Multigenerational workforces demand different healthcare experiences

From United Healthcare

As the workforce continues to evolve, employers will need to find ways to ensure their health plan delivers an experience in line with their employees’ needs and expectations.

From new college hires to seasoned executives, it’s not uncommon for an employee population to span multiple generations. In fact, there are 4 commonly defined generations currently active in the workplace today: Baby Boomers, Generation X (Gen X), Millennials and Generation Z (Gen Z).

With these multigenerational employee populations come varying healthcare needs, expectations and preferences. For instance, Baby Boomers are likely to have different healthcare issues and priorities than their younger counterparts, based on several factors including biological age, life experience and socioeconomic influences.

This can make it a challenge for employers to determine which healthcare experiences are the right fit for their unique employee population. And finding the right fit matters.

It’s important for employers to understand their employee population’s needs and to keep generational preferences in mind when designing healthcare plans. Doing so provides options for employees who prefer to access health care in different ways. This maximizes engagement and improves the experience and may lead to higher overall employee satisfaction and talent retention.

Plans Encouraged to Extend Special Enrollment for Medicaid and CHIP

On July 20, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) and the Departments of Labor (“DOL”) and the Treasury (collectively, “the Departments”) issued a letter to employers, plan sponsors and carriers encouraging that they allow additional time to enroll in employer-sponsored health plans for individuals who have lost Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (“CHIP”) coverage due to Medicaid resuming normal eligibility and enrollment procedures and operations.

Background

Typically, eligibility for Medicaid coverage must be renewed annually; however, during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, the eligibility rules for renewal were paused to minimize coverage loss for members. This termination pause expired on March 31, 2023, under the terms of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.

Medicaid agencies nationwide are now in the process of resuming normal eligibility and enrollment procedures and operations, which includes reviewing coverage eligibility for all individuals under Medicaid/CHIP. With this resumption of the “pre-COVID” process, many individuals are no longer eligible and will lose Medicaid or CHIP coverage. The Departments note that:

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