Enrollment Tips for Benefits Meetings

Fall is a popular time to hold benefits enrollment meetings where your employees can receive information and ask questions about the Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. Enrollment meetings are also a can’t-miss opportunity to communicate the value of your benefits package.

A variety of tools and techniques can make enrollment meetings more productive and help your employees choose the plan best for them and their families.

Advance Planning
To avoid errors, begin planning for open enrollment several months in advance. Work with your Wellmark representative or agent to ensure you have the correct application forms and documents, and establish the enrollment process.

Early Communication
Prior to enrollment meetings, communicate plan specifics by distributing packets with benefits election forms and health plan brochures. Give your employees time to consider benefit options and premium costs, so they will be better prepared to make informed decisions. Another helpful pre-enrollment tool is Wellmark’s Benefits Enrollment Guide, which provides a detailed overview of covered services and member costs for your specific benefit offerings.

Comparison Shopping
Develop a comparison chart to show changes in your benefits program and to help participants choose between plans. This gives employees an opportunity to view alternative health care plans at a glance.

Tech Savvy
Consider making enrollment forms and benefits information available online. E-mail employees reminders to complete enrollment by the deadline date. Encourage employees to refer to the provider directory on www.wellmark.com to verify their providers’ contract with Wellmark.

Market the Meetings
Use all of your organization’s communication channels and promote enrollment meetings with fliers, newsletters, and Intranet articles. Position these meetings to employees as their opportunity to “enroll in a healthy future.”

Invite Questions
Prepare answers to frequently asked questions, such as when they can make benefit changes, or what qualifies as a benefit event. Encourage employees to come to the meetings with their specific questions.

Reference Enrollment Guide for 2008 Renewal

The guide provides information about many aspects of the group enrollment process such as:

• Required paperwork, including documents needed to request a quote
• Rating methodology
• Product overviews
• Group and member eligibility requirements
• Membership enrollment
• Sample forms

Blue Priority^SM Flex Members Have New Deadline

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Healthy Halloween Alternatives

Children are not the only ones who get in on the fun. Ninety percent of adults admit to sneaking a few goodies from their children’s trick-or-treat bags or from candy dishes in the office, with miniature chocolate bars, caramels, and gum as their favorite treats to sneak.

Although the majority of candy is consumed on Halloween or the days around it, it’s important to watch your sugar intake and snack on sweet treats in moderation. Here are some tasty, healthier options, to hand out for trick-or-treaters or Halloween office parties:

• Chocolate-covered raisins or almonds (Almond M&M’s also work)
• Small dark-chocolate bars
• Naturally sweetened gummi bears and licorice (sweetened with fruit juice or cane sugar, not corn syrup)
• Fruit roll-ups
• Granola bars

Iowa & South Dakota Share 20th Place in Obesity Rates

Mississippi this year became the first state to have more than 30 percent of its residents classified as obese; 47 states are above 20 percent. South Dakota and Iowa shared 20th place in the ranking with 24.9 percent of the states’ populations classified as obese. When adding in being overweight, 62.9 percent of South Dakotans are overweight or obese and 62.1 percent of Iowans fall into this category.

Fifteen years ago, no state was above 15 percent, according to TFAH officials, who prepared the report using federal statistics obtained through telephone interviews.

The report stressed everyone needs to take interest in addressing the obesity crisis to help improve the economic vitality of the country. The negative health consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle are leading to a less productive U.S. workforce and exponentially driving up health care costs. In the report, insurance companies are encouraged to work with employers on developing affordable worksite wellness programming.