Health Care Exchange
Overview
In 2018, AECOM decided to implement the Aon Exchange for 30,000 employees in the U.S. Like most large employers, health care continues to be a significant expenditure for AECOM. By 2018, they had run out of options for conventional ways to manage their health care costs and provide choice to their employees. In an unprecedented move, AECOM decided to move to the Aon Exchange and introduce a completely new benefits approach to U.S. employees.
The Aon Exchange would allow AECOM to reduce costs for both employees and the organization while continuing to give employees and their families a variety of choice among providers and plans. However, it was a significant change for employees and leadership. Until this point, AECOM had a single national carrier, Anthem, plus regional carriers in key markets. While the Aon Exchange provided employees with more choice in health care carriers, plans and cost options, more choice also meant more complexity for employees.
Approach
AECOM engaged Blue to manage this important organizational change across the stakeholder groups, including leadership, HR, people managers and employees. Blue:
- Implemented a stakeholder and impact analysis to understand key stakeholders, including leaders, HR, people managers and employees, and how the change would affect them
- Established a network of HR partners to drive change across the business by disseminating information and providing feedback to the leadership team
- Engaged leaders by providing regular updates and resources to help them support and communicate important information to their employees
- Developed a brand that would align leadership and employees around a common vision for the change in benefits approach
- Created a communications plan to help stakeholders clearly understand, buy in and own the change. Driving action was also a core component of this plan.
Results
The outcomes were impressive:
- Cost Savings: significant savings for the organization and employees saved an average of $672 on annual premiums
- High enrollment: 96% of employees actively enrolled for their 2019 benefits
- High utilization of decision tools:
- 71% of participants completed the plan comparison and decision tools
- 98% of users enrolled in a plan recommended by the decision tool
- Higher quality decision making: 72% of employees chose the low-cost medical option under the low cost carrier in their location, which cost the same or less than what they were currently paying
- Higher satisfaction with choice: 73% of surveyed employees indicated they liked the ability to choose their own carrier