the goals and standards that go along with these programs. Employers are adopting workplace wellness programs health insurance costs are to reduce to an employer, recruit and retain employees and a healthy (and productive) maintain workforce.

According to Mercer, "This is especially important if a perceived compliance penalties to the next year, as increased premiums for those to be introduced that do not participate in the health screening"

Tip. 5: Using Technology Consumer-Driven Choices to support

More employees will be asked to take responsibility for their healthcare decisions and benefits. Employers can help employees to make informed decisions and support from a variety of different types of technology. Mercer suggests wallet card to keep up with all benefits and benefit contact information in one place for employees to refer.

Similarly, a "pure" defined contribution health plan offering employer contribution Software Perform the help management functions of the plan management to ensure compliance, employees have access to the benefits, and integrate the health benefits of the broker.

See Mercer Fill.

What do you do in preparation for Open Enrollment 2015? Leave a comment below .

Tweet