Benefits July 29, 2015

Lack of Education Biggest Barrier to HSA Adoption

More than half of respondents to a survey said it is up to employers to educate employees about HSAs, FSAs and HRAs.
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Nearly two-thirds (64%) of health care industry professionals rate consumers’ understanding of health savings accounts (HSAs), health reimbursement accounts (HRAs) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs) as mediocre, while 28% rate it as poor.

HSAs were rated as the most difficult to understand by 40% of respondents to the survey by Acclaris, a health plan service and technology provider.  This was followed by HRAs, at 27%.

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Nearly one-third (32%) of respondents identified understanding when an HSA can/should be used as the most critical gap in consumer knowledge. Understanding which expenses are reimbursable (20%) and knowing when to use health care accounts (18%) were also identified as top gaps.

Lack of education (63%) was cited as the biggest barrier to adoption of health savings and reimbursement accounts. More than half (53%) said employers are responsible for educating consumers about these benefits.

NEXT: How and what to communicate.

The majority of respondents agreed that consumers need information at all points in the benefits process (47%) and continuously throughout the year (21%). Only 7% said information could be limited to enrollment time.

When asked about the top challenges for consumer education and engagement, more than half of respondents called out consumers’ passive role (56%), lack of understanding about the long-term account benefit (52%) and that consumers struggle with the connection between health care and spending accounts (51%).

Email, online help and benefits portals were ranked as the most effective communication channels by survey respondents, while text, telephone and social media bottomed out the list. One-on-one conversations and frequently asked questions (FAQs) were rated as the most effective types of content, and podcasts and pop-up tips were the least liked types of content.

Acclaris conducted the online survey in June and July, with more than 300 health care professionals. The survey report is here.

Break from the Grind July 28, 2015

Work Is Taking Over Our Lives

Reported by

According to a CareerBuilder survey of more than 1,000 full-time workers in information technology, financial services, sales, and professional and business services, 63% believe “working nine to five” is an outdated concept, and a significant number have a hard time leaving the office mentally.

Half of these workers say they check or respond to work emails outside of work, and nearly two in five (38%) say they continue to work outside of office hours. Nearly one-quarter (24%) check work emails during activities with family and friends.

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Twenty percent of these workers say work is the last thing they think about before they go to bed, and more than twice as many (42%) say it’s the first thing they think about when they wake up. Nearly one in five (17%) say they have a tough time enjoying leisure activities because they are thinking about work.

Though staying connected to the office outside of required office hours may seem like a burden, most survey respondents (62%) perceive it as a choice rather than an obligation.

NEXT: Work intrudes on male and older workers’ lives the most.

The survey revealed male workers in these fields are more likely than female workers to work outside of office hours (44% versus 32%); check or respond to work emails outside of work (59% versus 42%); and check on work activities while they are out with friends and family (30% versus 18%). Female workers, however, are more likely than male workers to go to bed thinking about work (23% versus 16%).

When it comes to working outside of traditional office hours, 31% of 18- to 24-year-old workers in these fields will work outside of office hours, compared to 50% of 45- to 54-year-old workers and 38% of workers age 55 and older. Meanwhile, 52% of workers ages 18 to 24 check or respond to work emails outside of work, versus 46% of workers age 55 and older.

Seventy percent of workers age 55 and older in these fields say they stay connected to the office by choice, compared to 56% of workers ages 18 to 24 who say the same.

Younger workers in these fields are more likely than older workers to think about work before going to bed (31% of workers ages 18 to 24 versus 11% of workers age 55 and older), or wake up thinking about work (59% versus 31%).

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