Introduction
In today’s complex business environment, implementing new employee benefits can often be a daunting task for HR professionals and their departments. Flex Health, however, has streamlined its onboarding process to ensure a smooth, efficient integration that minimizes the burden on HR professionals while maximizing the recurring benefits for both employers and employees.
Onboarding Process Overview
Flex Health’s onboarding process is designed with simplicity and effectiveness in mind. It involves just a few key steps spread across 70-120 days:
- Contract Execution: The process begins with the signing of essential documents, including the Master Service Agreement, ACH Authorization Form, and Policy Implementation Form. These documents establish the legal framework for the partnership and ensure all parties are aligned on expectations and responsibilities.
- Anonymous Payroll Census: This crucial step involves running an anonymous demographic census to identify pre-qualified employees. The data gathered here allows Flex Health to create a tailored proposal that outlines the estimated savings for the company, providing a clear picture of the program’s potential impact.
- Payroll Integration: Flex Health works closely with your company’s payroll team to create the necessary deduction codes for premiums and claim payments. These codes are then approved by the Third-Party Administrator (TPA) along with the census report, ensuring seamless integration with existing payroll systems.
- Dry Payroll Run: Before full implementation, a dry run is conducted. This step is vital as it verifies that:
- Deduction codes are set up correctly
- The client can access the ShareFile and pull necessary reports from their software
- Eligible employees see an increase in their pay and a corresponding decrease in taxable wages
- Implementation Period: This four-week phase is crucial for employee education and engagement. During this time, employees receive comprehensive marketing materials that explain:
- How to utilize the program effective
- Legal and tax guidance
- The opt-out process
At the conclusion of this period, the first live payroll run is processed, and employees are officially activated and onboarded into the program.
It’s worth noting that Flex Health is compensated through an administrative fee invoiced only after the first successful payroll run is processed, for employees who are enrolled and reducing the company’s FICA obligations.
Employee Enrollment and Education
Flex Health is an auto enrollment program, designed to be as inclusive and flexible as possible. Flex Health can enroll and onboard employees any time of the year, regardless of when a company’s once-a-year open enrollment period occurs.
Auto-Enrollment: Unlike traditional benefits that often require annual open enrollment periods, Flex Health’s program automatically enrolls qualifying employees if they become eligible. This ensures that new hires can benefit from the program as soon as possible.
Comprehensive Education: Over a four-week period, employees receive detailed marketing materials covering the program’s benefits, legal considerations, tax implications, and opt-out procedures. This thorough approach ensures that employees are well-informed about their new benefits and removes the hands-on requirements from the company’s HR professionals.
Opt-Out Flexibility: While the program only enrolls employee benefiting financially, Flex Health is a voluntary program and recognizes that individual circumstances vary. Employees can opt-out during the initial implementation period, prior to activation, or any time after simply by calling the multi-lingual 1-800 enrollment line. An HR professional can call this number with the employee present.
Dynamic Eligibility: Flex Health’s system continuously monitors employee eligibility. If an employee’s financial situation changes and they no longer meet the income threshold or would see a decrease in net take-home pay prior to a payroll period, they are automatically unenrolled. Conversely, if their situation improves, they can be re-enrolled and onboarded, always ensuring that participation benefits the employee financially.
Utilizing the Program
Once enrolled, employees can easily access and utilize their benefits from one place.
Personal Health Dashboard™: Employees are guided through the process of downloading and using the Personal Health Dashboard™ app (available for Apple and Google devices). This user-friendly platform serves as a one-stop-shop for accessing all preventative benefits, scheduling assessments, and booking appointments. Most importantly, all of these services come with a $0 co-pay, removing financial barriers to preventative care.
Hospital Indemnity Claims: In the event of hospitalization, ambulance, or emergency room visit, the claim process is straightforward. Employees simply submit a form to the carrier and receive their hospital indemnity payment as a check once the claim is approved.
Opt-Out Process
Flex Health is an auto enroll, opt out any time program designed to protect and liberat employee’s interests.
To Opt-Out: Employees can choose to leave the program at any time by calling a dedicated multi-lingual 1-800 number or by contacting their HR professional to initiate the process.
Financial Safeguard: For employees who have been enrolled 30 days or more, Flex Health sends a financial hardship letter to the employee. The employee is encourage sign this letter and hold onto it as a receipt.
Continued Benefits: To ensure a smooth transition, employees who opt out retain access to their benefits for 6 weeks after leaving the program.
No Negative Impact: Importantly, opting out does not negatively impact an employee’s financial situation, preserving the voluntary nature of the program.
The Bottom Line
What sets Flex Health apart in the onboarding process is its commitment to simplicity and effectiveness. By handling the bulk of the implementation work, from payroll system integration to employee education, Flex Health minimizes the burden on HR professionals. This allows companies to offer a valuable new benefit to their employees without significantly increasing their administrative workload and without the need for a lengthly onboarding process.
Moreover, the program’s design ensures that it only benefits those employees who will see a positive increase in their take-home pay, automatically adjusting for changes in employee circumstances. This dynamic approach, combined with comprehensive education and easy opt-out procedures, creates a program that truly serves the interests of both employers and employees.
In an era where attracting and retaining top talent is crucial, and where employee wellness is increasingly recognized as a key factor in productivity and job satisfaction, Flex Health’s seamless onboarding process offers companies a powerful tool. It allows them to enhance their benefits package, promote employee health, and realize tax savings, all while minimizing administrative overhead.
