Health Benefit

There is plenty of different types of health benefit designs. Find out which four your employer offers, then check out the plan, or designs, offered. Your employer's human resource office, the health plan administrator, or your union can provide information to help you match your needs and preferences with the available designs. If your employer offers a high deductible health plan, look in to setting up a Health Savings Account to save money for future medical expenses on a tax-free basis. The more information you have, the better your health care decisions will be.

Review the Benefits Available

Do the designs offered cover preventive care, well-baby care, vision or dental care? Are there deductibles? Answers to these questions can help pick the out-of-pocket expenses you may face. Matching your needs and those of your relatives members will result in the best possible benefits. Cheapest may not always be best. Your aim is high quality health benefits.

Read Your Plan's Summary Plan Description (SPD) for the Wealth of Information It Provides

Your health plan administrator should provide a copy. It outlines your benefits and your legal rights under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the federal law that protects your health benefits. It should contain information about the coverage of dependents, what services will need a co-pay, and the circumstances under which your employer can alter or terminate a health benefits plan. Save the SPD and all other health plan brochures and documents, along with memos or correspondence from your employer relating to health benefits.

Evaluate Your Benefit Coverage as Your Relatives Status Changes

Marriage, divorce, childbirth or adoption, or the death of a spouse are life events that may signal a need to alter your health benefits. You, your spouse and dependent children may be eligible for a special enrollment period under provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Even without life-changing events, the information provided by your employer should tell you how you can alter benefits or switch designs, if over four plan is offered. A special note: If your spouse's employer also offers a health benefits package, think about coordinating both designs for maximum coverage.

Top 10 Ways to Make Your Health Benefits Work for You

The Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) administers several important health benefit laws covering employer-based health designs. They govern your basic rights to information about how your health plan works, how to qualify for benefits, and how to make claims for benefits. In addition, there is specific laws protecting your right to health benefits when you lose coverage or alter jobs. EBSA oversees health care laws covering special medical conditions. For more information on the laws that protect your benefits, see EBSA's Web-site at www.dol.gov/ebsa. Or, call the agency's toll-free help line at 1.866.444.3272 to reach a regional office near you. These 10 tips can help make your health benefits work better for you.

Realize that Your Options are Important