With last year’s open enrollment season fading into memory, itwould seem like a good time to move on to other business. But thatwould be a mistake. The reality is that your clients need you morethan ever — particularly if they introduced a high-deductiblehealth plan with health savings accounts to their work force. Educatingemployees about HSAs isn’t over when open enrollment seasonends.

It’s a good idea after the plan year has started to assist yourclients by providing follow-up information or even hostingquestion-and-answer sessions to help employees become comfortablewith planning, saving and paying for qualified medical expenseswith their HSAs. By communicating steadily, employers can achievehigher employee satisfaction. And, by helping employers do that,you’ll demonstrate your value as a trusted advisor and resourcefulconsultant.

Timing is critical
Even with a successful open enrollment, participants can forget or misplace accountdetails by the time their new coverage begins. They also might needa refresher on how the account works. Early in the plan year is thetime for a second wave of communications to make sure employeeshave opened their new accounts and are using them to pay fordoctor’s office visits, prescriptions or medical tests.

Employers tell us that sometimes HSA owners begin tosecond-guess their choice in the three to six months after they’veopened accounts. This could be because they might have incurredmedical expenses before building their HSA balances. Some, nodoubt, get frustrated because it’s a new routine and a new way ofpaying for health care. That’s when brokers should be ready to act.Using tools and information provided by HSA custodians and addingtheir own special touch, they can provide well-timed education tohelp employees become comfortable with their new plans andaccounts.

Ongoing communication
To build and sustain employee satisfaction with their benefits,help your clients implement a year-round approach to benefitscommunications, tailored to different employee groups’ experienceand needs. Some brokers will host lunch sessions for employees inthe first months of their HSA eligibility. Not only do they takequestions, but sometimes the conversation turns into a helpfulgive-and-take with employees offering each other tips on howthey’ve used the accounts successfully.

Tie certain communications to calendar
For example, March and April would be an obvious period toreinforce the tax advantages of HSAs. The HSA custodian might havea ready-to-go newsletter or e-mail that can be sent to your clientson the latest rules regarding tax deductible contributions. If not,check the IRS’s website for important information — such ascontributions for 2010 can be made as late as April 18 — that canserve as useful reminders for human resources representatives.

Be sure to also send your clients news articles that discussconsumer directed health care and how employees can take advantageof their health accounts. Ask HSA custodians about ready-to-usecommunications such as interactive tutorials, brochures and othereducational materials that you can share with clients. And checkorganizations like the Employee Benefit Research Institute andAmerica’s Health Insurance Plans, which periodically issue reportsand studies about the benefits of HSAs and rising adoptionrates.

Go the extra mile
Old-fashioned customer service also remains an effective way tobolster employee engagement in their HSA plans and help cementclient relationships. Many brokers, for instance, meet with theirclients during the first month or two of the plan year, and thenhold quarterly meetings thereafter. Some brokers check in even morefrequently, sending e-mails directly to employees to see if theyhave any questions or posting answers on their websites tofrequently asked HSA questions. Another tactic is to host anafter-hours web seminar for employees and their spouses or otherfamily members who want to learn about their health care benefits.Some advisors really extend themselves to their clients.

One, for example, found herself facing disgruntled employees whowere ineligible for the new HSA offered at work because they wereenrolled already in their spouses’ flexible spending accounts. So,the advisor set up a schedule to track the expiration date of thoseFSA plans. One month before the FSA plans expired, she reminded theemployees not to re-enroll in them so they could open HSAs instead.It’s not surprising that employees may be initially confused abouthow HSAs can help them manage their health care spending.

Many have spent years making co-payments at the doctor’s officeor pharmacy without being aware of their total medical costs. Inmany cases, human resource managers also are learning abouthigh-deductible health plans and HSAs right along with theemployees they serve. That’s why it’s important for brokers topersuade employers to embrace a strategy of ongoing education. Donecorrectly, employers can achieve a dramatic increase in HSAeffectiveness and employee satisfaction.