Page 3 - 2015 OE Sample Guidebook
P. 3
WELCOME LETTER
To All [Client] Employees,
We would like to bring to your attention a very important subject this fall. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), often referred
to as Health Care Reform or Obamacare, will have a signiicant impact on our country in 2014 and beyond. As a company,
we have invested substantial time in learning and understanding the changes and their impact on [Client] and you and your
family. The ACA requires all Americans to have health insurance in 2014 and provides for a network of public insurance
exchanges where people can purchase health insurance.
As a [Client] team member, you may be asking—should I purchase insurance through [Client], or am I eligible for a subsidy
in these exchanges or other government programs? In a recent communication we conirmed [Client]’s health coverage
exceeds the health reform law’s “essential coverage” and “affordability” standards. Because our beneit exceeds the federal
requirements, the ACA rules leave you ineligible to receive a government subsidy to help you purchase health insurance for
yourself in a public exchange marketplace.
Overall, medical costs continue to go up at a rate far above general inlation levels. Many projections indicate healthcare
costs will increase at perhaps 5% to 10% every year. The ACA has already increased [Client]’s costs by a signiicant amount.
These cost increases require that all of us place even greater focus on containing these cost increases in ways such as
healthful living and being an enlightened consumer of medical services. Without embracing these changes, each of us can
expect our medical costs to increase rapidly every year.
In an effort to contain these increases, we are providing new medical plans called the Health Reimbursement Account
(HRA) Plan and the Health Savings Account (HSA) Plan. Health Savings Account (HSA) Plans have recently become much
more the norm and by adopting them each of us are empowered and involved in the decisions that impact our healthcare.
These plans include a personal bank account to set aside funds for future medical expenses.
Both medical plans offered by [Client] require all of us to be more attentive to how we spend the healthcare dollars in our
accounts. The plans recognize and reward the healthy decisions we make for ourselves and our families. You can earn dollars
towards your healthcare expenses by participating in company-sponsored wellness activities.
[Client] will continue to offer a competitive and comprehensive beneits program. As you learn more about your options,
you’ll see our new beneits offer great coverage as we’ve always had and you can still count on the company paying for a
substantial share of healthcare needs.
Our beneits team will soon begin reviewing with each of you the updates to our beneits program for 2014. We hope
you will take the time to learn more about these offerings and be sure to make your beneit decisions and complete your
enrollment. We must have a response from every employee, even if you choose not to enroll in the beneit plans.
Thanks for all you do for [Client]!
Sincerely,
[Name] [Name]
President Human Resources Director
3 3
To All [Client] Employees,
We would like to bring to your attention a very important subject this fall. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), often referred
to as Health Care Reform or Obamacare, will have a signiicant impact on our country in 2014 and beyond. As a company,
we have invested substantial time in learning and understanding the changes and their impact on [Client] and you and your
family. The ACA requires all Americans to have health insurance in 2014 and provides for a network of public insurance
exchanges where people can purchase health insurance.
As a [Client] team member, you may be asking—should I purchase insurance through [Client], or am I eligible for a subsidy
in these exchanges or other government programs? In a recent communication we conirmed [Client]’s health coverage
exceeds the health reform law’s “essential coverage” and “affordability” standards. Because our beneit exceeds the federal
requirements, the ACA rules leave you ineligible to receive a government subsidy to help you purchase health insurance for
yourself in a public exchange marketplace.
Overall, medical costs continue to go up at a rate far above general inlation levels. Many projections indicate healthcare
costs will increase at perhaps 5% to 10% every year. The ACA has already increased [Client]’s costs by a signiicant amount.
These cost increases require that all of us place even greater focus on containing these cost increases in ways such as
healthful living and being an enlightened consumer of medical services. Without embracing these changes, each of us can
expect our medical costs to increase rapidly every year.
In an effort to contain these increases, we are providing new medical plans called the Health Reimbursement Account
(HRA) Plan and the Health Savings Account (HSA) Plan. Health Savings Account (HSA) Plans have recently become much
more the norm and by adopting them each of us are empowered and involved in the decisions that impact our healthcare.
These plans include a personal bank account to set aside funds for future medical expenses.
Both medical plans offered by [Client] require all of us to be more attentive to how we spend the healthcare dollars in our
accounts. The plans recognize and reward the healthy decisions we make for ourselves and our families. You can earn dollars
towards your healthcare expenses by participating in company-sponsored wellness activities.
[Client] will continue to offer a competitive and comprehensive beneits program. As you learn more about your options,
you’ll see our new beneits offer great coverage as we’ve always had and you can still count on the company paying for a
substantial share of healthcare needs.
Our beneits team will soon begin reviewing with each of you the updates to our beneits program for 2014. We hope
you will take the time to learn more about these offerings and be sure to make your beneit decisions and complete your
enrollment. We must have a response from every employee, even if you choose not to enroll in the beneit plans.
Thanks for all you do for [Client]!
Sincerely,
[Name] [Name]
President Human Resources Director
3 3
