Study: Workers struggle with health benefit terms

WASHINGTON – Many U.S. workers don’t understand how their health coverage works and admit they struggle with even the most basic health care vocabulary, according to a survey released today by human resources consulting firm Watson Wyatt.
The survey of nearly 2,100 covered workers found that 43 percent find it a substantial challenge to understand what their health plan covers. Less than half are comfortable explaining such common terms as co-pay or deductible, while fewer than one in four feel comfortable describing health savings accounts, co-insurance, formulary or center of excellence.
“It’s hard for employers to ask employees to take more responsibility for their health care when they are not speaking the same language,” said Kathryn Yates, global director of communication consulting at Watson Wyatt. “Helping employees improve their health care literacy and learn the terminology can make or break a company’s health care efforts overall.”
When asked to rate several methods of delivering health benefit information, about 70 percent said they prefer print materials mailed to their home or provided at work. Sixty-four percent said they prefer to receive information over the Internet and 46 percent favor face-to-face meetings.
Watson Wyatt noted that “interestingly,” only 52 percent of respondents said they read all the materials provided by their employer during the annual health care enrollment process. Three percent read none of the materials, and the remainder read only what is needed to enroll or only information about changes to the plans.
“It’s essential to communicate with employees in ways that meet their needs and preferences,” Yates said. “By using a mix of channels and formats, employers can effectively increase understanding and empower employees to become smarter health care consumers.”
More information on the Employee Perspectives on Health Care study can be found at www.watsonwyatt.com.