The delay of the ACA’s employer mandate threw employers a curve ball, and employees nationwide have also expressed confusion about upcoming changes to their health plans. Plan sponsors can help clear up the confusion this summer with these 10 tips for communicating the Affordable Care Act.
1. Leverage best practices
Apply solid change management principles and use those communication approaches that work in your organization.
2. Apply a filter
Focus your messages on actionable information about available coverage, choices and the impact of those choices on personal finances.
3. Avoid ‘wonkiness’
Keep politics out of your messages as much as possible — stick to the facts.
4. Keep it simple
Write to an eighth-grade reading level to make it as easy as possible for everyone to understand health care reform.
5. Tailor as needed
The ACA may impact different employee groups in different ways. Think through the messages that affect all employees and those messages that affect only specific audiences.
6. Integrate with annual enrollment
Integrate messages, media channels and overall approach with your annual enrollment communication.
7. Use a range of media
Convey your messages through an array of media channels to increase your chances of getting the messages across.
8. Focus on compliance
Materials impacted by the 2014 ACA provisions include summary plan descriptions and summary material modifications documents, as well as the required exchange notices.
9. Develop a plan
Create an action plan that ensures you are focused on what is most important — covering all of the relevant provisions and audiences.
10. Capitalize on the opportunity
Use the widespread health focus to put tangible health and wellness opportunities in front of employees and their families.
Source: Employee Benefit News
