Knowing someone in "the business" is always helpful regardless of what business that is. When your car breaks down, having a cousin who is an auto mechanic can be very helpful. Even if he doesn't actually work on your car, you can ask him questions at the Thanksgiving table about your carburetor and he is likely to at least point you in the right direction.
I have several friends who are doctors who share stories about how their friends and family come to them for medical advice. It doesn't matter that cousin Larry is a dentist. They still ask him questions about their bunions at the family reunion.
As a Benefits professional, I experience the same phenomenon. Two or three times a year, I receive a flurry of emails and phone calls from friends and relatives asking me to help them choose their medical plan or wondering whether it is worth it to carry Life Insurance.These are the typical questions that Benefits professionals receive from employees during the annual Open Enrollment period.
At first I thought that they were asking for my help because I was family and not likely to give them incorrect information. But after a while I realized that it is because I have learned how to translate "Benefit-ese" into simple, plain English. Those giant packets that get mailed to your home once a year from your Human Resources Department are intended to give you all the information you need to make good choices for your family. The truth is, (and it hurts me to say this) few employees actually read these packets at all.
They don't realize that their HR/Benefits Department puts months and months of hard work into choosing the Benefit plans to offer each year. Balancing cost with coverage and always faced with giant cost increases that far outweigh any raises received each year. They don't realize that their benefits Team is there to serve the employee and provide assistance when needed. They never take advantage of the health care experience the Benefits Team can offer. In fact,many people don't get their health care through their employer at all so they don't have the option of calling their Benefits or HR Department to ask a question.
I wanted to help people navigate the treacherous waters of choosing the right coverage for their family. A simple mistake during Open Enrollment could cost you thousands of dollars. I wanted to offer you the opportunity to take advantage of a personal Benefits Guide who help you choose the best path, spend the least amount of money and get the greatest use out of your health care coverage.
You may not have had a friend in the "Benefits" business who can explain it all in easy to understand terms... until now!
No comments:
Post a Comment