By Jason Coon
January Effective Plans – Get Ready!
It’s that time of year again for many of our members—Open Enrollment Season! As the crispness of fall settles in and pumpkin spice flavors return to our favorite menus, we find ourselves at the cusp of an important season. With checkboxes being ticked and preparations underway, we’re ready to launch our benefit lineup for the all-important GO LIVE DATE!
Renewals are complete, changes and additions have been selected, OE meetings are scheduled, and communications are crafted. The cyclical world of benefits can feel both exhilarating and daunting as we race to finalize eligibility files and ensure ID cards reach our members in time, all while maintaining momentum toward our goal.
Are We Catholic Ready?
In the hustle and bustle of this season, it’s easy to overlook a crucial element of our Open Enrollment experience: our identity as Catholic organizations.
Open Enrollment is not just about paperwork; it’s a time for education and engagement. Employees need to understand their benefits for the upcoming year, making it a perfect opportunity to connect with them on a deeper level—one that reflects our Catholic values and mission.
A Unique Catholic Twist on Open Enrollment
The Catholic Benefits Association (CBA) serves as a vital resource for Catholic employers, often stepping in to provide leadership support in various benefit scenarios. Recently, we’ve received inquiries on sensitive topics such as infertility, contraception, and same-sex couple coverage.
Consider some of the challenging questions recently presented:
- Employee: “I don’t understand why we don’t cover contraception. Most companies do.”
- Employee: “I had no idea that infertility treatments were against Catholic teaching.”
- Employee: “I’d like to add my same sex partner to the health plan. How do I do that?”
These questions present an invaluable opportunity for pastoral responses and dialogue. Being proactive in our communication and ready to address these concerns is essential.
When you think about your Open Enrollment period, remember that one of your primary focuses should be communication and education. The more time you invest in informing your employees about changes and educating them on what lies ahead, the fewer questions and concerns you’ll face down the line.
A Catholic Open Enrollment Experience
So, how can you integrate this Catholic perspective into your Open Enrollment process? It begins with a thorough understanding of your health plan.
- What’s covered and what isn’t?
- Where can you highlight pro-life aspects in your benefits?
- Are you collaborating with Catholic health systems or medical professionals?
- Are you promoting Catholic telehealth, behavioral health, or wellness programs?
If you’re unsure where to start or how to identify these areas in your plan, the CBA is here to assist you.
Ways to Enhance Your OE Experience
If you’re looking for actionable strategies to enhance your Open Enrollment experience from a Catholic perspective, here are 5 thoughts to get you started:
- CBA can provide a medical plan review and benefit roadmap as a starting point.
- Focus on the pro-life benefits of your plan such as education of Natural Family Planning, maternity benefits, and discovery of NaProTechnology treatment.
- Engage your local Diocesan resources/departments and local Catholic medical professionals who can discuss what Catholic health care is, how it is different, and how to access care.
- Be sure your approach is focused on Whole Person Health – addressing not only the physical, but also the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of the human person.
- Give special attention to new and recent hires. This is the perfect time to help them to see the connection of your health benefits to the organizational identity, culture, and mission ensuring they see the alignment. Help them to see how their health is important to serving the mission.
CBA is eager to help enhance the OE experience for your employees. Reach out for an OE Strategy Discussion today.
Looking Ahead
In the coming year, CBA is dedicated to developing resources that will provide practical education steps for leadership on how to respond to and re-engage employees in your shared mission.
Specifically in healthcare, I will be working to establish a Catholic Marketplace—a space where you can access pre-vetted, Catholic-aligned partnerships that support living the Catholic faith. This marketplace will also include materials tailored for Open Enrollment, ensuring you have the tools necessary to share this vital information with your employees proactively.
Let’s make this Open Enrollment not just a logistical process, but a transformative experience that resonates with our faith and commitment to service. Together, we can ensure our benefits reflect the values we hold dear.