4 Ways Benefit Leaders Can Reduce the Burden on HR During Open Enrollment

A “tsunami of requests” is how many HR leaders describe open enrollment (and for a good reason.)?

Open enrollment is the time of year when HR teams are overwhelmed with employee inquiries. Typically lasting two to four weeks, this annual process requires employees to select or adjust their benefits, often before the federal health insurance marketplace’s open enrollment period (from November 1, 2024, through January 15, 2025.) Employees can enroll in new benefits, change existing coverage, or drop benefits if they gain access to other coverage, like through a spouse’s job.?

Although it should be straightforward for employees to select the benefits that meet their needs, the process is often far more complex. The benefits landscape resembles a labyrinth, with employees unsure where to start or how to get the answers they need to make informed decisions. As a result, HR becomes the go-to source for answers, adding to their already heavy workload.

What HR leaders and employees need is an easy-to-use healthcare experience that provides real-time, trusted answers to benefits and healthcare questions.?

Imagine a world where people no longer have to search endlessly online, through benefits guides, or ask friends about healthcare needs. No more looking in the wrong place for their benefits information, clinical guidance, and care delivery. Instead, they can stop searching and simply “Just Ask.”

Why does the current system fail to meet these demands?

5 Reasons Why the Current Healthcare and Benefits System Is Broken

The healthcare and benefits system often feels like it’s neither people-centric nor employer-centric. The default source of guidance for employees' questions is mainly HR because of inherent system flaws:

1. Disjointed Vendor Management: HR leaders are tasked with managing multiple vendors, systems, and point solutions, which creates inefficiencies and complexity. Employees are left navigating a system that delivers information in pieces, and HR is supposed to solve the puzzle.
2. Confusing Benefits Language: Benefits documents are often complicated and lengthy - it’s like you need a PhD in benefits to understand them! Employees find it difficult to understand what benefits they have access to and how to use them.?
3. High Volume of Employee Queries: As a result, HR must deal with the constant need for clarification and a flood of repetitive questions during open enrollment and throughout the year.?
4. Lack of Data Integration: Data systems do not integrate, which limits HR’s ability to monitor results. As a consequence, benefit optimization and offerings are also impacted.
5. Excessive Administrative Work: The need to manually process information increases HR’s workload during open enrollment. Apart from slowing down things, it leaves little time for HR to focus on more strategic initiatives.

5 Issues Employees Face When Navigating Benefits

Employees want instant, reliable, trusted information to make decisions about their benefits, health, and care. Unfortunately, navigating benefits can be a complex and frustrating experience for employees. These are the most? common issues employees face when trying to access, understand, and utilize their benefits:

1. Lack of Clear Guidance: People frequently don’t know where to start when they have questions about healthcare and benefits. In moments of need, it’s hard to know how to start navigating healthcare, making it difficult to get the right care. Clear guidance is essential for timely, effective healthcare decisions. Often, they need immediate answers to simple questions like “How much is left to meet my deductible?” But without clear guidance, they struggle to find real-time answers.
2. Fragmented Care Options: Employees accessing benefits often need to navigate multiple apps or point solutions before they can get to where they need to be. Along the way, they must piece together information from many sources, which leads to confusion and delays in receiving necessary care.
3. Overwhelming Information: The complex and lengthy benefits descriptions -often filled with technical jargon- can be confusing to employees. Sometimes, people may even find conflicting information and inconsistent communication. This may lead to inaction, as people feel overwhelmed and unable to make informed decisions.
4. Difficulty in Coordinating Care: Employees often struggle to connect with the right healthcare provider or service. The lack of coordination in the system can delay necessary treatments, complicating healthcare issues.
5. Unclear Cost Transparency: Understanding the costs associated with their care, from prescription medications to specialist visits, can be a challenge for employees. This lack of clarity around pricing leaves employees uncertain about the financial impact of their healthcare decisions.

4 Ways To Reduce the Burden on HR During Open Enrollment

Benefits leaders want to feel confident that employees have the tools and support they need without overly burdening HR teams during open enrollment. The challenges outlined earlier show the urgent need for a revolutionary solution that simplifies the benefits navigation process.?

Transcarent WayFinding is next-generation navigation? - powered by generative AI and clinicians to put people back in control of their health and benefits. It helps simplify the employee health and benefits experience by providing instant, real-time answers to health and care questions right from the palm of the hand. Employees can be sure they’re getting the most up-to-date expert information in real time with compassionate clinicians always a tap away, reducing the burden on HR teams.?

With WayFinding, employees can "Just ask Transcarent" to get trusted, personalized health and benefits information, take the next step for their health, and access on-demand care. Here are four key ways this solution helps reduce the burden on HR during open enrollment:

1. Get Benefits Questions Answered Instantly at the Moment of Need: WayFinding provides employees with real-time, accurate answers to their health and benefits questions. Whether it’s understanding what benefits are available, which providers are in their network, or how much of their deductible remains, employees can instantly access this information without having to rely on HR for guidance.
2. Proactive Health Guidance to Understand the Next Steps: People can easily navigate the system without HR intervention. They can get personalized, trusted clinical recommendations based on their needs, understand their healthcare options, and be certain expert clinicians are always a tap away,?
3. Personalized Support: Each employee’s health and benefits needs are different. WayFinding knows employees’ individual benefits and plans. With personalized support, people can make informed decisions tailored to their specific circumstances. This reduces the number of follow-up questions directed to HR.
4. On-Demand High-Quality Virtual Care: WayFinding connects employees with on-demand virtual care, whether it’s a virtual consultation or finding the right specialist. By providing access to care when employees need it, the platform reduces the burden on HR and ensures employees receive timely, high-quality healthcare.

4 Benefits of Embracing an AI-Powered Healthcare Platform

Adopting a clinician and AI-powered healthcare platform that unifies health and care benefits provides a connected, trusted, and personalized employee experience. It empowers people by directly connecting them to the expert information they need from the palm of their hand, simplifying the process for HR leaders and employees. Employees can Just ask Transcarent instead of asking HR!

A healthcare and benefits platform responsibly powered by clinicians and generative AI creates a streamlined and engaging experience for everyone involved:

1. Reduced HR Workload: When employees can easily access real-time answers to their health and benefits questions, they are empowered to make decisions and get the care they need. They don’t need to rely on HR as the primary source of information. This reduction in employee queries allows HR teams to focus on more strategic tasks, minimizing the administrative burden during open enrollment.
2. Higher Employee Engagement: People get instant, personalized care recommendations backed by compassionate clinicians, empowering them to feel more confident navigating their healthcare benefits. Their positive experience translates into higher engagement, benefits utilization, and satisfaction.
3. Improved Health Outcomes: Employees who are guided to the right care at the right time are more likely to improve their overall health. Whether it’s preventive care or managing a chronic condition, people are empowered to stay proactive about their health.
4. Optimized Cost-Efficiency: With a streamlined platform, employers can reduce healthcare-related costs through better data insights and make more informed decisions.

Key Takeaways

1. The Burden on HR During Open Enrollment: HR leaders face a surge of employee queries due to the complexity of the current benefits and healthcare system.?
2. Challenges in Employee Benefits Navigation: Employees often struggle with understanding their benefits, leading to confusion and delays in care.?
3. The Need For a Unified Platform: Navigating healthcare shouldn’t feel like a maze or a guessing game. When employees have one place to go for all their health and care needs, it’s easier for them to get the answers, which reduces HR’s workload.?
4. Personalization Means Better Health and Cost Savings: A unified platform provides employees with a more personalized experience, which improves engagement and health outcomes, all while lowering costs for employers.
5. The Future of Healthcare with AI: The integration of responsible AI in healthcare is transforming the employee experience by streamlining access to care and benefits. Easy-to-use clinician and AI-powered experiences help people to make informed decisions and connect to on-demand care, ultimately improving their health and well-being.

Embrace the Next Generation of Benefits Navigation!

It's time to take a novel approach to address the complexity, confusion, and cost of healthcare—rather than continuing to add layers to an already broken system.?

Embrace the next generation of benefits navigation that empowers people by instantly connecting them to the trusted and personalized answers they need at the moment they need them. With WayFinding, employees can Just Ask Transcarent ? and know the next best step to take in their health and care journey. WayFinding is putting clinicians and generative AI to work to instantly connect people to personalized benefits navigation, clinical guidance, and care delivery, all from the palm of their hand.?

Learn how WayFinding can help you: https://bit.ly/3YeQIVr

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