The Challenge
Phoebe Putney Health System has 3,500+ employees — from physicians and nurses to professional and custodial staff. The hospital system wanted to move away from traditional employer-provided insurance to a program of unified benefits that actually drove wellness. Phoebe Putney envisioned benefits that worked together, with incentives for healthy behavior built into every plan.
The strategy and products to make this vision a reality were in place. Now it was time for an enrollment experience that did more than tell this diverse employee population to sign up.
10–20%
Depending on the benefit, between 10 and 20% of U.S. workers don’t know if their employer contributes to the cost of coverage.
Source: Health and Voluntary Workplace Benefits Survey, Employee Benefits Research Institute, 2016
96%
96% of Americans cannot define these four words: Deductible, Coinsurance, Co-pay, Out-of-pocket maximum.
Source: Health Insurance Literacy Survey, Policygenius/Radius Global Research, October 2017
Questions Facing Phoebe Putney
- Employees needed to know how benefits were changing.
- They needed to grasp the value of their new benefits.
- They needed support in deciding which benefits were right for them.
- Some employees wanted to go online and enroll with no support.
- Some wanted in-person help with online enrollment.
- Some wanted a face-to-face assistance in selecting the best benefits for them.
Like the general population, many of Phoebe Putney’s employees didn’t understand the basics behind their insurance benefits.
The Solution
Standard Insurance Company (The Standard)* worked with enrollment firm Hodges-Mace to develop and carry out a strategy for the health care provider.
Employees now received a steady stream of information during the year made up of shorter, more focused pieces that were easier to understand.
Digital and Human Help
Employees could walk into enrollment centers and sign up throughout the day at a time that worked for them. Each center had laptops and human representatives to meet the demand for the speed of digital and the help of a live person.
Flexible Decision Support
We collaborated with Hodges-Mace on new capabilities and communications. The Standard created flexible decision support tools that worked with different types of employees, depending on how they preferred to learn about and choose benefits.
The Results
A Better Enrollment Experience
Employees could enroll in a way that met their individual needs. They also had the resources throughout the year to help them make the right decisions and complete the process with confidence.
94→100%
Enrollment participation rose from 94% to 100%.1
6 Pts
Talent retention increased by six points.1
A Better Way
More About This Case Study

Explore the entire case study to see how a unique partnership helped Phoebe Putney achieve its vision for a program of benefits that drove wellness with incentives built into every product.

Learn the details of how we helped create a new group insurance product that improved benefits for Phoebe Putney Health System employees while also driving business for their employer.