“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Aflac. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.” www.momcentralconsulting.com
We all know Aflac from the popular and funny duck commercials. But do we really ever pay attention to what he is promoting in the commercials? I for one, do not show much regard. Recently, I have been searching for insurance and wish I would have paid more attention to Mr. Duck instead of his humor! Like me, a lot of people are unaware of what kind of coverage they have. Thanks to Aflac, they did their research, gathered information with surveys and are actively showing the statistics and answers from all the facts they collected.
I do not want to have to worry about the unknown. If something devastating were to happen, I want my family safe, protected and not worry about what to do! By researching and giving kudos to Aflac, I now have a new sense of security, trust and loyalty in the direction I am going to take with finding insurance.
The facts and data below are very informative, which will help make the right decision on open enrollment for you and your family.
7 out of 10 Employers Have Yet to Communicate Employee Benefits Changes
The Aflac survey found that 69% of workers say their employer hasn’t communicated changes coming to their benefits package due to health care reform despite the October 1 deadline for employers to notify their employees of their coverage options.
In fact, only 9 percent of companies indicate they are very prepared to implement required changes to their business based on the health care reform law at this time.
For example, the 2013 Open Enrollment Survey found that:
• 74 percent of workers sometimes or never understand everything that is covered by their insurance policy today.
• Now, nearly 4-in-10 (37 percent) workers think it will be more difficult to understand everything in their health care
policy with the changes dictated by health care reform.
• Nearly a third (28 percent) of employees is confused, worried or simply unsure about the change their employer is
making to their health care coverage or benefits options due to health care reform.
• 60 percent of workers have not begun to educate themselves about coming changes to their benefits package due to health care reform.
The good news is there is an opportunity for employers who take a proactive role in helping employees effectively maneuver this new benefits landscape to make significant gains in workers satisfaction!
In addition to encouraging employees to do their own homework, employers should take advantage of available resources to help employees navigate this topic including on-site visits from an insurance agent or broker. This will help get you to decide on the best decision for you family.
There are also online resources that can be helpful to employers. Open Enrollment Resources: http://bit.ly/1bePWaa includes regular updates and tools to help get employers through the implementation of the ACA. Visitors to the site will find a Health Care Reform Communications Toolkit, the Employer’s Guide, HCR Essentials and Consumer-Driven Health Care Insights.
Making sure to avoid mistakes by educating yourself about what your insurance plan covers and review policy changes every year.
Here are some of Aflac’s top tips I found useful and to be aware of:
–Prepare ahead of time:
Be aware of annual insurance policy changes and compare your new benefits package to your policy from the year before. Do your homework to ensure you choose the right policy that fits your needs and make sure that all of the health insurance costs you’re responsible for are within your budget. Also, review the deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs for health care services and pharmacy purchases you’ll be responsible for paying to ensure your plan offers the coverage you need.
–Don’t make assumptions:
Keep in mind that if your company hasn’t made any material changes to its health insurance
plan since health care reform legislation was passed in 2010, it may be exempt for now from offering widely discussed
essential health benefits, including free preventive services. Ask your HR manager if your policy options changed to
include new benefits made available by health care reform.
–Check your spouse’s benefits package:
Your employer doesn’t have to offer insurance to your spouse and as costs
increase, more companies are cutting this option. Even if your employer does offer your spouse insurance, the
company is not obligated to pay anything toward the premium. If your spouse has access to employer-sponsored
health insurance through his or her job, it may make the most financial sense to purchase two individual policies as
opposed to one family policy.
–Don’t double up:
Health care reform legislation requires plans in the individual and small group markets to offer
essential health benefits like pediatric vision and dental and, chronic disease management services. Check all
aspects of your major medical plan so you know what is covered and what isn’t.
–Examine premium costs carefully:
Cheaper isn’t always better, since plans with the lowest monthly premiums likely
mean you’ll pay more in co-insurance and receive less coverage.
Knowledge is key to learning all you can about open enrollment! Click the link below to find out more!
Open Enrollment Resources: http://bit.ly/1bePWaa #MC #Aflac
How do you handle insurance for your family???
“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Aflac. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.” www.momcentralconsulting.com
