Health care is rarely straightforward for the average consumer. Many individuals need help making sense of their options, both during open enrollment and when receiving health services.

In a recent study by Quantum Health, 8 out of 10 people said they faced challenges when receiving care. The study also pointed out these challenges were worsened by the complexity of benefits. In other words, confusion toward health benefits can take a toll on employees in the workplace. Keep reading for an outline of key results from the study and employer takeaways related to these findings.

Key Findings

According to the study, many consumers have reported facing hurdles in the past two years when receiving care. These challenges include issues understanding coverage levels, locating providers, and navigating the insurance claims process. Issues like these were compounded for individuals with chronic conditions—90% of whom said they faced additional challenges, such as making sense of diagnoses or test results.

Other main findings from the study include the following:

• Just 35% of respondents said it’s easy to navigate the health care system.
• Fewer than half (45%) of respondents said it’s easy to use their health benefits.
• The majority (60%) of all respondents said they spent work time dealing with health care challenges, averaging 30 minutes per issue.
• Of those who experienced health care challenges, 57% said they suffered negative impacts from challenges, including:
  • Declined mental well-being (19%)
  • Declined physical well-being (17%)

These findings point to a critical need for greater health care literacy and “benefits 101” education.

Employer Takeaways

As an employer, you spend a lot of time tailoring your health benefits to ensure they meet the needs of your employees. But, if only half of your employees can effectively use the benefits—let alone understand them—then it might be time to refocus your efforts.

One of the best ways to help reduce employee confusion and maximize benefits value is through education. This entails promoting health literacy using multichannel resources, such as the following:

• One-on-one meetings with HR
• Comprehensive benefits guides
• Digestible videos
• Informative posters
• Group presentations

Looking for ways to improve your benefit plan communications? Click here for helpful tips and ideas.

As the study illuminated, it’s not enough to simply provide world-class benefits; you must also ensure your employees can tap into that value by properly educating your workforces. Doing any less can lead to declined employee well-being, productivity, and morale.