Annual benefits open enrollment period for AvMed Health Plans begins

It's that time of year again. The annual benefits open enrollment period for the majority of AvMed Health Plans' large group clients, (50 or more eligible employees), began September 1 and will continue through mid-December 2009.

For this year's enrollment season, AvMed has partnered with the American Heart Association to produce a healthy cookbook. With the theme of "What's Cooking at AvMed," Client Services staff began visiting employers in early September. Before it's all said and done, they would have visited more than 400 fairs throughout the state.

Open enrollment fairs allow employees to learn about the plans available to them. "It is very important for employers to let employees know their options so they can make informed choices," said Frank Jantzen, AvMed's Vice President of Client Service. "We find it is important to engage employees so we have an interactive approach each year. Employers benefit from employees who are educated well in advance, have the opportunity to understand the changes, see reasons for changes, and know the new benefits," added Jantzen.

In addition to specifics about the available plan options, other important information covered at the open enrollment fairs includes:

• Knowing when to go to an Urgent Care Center vs. ER and how an urgent care center can save them time, money and stress.
• Explaining the advantage of generic medications and which prescription medications are pre-authorized and which ones will be questioned.
• Providing a benefit calculator so employees can see how much their out-of-pocket costs would be for different medical procedures.

"AvMed is committed to providing our employers with the tools they need to help their employees become educated, cost-conscious health care consumers. If employees know in advance, there will be fewer questions for the benefits person after enrollment," said Jantzen.