Built for whoever fields the questions.
Benefits questions rarely arrive at a good time. Each guide gives you:
- The misunderstanding, in the words employees actually use
- Talking points in plain English you can repeat at a staff meeting
- A sample note to employees you can paste, edit and send
- The documents to have ready, such as the SBC, plan summary or carrier app
- The point where a question should come to us
Link a guide from your intranet or onboarding packet, or forward it when a question comes in. Your plan documents and carrier still decide how coverage works for a specific person.
Sample note to employees: "We've gathered short guides that explain deductibles, networks, claims and enrollment in plain English. Start with the one that matches your question, and check our plan documents for the details of our coverage. For anything about your own claim or bill, call the number on your ID card or talk to [name]."
Explaining what employees pay.
Deductibles, copays and coinsurance
Show how the plan and the employee split covered costs across a plan year.
Open the guide →HSA, FSA and HRA
Clear up which account someone has, who funds it, and which deadlines apply.
Open the guide →Benefits glossary
Definitions and talking points to use when plan materials get technical.
Open the guide →Explaining how to get care.
In network or out of network
Why "we take your insurance" doesn't answer the network question, and how to check first.
Open the guide →Preventive care
When a screening is covered without cost sharing, and why a visit about symptoms can bill differently.
Open the guide →Telehealth
How virtual visits work on the plan, and when an in-person visit is the better call.
Open the guide →Explaining the paperwork that follows care.
Reading an EOB
Walk employees through a sample Explanation of Benefits and why it isn't a bill.
Open the guide →A denied claim
Help someone find the denial reason, the appeal deadline and the right next step.
Open the guide →Midyear benefit changes
Which life events can open an enrollment window, and why the deadline matters.
Open the guide →Guides written for HR, not employees.
Open enrollment communication plan
A message timeline that works back from the close date and gives each note one job.
Open the guide →Benefits emails people act on
Put the action and deadline at the top, and offer a private way to ask questions.
Open the guide →New-hire benefits onboarding
Keep the hire date, election deadline and coverage start date separate in every welcome packet.
Open the guide →When a benefits question lands on your desk.
Match it to a guide
Most questions fit one of the topics above. Send the link with a line of your own.
Pull the plan's own documents
The Summary of Benefits and Coverage, the plan summary and the carrier's app or member site answer what a general guide can't.
Keep personal details private
Point the employee to the carrier for their own claim or bill, and avoid collecting medical details by email.
Bring it to us
If the carrier's answer doesn't match the plan documents, a claim stalls, or an eligibility question has a deadline attached, client teams can hand it to us.
How employers use the library.
Can we link these guides from our handbook or intranet?
Yes. Link the guide that matches the topic and pair it with your own plan documents, which decide how coverage works for your group.
Which guides should go out before open enrollment?
Start with deductibles, copays and coinsurance, then the accounts guide if you offer an HSA or FSA. For your own planning, work from the open enrollment checklist.
Can you teach these topics to our team directly?
Yes. Our employee education covers group, one-on-one and live virtual sessions, including shift workers and new hires, at no extra fee for client teams. We meet in person around Puget Sound and by phone or video statewide.
Do the guides replace our plan documents?
No. They explain common situations in general terms. Your SBC, plan documents and carrier confirm the rules for a particular employee.
Tell us what your team keeps asking.
Share the questions you hear most and when enrollment opens. We'll suggest which guides to send and when a live session would help.