Ethnic Marketing
The Key to Successful Benefit Enrollment for Spanish Speakers
by Ferney Colorado and Melissa Burkhart

Employers, brokers, and insurance providers will get higher enrollment when they educate Spanish speakers about the importance of health insurance and the role it can play in financial success and stability. Hispanics have the highest uninsured rates of any ethnic group in the United States, according to a 2003 report by the Dept. of Health and Human Services. In addition, 44% of Latino adults in California had been uninsured for at least part of the preceding year, which is nearly double that of any other ethnic group, according to study by the University of California's Center for Health Policy Research.

A lack of access to affordable, employer-sponsored health plans is only one factor among many that leads to a higher uninsured rate. The Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences reveals that an important factor may be inaccurate perceptions of health insurance costs among Hispanics.

Unlike those born and raised in this country, Spanish speakers may not be aware of the value of many types of insurance. They often don't realize that people will pass up a higher-paying job for one with a good benefits package. Spanish speakers may also hold many erroneous beliefs about achieving financial stability in this country.

Employers have followed a fairly standard, though not very successful, format for Spanish enrollment meetings for health insurance and other benefits. First, sales and enrollment materials are translated into Spanish. At the benefit meeting, a professional interpreter or a bilingual employee explains the plan in Spanish. The English-speaking presenter and the interpreter go back and forth between English and Spanish, making the meeting twice as long and twice as confusing. The result is that Spanish speakers generally choose not to enroll.

You can expect much more encouraging results when the meeting addresses some common misconceptions about employer-sponsored benefits among the Spanish speaking community.

The following are some common myths about retirement plans among Hispanic employees:

¥ Money thatÕs taken from an employee's paycheck goes directly into the pocket of the salesperson or plan representative

¥ The only safe way to save money is in cash. One never knows what will happen to a bank.

¥ Stock market investments are only available to very wealthy people.

The following are some common myths about health insurance among Hispanic employees:

¥ We can buy any medicine at the pharmacy, so why pay for expensive insurance?

¥ If we get really sick, we can go to the emergency room and get the care we need without paying expensive monthly premiums.

¥ If we have the disposable income to pay for health insurance, it is better to put that money toward a concrete investment like a car or a house.

All too often, it's these objections that keep Spanish speakers from taking advantage of the benefits that employers go to great lengths to provide.

Enrollment meetings that address and clarify these objections are far more effective. They educate Spanish speakers about why we call these plans "benefits" in the first place. The employee needs to know how the plan can be of tremendous value to themselves and their family before they understand what kind of deductible applies to certain healthcare services or the employer's vesting schedule.

The following are some pointers for conducting effective enrollment meetings in Spanish:

¥ Hire a Professional Translator for Written Material. Employers send entirely the wrong message when they try to cut costs using a computer program or a bilingual employee who does not have translating credentials. At best, the translation will contain spelling and grammatical errors. What would we think of a document that said "their" instead of "there"? The reader will assume that the topic cannot be terribly important if no one has made the effort to have the translation done well, At worst, the translation will be incomprehensible.

¥ Hire a Professional Presenter. Be very careful about your presenter's credentials. Too often, companies use a bilingual supervisor or foreman to make presentations in Spanish even though such employees are quite unlikely to have experience as trainers or presenters. Even if the employee has excellent language abilities, they may not be familiar with technical or benefit-related terminology.

Also, other employees may have some issues with this employee presenter that the employer is not unaware of, which could influence how receptive they are to the presentation. Most importantly, if the employee presenter does not buy into the material, they may convey their own doubts deliberately or not. It is extremely risky when the Spanish-speaking presenter is not answerable for the quality of the presentation. Once again, this leaves the impression that the topic is not important enough to invest in accurate and professional communication.

In order to be effective, a Spanish-speaking presenter must:

¥ Understand the mindset of Spanish-speaking employees and understand why they are reluctant to change their behavior.

¥ Understand why they came to this country and have compassion for their circumstances.

¥ Have a thorough knowledge of the topic.

¥ Have a fluent command of Spanish and English including the ability to explain technical terminology that often has no equivalent in Spanish, such as co-insurance, vesting, and primary care provider. This is important since there is no equivalent healthcare system in Latin America.

¥ Have experience conducting presentations in Spanish, not just interpreting.

¥ Be able to elicit questions and feedback from a reluctant audience.

¥ Be committed to providing an accurate and clear translation, changing employees' beliefs and behavior, and maximizing participation in the plan.

¥ Consult With the Spanish-Speaking Presenter Ahead of Time. Explain the best features of the plan. This will help your presenter convey your enthusiasm for the product. It also enables you to address any questions or confusion the presenter might have ahead of time.

¥ Allow Enough Time for the Enrollment Meeting. Some employers expect their employees to sign up for a rather costly health insurance plan after being rushed through a Power Point presentation on their lunch break. Again, this creates the impression that the topic isnÕt important. It also makes the employees feel pressured, which will make them more suspicious of the intentions of the employer and plan provider.

Also, when Spanish speakers don't have time to ask all of their questions during the meeting, they are particularly unlikely to ask questions later on. If their concerns were not addressed, they will simply assume that the plan is not designed for them.

¥ Separate Employees into English and Spanish Speakers. Interpreting back and forth requires both groups to wait while the other group is being addressed. It is hard enough to make enrollment meetings engaging and interesting. It is virtually impossible when the meeting is twice as long. Also, Spanish speakers will need to hear a great deal of information about the U.S. healthcare system that most English speakers take for granted. Bilingual employees should be able to choose whether to attend the presentation in English or in Spanish.

¥ Use Paper Enrollment Forms Rather Than Online or Phone Enrollment. People tend to forget about these issues when the presentation is over. The wait time gives them the opportunity to talk to other family members who are still laboring under misconceptions. Furthermore, paper enrollment forms create positive peer pressure.

Employees have the opportunity to see respected co-workers participating and those employees who are better informed may be able to assist others. For example, the ones who have caught on to the material quickly can help the others make their asset allocation decisions.

Of course, it will take more resources to provide enrollment meetings that meet these criteria, especially at first. But, you can only expect different results by using different communication strategies. It is very much worth the effort from a business and a societal standpoint.

Enrolling Spanish speakers in greater numbers opens the door for better group rates and deductions for the employer and gives employees an opportunity for financial stability that they might not have had otherwise.

It also benefits society by increasing investment in the stock market and easing the financial burden on hospitals and other healthcare providers that treat the uninsured.

---------------
Melissa Burkhart was a teacher and school administrator for 10 years, specializing in cross-cultural education and communication.

Ferney Colorado, a native of Colombia, has worked side by side with Spanish-speaking immigrants from all over Latin America in a variety of industries including construction, telecommunications, food service and hospitality, and transportation. In 2001, they established Futuro S—lido USA, which provides a wide range of customized Spanish language services and training materials to ensure a solid future for Spanish- speaking workers and the businesses that employ them. They have created three DVDs in Spanish with English subtitles that address the importance of health insurance, 401(k) plans, and safety training. For more information, call 303-837-8224 or visit www.futurosolidousa.com.