Employee Education Month: Demystifying Health Plans for Your Team

The best health plan is the one your employees actually understand—and use.

It’s Employee Education Month—a perfect time to focus on one of the most common HR challenges: helping your team understand their health coverage.

Even when SMEs offer generous HMO benefits, employees often underuse them because they don’t know what’s included, how to access services, or when to file claims. That’s not just a missed opportunity for care—it’s a missed return on your investment as an employer.

Why Health Plan Clarity Matters

✔ Prevents confusion and misuse of benefits
✔ Reduces repetitive HR inquiries and admin workload
✔ Encourages timely care, preventing more serious illnesses
✔ Boosts employee confidence and satisfaction

An informed employee is an empowered employee.

Tips for Educating Employees About Their Health Plans

1. Use Simple Language—Avoid Jargon
Break down coverage terms like “inpatient,” “LOG,” “MBL,” and “APE” into plain Filipino or conversational English. Use relatable examples.

2. Create a Quick-Access Guide
Give employees a 1-page cheat sheet that answers:

• What am I covered for?

• Where can I go for care?

• How do I file a claim or book a consult?

3. Walk Through Real Scenarios
Help employees visualize situations like:

• “I got a fever on a weekend—what do I do?”

• “My child needs a check-up—am I covered?”

4. Host a Health Benefits Orientation
Run a 15–30 minute live or recorded session to walk new and current employees through their plan. Invite your HMO partner or HR team to present.

5. Promote Digital Tools Actively
Show how to use SmilePH for benefit tracking and Doctor Anywhere for online consults. Use posters, Viber reminders, or team chats.

6. Translate Info into Visuals
Flowcharts, checklists, and icons help more than paragraphs of text. Use email headers, infographics, and internal dashboards.

What SMEs Gain from Clearer Benefits Communication

✅ Higher usage of covered services (like APEs and mental health consults)
✅ Lower incidence of preventable illnesses
✅ Smoother HR processes with fewer questions and backlogs
✅ Employees who feel valued, informed, and in control

Make Health Benefits Clear and Confident

Get support materials from Purple Cow to help explain coverage in simple terms—from visual guides to orientation kits and digital tutorials.