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4 Reasons Your Employees Aren’t Enrolling in Your Healthcare Plan (and What to Do About It)

Any way you look at it, offering health insurance to your employees is a good thing to do. Not only does a healthcare plan keep your employees healthy and protect them from huge medical bills, but studies have also shown that it is the most desired benefit you can offer. Employers who offer healthcare are more likely to attract high quality job candidates and also to retain the employees that they already have. So, if you’ve carefully researched and chosen a plan and offered it to your employees, but only a few have decided to enroll, what could be the problem? Here are 4 common reasons why employees choose not to enroll in an employer-based healthcare plan, and what you can do about it.

1. Your Plan Doesn’t Match Your Employees

The first reason employees choose not to enroll in your healthcare plan is that they don’t like it.

The first reason employees may choose not to enroll in your healthcare plan may seem obvious: they just don’t like it. Even if you’ve done hours of research and you think you’ve found the perfect PPO plan with a low deductible, you may not be taking into account your employees’ ages, family size, and financial situation. If most of your workforce is young, healthy, and childless, then they might prefer a high deductible health plan. But, if you have a very diverse workforce, then they might all have different needs. In that case you might want to look into an la carte healthcare plan, like a cafeteria plan.

Since asking your employees about their healthcare is a pretty sticky subject, you may be unsure how to solve this particular problem. The answer is actually very simple and will only take a little bit of time: give your employees a healthcare survey. Ask them all the relevant questions to gauge what they are looking for in a healthcare plan, and be sure to keep it anonymous to encourage participation. Their answers will give you a much better idea of what they want and where you should be looking for a plan.

2. The Network Isn’t the Right Fit

Most healthcare plans have a set network of providers that the insured can see without incurring out-of-network charges. So, even if your employees are happy with the PPO plan you chose for them, they might be unhappy with the providers included in the plan’s network. Some employees may find that their trusted doctors are not included in the offered plan – and that could be a deal breaker for them.

The solution to this problem can be the same as above: ask about your employees’ provider and network preferences in a survey. Be as specific as possible, asking about what doctors, hospitals, facilities, and prescription drugs they would like covered.

3. The Total Costs Are Too High

Even if you’re contributing 50% of your employees’ premium costs, that cost can still take a big chunk out of their paychecks.

Premiums, deductibles, copays, coinsurance…there are a lot of costs to add up when it comes to a healthcare plan. Even if you’re contributing 50% of your employees’ premium costs, that cost can still take a big chunk out of their paychecks. And premiums aren’t the only thing they need to budget for: around 80% of covered workers have a deductible they need to meet before their healthcare costs are covered. The average deductible for covered workers in small businesses is over $2,000, which is a very significant sum for a working family.

One way to help offset these costs and encourage your employees to enroll in your plan is to consider putting money into a tax-advantaged account like a flexible spending account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA). Both you and your employees can make pre-tax contributions to these accounts, and your employees can use the funds in them to pay for qualified healthcare expenses. An FSA can be used with any kind of healthcare plan, but the contributions are “use it or lose it.” In contrast, an HSA must be combined with a qualified high deductible health plan but the contributions can roll over each year.

4. Your Employees Don’t Understand Their Options

There are some that believe that effectively explaining and communicating the importance of benefits to your employees is just as important as offering the right plan. As a business owner, you already know that people don’t buy what they don’t understand. Employees need to understand the benefits you’re offering them and how important they are to themselves and their families in order to want to spend their money on them.

A recent survey by Colonial Life found that one-third of employees spent less than 30 minutes looking at their benefits options, and another third spent less than an hour. And this doesn’t just affect them: the same survey found that the employees who sped through their benefits choices were 55% more likely to leave their jobs, 32% more likely to feel dissatisfied with their jobs, and 18% less likely to feel cared for by their employer.

The solution to this problem is simple: communication. As the employer, you need to find an effective communication strategy that works for your employees. In addition to the printed or digital material you offer, consider holding individual and/or group meetings to talk about benefits. And don’t assume that just because some of your workers are younger, they want everything to be done online. Another Colonial Life survey found that Gen Z and Millennial workers are actually slightly more likely to want human interaction when learning about or enrolling in benefits: 91% for Gen Z and 83% for Millennials, as compared to 76% of employees overall.

At EZ.Insure, we know that you’re working hard to find the best options for your employees, but sometimes you just need someone to point you in the right direction. That’s what we’re here for. When you come to us, you’ll get your own personal agent who will give you instant, accurate quotes, answer all of your questions, and never, ever hound you with endless calls. And we do it all for free. You’ve got your employees’ best interests at heart, and we’ve got yours at heart, so get started with us today. Simply call 888-998-2027, or enter your zip code above.

Offer Your Employees More Choices with a Cafeteria Plan

What comes to mind when you hear the term “cafeteria plan”? Lunch! Well, these plans have nothing to do with what’s on the menu. “Cafeteria plan” is the informal name for Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code, which allows employers to offer a la carte benefit options to employees. Employees can choose which of the offered benefits are right for them, and pay for them pre-tax.

What Are Cafeteria Plans?

a display of different foods in a buffet manner. — *Offer your employees more options of health insurance with a cafeteria plan.*

Just like walking through a cafeteria and choosing dishes, with a cafeteria plan, employees can decide which healthcare options they want. Examples include vision, dental, or HSAs/FSAs. It is important to note that cafeteria plans are not a type of health insurance. They are a way to let employees use pre-tax money to pay for the types of coverage they choose.

To qualify as a cafeteria plan, the plan must include:

At least one qualified pre-tax benefit – these can include things like HSAs and FSAs, which allow employees to put aside pre-tax money to pay for medical expenses throughout the year
At least one qualified taxable benefit – for example, an employer may allow employees who don’t want any of the offered benefits to choose a cash alternative as part of their salary. This is in contrast to traditional group plans, in which an employee isn’t compensated for opting out of coverage. This cash will, however, be taxed.

The Advantages of a Cafeteria Plan

Cafeteria plans are an attractive option for a diverse workforce that is used to having choices. For employees, not only do they get to choose only the benefits that are right for them, but they also get significant tax advantages. They can contribute pre-tax, thus saving money. Because they are taking pre-tax money out of their pay, their paychecks will be smaller, and they will end up paying less in taxes.

For employers, there are a few main advantages:

Employees with smaller paychecks mean paying less in payroll taxes.
Employers may be able to attract and keep staff with a personalized benefits plan.
Unused FSA funds remain with the employer.

The Disadvantages of Cafeteria Plan

For employees, there aren’t many big disadvantages to having a Section 125 cafeteria plan, but there are a few things for them to remember:

Employees are locked into the plan they choose for the entire year – with only a few exceptions,

One disadvantage of a cafeteria plan is that employees are locked in for a year.
employees must wait until the next enrollment season to make any changes

If employees choose a benefit like cash in place of coverage, they will incur a tax penalty.
Any funds put aside but not spent by the employee are forfeited – employees need to decide how much money to put aside at the beginning of the year, and they may not always get it right.

For employers, the main disadvantage of offering this type of plan to employees is the hassle. Because they are so individualized, they can take a lot of time and expense to manage.

Remember, whatever plan you’re considering offering to your employees, we can help sort through the mess. EZ.Insure is here to connect you to your own personal agent who can steer you in the right direction – for free! You will never be hounded by endless calls and you will always get the most accurate information. We promise everything will be quick, easy – and did we mention, free? To get started simply enter your zip code in the bar above, or you can speak to an agent by emailing replies@ez.insure or calling 888-998-2027.

Changes Are Coming For Medicare Under Trump’s Budget

Before President Trump was elected, one of his campaign promises to Americans was that he would not touch Medicare or Social Security. He has now proposed a budget plan for Medicare, which he claims will make it easier for seniors to opt out of Medicare. Under his plan, Americans would also be able to put more money into HSA accounts. Democratic lawmakers are worried that, if the proposal does go through, the Medicare changes and it’s funding levels will be drastically reduced.

Opting Out Of Medicare

older caucasian hands typing on a laptop keyboard with a silver bracelet on one wrist. — *Trump’s new Medicare budget would allow seniors to opt out of Medicare and add more money to their HSA account.*

Under the current system, as long as you are signed up for Social Security, you will be automatically signed up for Medicare Part A when you turn 65.

One of Trump’s proposals is to allow people to opt out of Medicare Part A (hospital insurance), without their decision interfering with their Social Security benefits.

HSA Changes

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are offered to people with high deductible health insurance plans. These accounts come with tax benefits. You can make tax-free contributions, as well as make tax-free qualified withdrawals from the account. Medicare beneficiaries cannot contribute to these accounts, even if they are just on Part A or have a high deductible plan.

However, Trump wants to give Medicare beneficiaries with high deductible health plans the ability to make tax-deductible contributions to HSAs or medical savings accounts (MSAs).

Other Medicare Changes

Further proposals by Trump would not structurally change the Medicare program, reduce the benefits, or limit eligibility for Medicare. Other changes in the proposal are similar to President Obama’s past budgets. They include:

Doctors would be paid the same price for services, regardless if they work for a hospital or private practice
Reduce payments in long-term care hospitals for patients discharged from a regular hospital.
Reduce prices for prescription drugs.
Republicans believe that allowing older adults to opt out of Medicare would help to fund the program.

Republicans believe that some reduction in the growth of the program and/or an increase in funding is necessary, and they believe that allowing older adults to opt out of Medicare would help to fund the program. The trust fund Medicare Part A hospital insurance is projected to be insolvent in 2026, meaning the trust fund would be empty and payroll taxes wouldn’t be enough to cover all of the necessary spending.

“A big boost in the economy could potentially extend the life of the trust fund a bit,” says Tricia Neuman, senior vice president and director of the Program on Medicare Policy at the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. “But even with a tailwind, policymakers will need to reduce Medicare spending, increase revenues or both to keep the trust fund solvent for an extended period of time. That said, there are a number of policies that could be considered to extend the life of the trust fund beyond those proposed in the Administration’s budget.”

Medicare beneficiaries could also benefit from some proposals. KFF’s Neuman says it is “conceivable” that provider payment changes to hospitals would reduce Medicare spending growth “which could potentially slow the growth in Medicare deductibles.”

Democrats argue that the Trump administration’s budget proposals would cut Medicare beneficiaries’ access to care. They also argue that the proposed HSA changes would only benefit higher income Medicare beneficiaries.