Health Literacy: Empowering Employees to Choose Benefits With Confidence

Health literacy has never mattered more. Employees are asked to navigate complex health care choices, compare benefit plan options, understand care instructions and identify trustworthy information — often while they are managing stress, illness or family responsibilities. The goal of benefits communication isn’t simply to share information. It’s to help employees understand their options and know what to do next.

Why Health Literacy Belongs on the Benefits Agenda

Limited health literacy can affect how people choose care, follow treatment plans, use preventive services and manage chronic conditions. It can also influence whether employees understand key benefits terms, know where to go for support or feel prepared to ask questions. For employers, the result may show up in avoidable confusion, delayed care, underused resources and lower satisfaction with the benefits experience.

The opportunity is clear: Human resources teams can strengthen health literacy by making benefits education simple, timely and easy to act on — especially during open enrollment, when employees are asked to make important decisions in a short window of time.

3 Ways HR Teams Can Support Employee Health Literacy

1. Make reliable health information easy to find.

HR teams can use familiar channels — such as company intranet sites, newsletters, benefits portals and internal communications — to point employees to trusted resources. Consider creating a central health literacy hub with plain-language explanations of common benefits terms, links to plan resources, preventive care reminders and tips for preparing for medical appointments. The easier it is to find reliable information, the easier it is for employees to make confident benefits decisions.

2. Prepare employees before open enrollment begins.

Open enrollment is one of the most important moments for benefits education, but meaningful understanding starts before employees are asked to make a selection. Employers can build confidence by offering side-by-side plan comparisons, short educational sessions, decision-support tools, frequently asked questions and examples that show how different plan features may apply in real-life situations.
Clear communication is especially important when explaining deductibles, copays, coinsurance, out-of-pocket maximums, provider networks and prescription coverage. Defining these terms in everyday language can help employees better understand the trade-offs among available plans and choose coverage that fits their needs.

3. Promote tools and support services year-round.

Health literacy can be reinforced through ongoing communication and education throughout the year. Employees make health and benefits decisions throughout the year — when they choose a provider, schedule preventive care, review a bill, manage a medication or decide where to seek treatment. Regular reminders about available tools, advocacy services, employee assistance programs, care navigation resources and condition-specific support can help employees act sooner and make informed decisions.

HR teams can also encourage simple, practical behaviors: Write down questions before a doctor’s visit, ask providers to “say it simply,” confirm next steps before leaving an appointment and use plan resources to verify coverage before receiving care.

From Information to Action

The most effective benefits communication does more than share information; it helps employees know what to do next. This means using plain language, reducing jargon and making support easy to access. It also means recognizing that health information can be challenging, especially when decisions are unfamiliar, urgent or emotional.

Health Literacy Month gives employers a focused opportunity to assess whether their benefits communications are clear, inclusive and actionable. By helping employees find, understand and use health information, HR and benefits leaders can support better decision-making, stronger engagement and a more confident workforce. Contact your account manager with questions about your program or find a representative near you for questions or more information about supporting your workforce.