Comparing health plans offered by your employer

How to compare employer-sponsored HealthPartners insurance plans

Whether you’re starting a new job with a company that offers HealthPartners plans or it’s just annual open enrollment time, you’ll have to make some choices about your benefits for the year ahead. And figuring out what health insurance you and your family need can be one of the most important decisions.

But we’re here to help. With our tips, you can get the information you need to compare your options and make informed, confident selections.

On this page, you can find tips on:

Getting started: Where to look for plan information

When it’s time to enroll in a health insurance plan, your employer will usually send you plenty of information to look over. Information about open enrollment will likely be available in one or more formats:

Online – There may be a website that’ll detail everything you need to know, including links to documents about which HealthPartners plans your employer will offer, plus where and how you can enroll.
Benefits presentation – Your employer may also invite you to a benefits presentation. There, you’ll get the chance to compare insurance plan options for the coming year and ask questions.
Paper enrollment materials – Your employer could also send you an enrollment guide or paper copies of detailed benefits information.

The most important thing to look for is coverage, network and cost information for the plan or plans your employer offers. Looking through this information is an excellent way to get a high-level idea of how each option will fit with your needs and budget.

If you’re not sure where to get started, reach out to your HR department for help or call us at 800-883-2177.

Step 1: Figure out the best balance of costs for you

It’s the question on most people’s minds – how much will this plan cost me throughout the year? But before you look at a plan’s costs, it’s a good idea to re-familiarize yourself with some key insurance terms:

Premium – The set amount you pay for your health plan each pay period. Your premium is usually taken directly out of your paycheck and not subject to tax.
Deductible – What you pay for all covered care before your plan starts to help pay. However, most plans help pay for some care before your deductible, such as preventive services.
Copay – A flat fee you pay for covered care. Depending on the service and your plan’s coverage, copays may apply before or after meeting your deductible.
Coinsurance – Your share of the cost for covered care after you’ve paid your deductible.
Out-of-pocket maximum – The most you’ll pay for all covered care under your plan. Once you’ve paid enough to reach your plan’s out-of-pocket maximum, your plan will pay 100% of any other in-network covered care for the rest of the plan year.

Choosing the right plan by considering your health needs

The best choice for you and your family often depends on what you think your care needs will be in the upcoming year:

Lower-premium plans – With these plans, you typically pay less in premiums and more in deductibles, copays and coinsurance. You may also have a narrower network. These plans tend to be good for people who don’t expect to visit the doctor much or need many prescriptions. If you usually just need basic preventive care along with a safety net in case something happens, you could save money.
Higher-premium plans – With these plans, you typically pay more in premiums and less in deductibles, copays and coinsurance. You may also have a broader network. These plans tend to be good for people who think they’ll visit the doctor or pharmacy often. For example, if you have a condition that needs care throughout the year (like diabetes or depression), paying a higher premium could save you money since your plan will share more of your care costs sooner.

A good way to start making some decisions about your plan options is to reflect on the care you’ve needed in the past few years and think about care you expect to need over the next year.

For example, you might consider:

How frequently you visit the doctor and whether you think that will change
If you or your dependents have any chronic conditions that need recurring treatment
How many medications you take and how often
Upcoming health care needs you already know about, like major surgery or having a baby

Then, for each plan option, you might compare costs by totaling up:

The premiums you’ll pay for the entire year, and
What you’ll pay in expected deductibles, coinsurance and copays for the entire year

Looking at these two numbers together can help you get a reasonable estimate of your “all-in” costs if you were to enroll in one plan or another.

Step 2: See if your doctor will be in network

All health plans cover care provided through a network of certain health care providers, like doctors, specialists, clinics, hospitals and more. In-network providers agree to care for plan members at a discounted rate. If you seek care that’s out of your plan’s network, your plan may not cover much (or any) of your costs.

What this means for you depends on your preferences for the doctors you see. Some people have long connections with their family doctor or trusted locations. Others don’t really mind who they see, as long as they’re convenient, close to home and affordable.

What to do if you want to keep seeing your current doctor

If keeping your same doctors and clinics is a high priority for you, see if they’re included in your new plan’s network.

You can search most HealthPartners employer group health plan networks online – just find the network name included in your enrollment materials. If you can’t locate your network’s name, your plan might use a custom network; call us for help at 800-883-2177 or consult your other enrollment materials to find out how to search your network.

Sometimes, your current doctor or care team won’t be in your plan’s network. If that’s the case, you’ll need to decide whether you want to pay more to still see them outside your network. If you’re willing to switch to an in-network doctor, your plan may make the transition easier by helping you find a new high-quality provider.

What to do if you’re seeing a new doctor

If you don’t mind which doctors you see when your new plan year begins, it’s still wise to search your new plan’s network before you enroll.

Take a few minutes to explore your network to see which options are available close to where you live. Having a few doctors or clinic names in mind can save you time later when you need care.

Step 3: Look up your current medications in the plan’s drug list

If you take regular medicines to help control cholesterol, blood pressure, depression, diabetes or another condition, it’s important to see how they’ll be covered by searching your new HealthPartners plan’s drug list (formulary).

In addition, to help keep prescription prices low for plan members, insurers have a network of pharmacies they contract with. You can save time and money by doing a quick search of our HealthPartners pharmacy networks to see which local pharmacies are in your network. You can also see if your plan has an option to use a mail-order pharmacy, which may include extra discounts for multi-month medication refills.

Prescription drug price estimates

Looking for more detailed information? We also offer drug cost calculator tools to help you get a sense of your expected prescription costs. You can get out-of-pocket estimates for your medications, see how many months’ supply you can get at a time and find out how much you can save by using a generic form of your prescription.

Step 4: See if you can save money with an FSA, HRA or HSA

Many employers offer special accounts for health-related expenses. There are three common types of these accounts – if you’re not sure whether one or more are available to you with the HealthPartners plan you’re considering, ask your HR department or call us at 800-883-2177. If you’re eligible, you’ll get the information you need to get started.

Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and other reimbursement accounts

With flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and other reimbursement accounts, you can direct pretax money from each paycheck to use for a variety of eligible expenses. Depending on the type of FSA you open, you can use your funds for health, vision or dental care. Other reimbursement accounts help you set aside money for child and elder care while you’re working, or work-related transportation and parking expenses.

Health savings accounts (HSAs)

If your employer offers a high-deductible health plan (HDHP), you might also enjoy the benefits of a health savings account (HSA). These bank accounts are used specifically for medical costs – doctor visits, medications, eyeglasses, and similar products and services. HSAs are funded by pretax money you contribute from each paycheck; employers often add contributions to your HSA too. And unlike an FSA, your HSA money is yours to keep forever, rolling over from year to year and traveling with you if you leave your job.

Health reimbursement accounts (HRAs)

Step 5: Get more with additional discounts and perks

HealthPartners plans include much more than coverage for when you have to go to the doctor or pharmacy. Depending on your plan, you can access several additional discounts and perks. For example:

Through Healthy Discounts℠, most members can save money on fitness and gym memberships, meal services, pet insurance, eyeglasses, and more.
Our members can get travel assistance through Assist America^®, just in case something happens away from home.
Our members also have access to personalized digital well-being activities, including nutrition support, mental health help and more.
And our members can always contact our 24/7 nurse CareLine℠, so you’re never more than a phone call away from help.

Details about HealthPartners perks, discounts and extras should be available during open enrollment. If you’re looking for something specific, check in with your HR department or call us at 800-883-2177.

Need help picking an employer-sponsored health plan?

If you have questions about choosing a new plan, you don’t have to go it alone. Reach out to your HR department or give our Member Services team a call at 800-883-2177. We can help you understand your options, answer your questions and much more.