You can’t please all the people all the time. Are your employees satistified with the health plan?

Unfortunately, the majority of the employees polled in a recent survey said they’re not happy with the health plan their employers are paying so much for.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that some plans rank significantly better than others.

Too much red tape, too few answers

The No. 1 grievance employees have? No straight answers from insurers. Carriers make it tough to understand exactly what’s covered, how frequently certain treatments are covered, how to find certain specialists, etc.

The 2008 National Health Insurance Plan Study by J.D. Power & Associates. identified seven key areas that separate the top health plans from the ones that leave employees grumbling:

• coverage and benefits
• choice of doctors, hospitals and pharmacies
• information and communication
• approval processes
• claims processing
• insurance statements, and
• customer service.

Is your plan among the best?

Based upon these categories, the J.D. Power study identified the top plans in different regions and states. Here’s who ranked highest in satisfaction:

Measuring satisfaction

It’s tough to encourage employees to take charge of their own health when they don’t understand which doctors they can use, check-ups they can schedule or tests they’re entitled to.

For instance, if you have a wellness program, they might not even know weight loss counseling, smoking cessation or a portion of gym membership fees are covered by the plan.

Best practice: Survey employees to find out how much they understand about their coverage. You might think about starting some “Did you know …?” e-mails to help employees understand what they’re entitled to.