Employees can access important information as they make 2012 health plan enrollment decisions
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- OptumTM is offering benefits managers at companies of all sizes free online resources designed to help educate their employees about consumer-directed health plans and tax-advantaged health care accounts.
The resources, available at OpenEnrollment123.com, provide benefit managers free tools that can be incorporated into their existing open enrollment and health plan education programs to help employees determine if a consumer-directed health plan and a tax-advantaged health care account is the right option for their health care needs. These tools can be used in employee meetings, on company websites, in mailings to employees or posted in the workplace.
An increasing number of employers are offering consumer-directed health plans with a tax-advantaged health care account. The number of people covered by health savings account/high-deductible health plans (HSA/HDHPs) totaled 11.4 million in January 2011, an increase of 14 percent since 2010, according to a survey of U.S. health insurance carriers conducted by America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).
“Using a tax-advantaged health account is new for many people. We want to help them understand how consumer-directed health plans work so they can make smart choices at enrollment time and thereafter,” said Heidi Sirota, vice president of marketing for OptumHealth Financial ServicesSM. “OpenEnrollment123.com gives employers a set of easy-to-use tools to share with their employees so they can decide on the best plan for their situations.”
Key resources on OpenEnrollment123.com include:
- “Two-Minute Answers” videos that introduce the basics of HSAs;
- brief, interactive presentations employees can rewind, pause, and skip ahead to learn about tax-advantaged health accounts;
- live and prerecorded webinars with experts in health accounts;
- brochures and flyers to share in person or online with employees; and
- simple math examples that illustrate the tax savings of a flexible spending account (FSA) and HSA.
OptumHealth’s financial services business manages more than 2.3 million consumer-directed health care accounts and more than $1.3 billion in HSAs and related investment assets at its OptumHealth BankSM, Member FDIC. The financial services business also reduces waste and inefficiency in health care by electronically transmitting about $4 billion in payments every month from health plans to nearly 700,000 doctors, hospitals and other health care providers.
About Optum
Optum is an information and technology-enabled health services company serving the broad health care marketplace, including care providers, plan sponsors, life sciences companies and consumers. Its business units – OptumInsightTM, OptumHealth® and OptumRxTM – employ more than 30,000 people worldwide. Visit www.optum.com or www.optumhealth.com for more information.
CONTACT:
OptumHealth
Brad Lotterman, 714-445-0453
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: United States North America Minnesota
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Practice Management Health Hospitals Professional Services Human Resources Insurance
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