A recent report released by the United States Census shows the Hispanic population in the United States has grown 13% in the past four years, bringing the total number of Hispanics living in the country to 39.9 million. Hispanics are now the largest ethnic/minority group in the country, and their population growth has outpaced that of other immigrant groups in the country, and the entire U.S. population, four-fold. This trend is expected to continue, and implications of it can be seen today in the changing faces of America's work force.

As Hispanics have become a larger part of the American work force, more focus has been paid to the disparity in access to healthcare between Spanish-speaking employees and their non-Hispanic, white counterparts. There is a growing acknowledgement-especially in industries where Hispanics have traditionally gravitated such as the service, hospitality and manufacturing industries-that employers need to engage in new practices to ensure that their culturally diverse work force understands their health plans and are utilizing them effectively. This is especially true now that employees are being asked to pay a greater percentage of their healthcare premiums and copays. In addition, health savings accounts (HSAs) and consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs) force employees to make more active decisions about their healthcare and paycheck. With more of the burden of cost on the individual employee, it becomes critical that they are given the tools to make better-educated decisions. Benefits managers acknowledge that educating employees about their healthcare coverage is crucial to keeping costs down both for the individual and the employer. Educated consumers make better choices and help control costs, positively affecting the group plans and the company's bottom line.

Education becomes more complicated and important when a portion of a company's staff speaks English as a second language or represents a cultural group that has been shown to be at higher risk for certain diseases that could affect claims in new ways.

Communication is #1

Understanding a company's work force, their needs, culture and language is central to knowing how to can improve healthcare communication. If a company has a large Hispanic work force, at a minimum, it must provide all of your benefits literature in Spanish and have Spanish speaking human resource staff available to make the employees feel comfortable talking and asking questions. However a literal translation might not be enough.

First, employers should consider tailoring messages to the audience. For example, in many Hispanic communities, the needs of the individual are seen as secondary to those of the family. Illustrating how certain plans can provide better healthcare coverage to an ill family member could be an important topic to cover in the explanation of different health plans.

Next, benefit coordinators can take a proactive role in educating employees in Spanish about making good decisions with regard to their healthcare coverage needs. Employees are inclined to have questions through out the year as they use their plan and access the healthcare system. Be sensitive to their cultural needs and put information in context to ensure that confusion and miscommunication are reduced.

Another important step is identifying potential barriers to healthcare access. Some employees may find it difficult to locate Spanish-speaking doctors and nurses in the plan. By identifying these professionals in your benefit materials, you can eliminate such barriers can make people feel less intimidated and more likely to use primary care services rather than relying on emergency rooms, where Spanish speaking staff is generally available but is much more expensive. While this might seem like common sense, it is something that employers have not been quick to embrace.

Different populations are going to have diverse needs. Years ago, when women began to enter the work force in greater numbers, benefits issues surrounding women's health, maternity leave and childcare became more important in the workplace. Likewise, as the Spanish-speaking worker population continues to grow in the United States, it will have its own unique set of needs that employers must address. The key is to proactively identify and eliminate barriers so they can have better access to their health plans. Educating staff and communicating to them in the methods they can best understand bridges this healthcare gap and limits feelings of intimidation or disaffection, which to date have often been misinterpreted as a lack of participation or interest.

Marijane Norris Geary is a managing consultant in the small business practice of The Bostonian Group, a benefits consulting firm based in Boston.