Two decades of benefits expertise. Millions of member interactions. Thousands of market research participants. From HSA to FSA and beyond, see how smarter engagement can drive employee health and financial security.

Below you’ll find research backed engagement programs that turn every interaction into a rewarding and educational experience. 

You can explore the research first. Or jump straight to our engagement programs.

Jump to programs →

Engagement starts with knowing your employees—and each one is unique.

That’s why we’ve analyzed millions of member interactions and teamed up with top market research firms. Our focus? Uncover key decision points and information gaps, so your employees get the right information exactly when they need it.  

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01 | 

Barriers and drivers →

02 | 

Persona-based messaging →

03 | 

Outcomes and impact →

Research

Part of our research sought to identify the key reasons members choose HSA (drivers) and what stands in their way (barriers). Here’s what we found. 

Why are employees hesitant to choose HSA?

Why do employees choose HSA?

Lower insurance premiums. Employees love it when less money is taken out of their paycheck.

Employer contributions. They also love free money from their employer. Who doesn’t?

Triple-tax advantage. Many employees also say they love tax-free contributions,¹ tax-free growth, and tax-free spending on HSA-qualified expenses (we love this, too).

Risk perception. Some are concerned about the high deductibles associated with HSA-compatible health plans.

High healthcare spending. Others worry higher healthcare utilization could mean higher out-of-pocket costs.

Status quo bias. Many respondents also say it’s much easier to stick with their current plan. 

Research 

We also worked with our research partners to create personas—or profiles—of our audience. These are composite fictional representations of segments within a given consumer group (in this case, our research sample).

Here’s what we found.

The Futurist

29% of avg. population

Risk-taker

Higher income

Loves personal finance

Future-focused

One thing I really liked about the HSA over the Roth IRA was that the money that I put in was tax-free, but also the money that I gained from the investment was tax-free when I took it out. 

The Conductor

24% of avg. population

Comfortable with risk

Prefers the status quo, but open to change

More emotional

Wants to save money

Probably married, and with multiple children

I have an eight-year-old boy. I know that no matter what he jumps off or scrapes himself up on, at least I can pay for that ER visit. 

The Strategist

46% of avg. population

More risk adverse, cautious

Careful planner

Higher medical spend

Highly values financial security

Skews older, probably has children

We wouldn’t be able to see specialty providers and pay for the alternative approaches if it wasn’t for the HealthEquity HSA.

Research

Those who say they understand their benefits are more satisfied with them.²

Understands benefits very well 

Understands benefits somewhat or not at all

HealthEquity member understanding outperforms the market.³

A brief quiz validates those with a HealthEquity HSA understand its features significantly better than the average HSA participant.

83%

66%

76%

68%

58%

52%

HSA funds can be used for services NOT covered by your health plan.

Your HSA stays with you if you change employers.

Funds in an HSA can be invested in the stock market.

Marketplace

HealthEquity

And better understanding leads to better outcomes.⁴

higher average HSA balances

higher HSA contributions

higher investing rate

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Using the insights above, we created educational programs to help you maximize engagement and benefits understanding. Constant evaluation helps ensure messaging relevance and optimized performance. 

The best part? Implementation is a breeze––because we handle almost everything for you. 

01 | 

Enrollment and new hires →

02 | 

Engage 360 →

03 | 

Seasonal campaigns →

Programs 

Benefits enrollment is a key opportunity to connect with your employees. Let's make sure they have everything they need to navigate these important decisions. 

More than 2 in 3 employees say they wish they had better benefits education.²

Programs | Enrollment

Looking to share benefits resources? The Enrollment Toolkit has everything you need. It's a huge library of flyers, articles, presentations, product guides, and more. You can filter by account type and benefit variation. Check it out! 

We really make an effort throughout the year to continue that education process. Even right now we’re using some of the materials that HealthEquity has that we can post.

Benefits Program Manager, Borgwarner

Programs | Enrollment

When employees understand their options, they choose benefits that fit their needs. Fit their goals. Fit their budget.

That's why we designed BeneFIT. It's your no-cost, enrollment season engagement program.

Customize your BeneFIT package today.

• Educate and inform employees.
• Maximize enrollment season engagement.
• Help employees overcome barriers.
• Make it easier to navigate enrollment benefits options.

There’s really no benefit if employees don’t understand the benefit and enroll in it.

Manager, Employee Wellness Programs & Communication, Wayne Sanderson Farms

Solution spotlight 

When employees have questions, we have insights. Take a minute to check out and share our Content Library. It contains tons of helpful articles and videos—all organized by topic.

• Choosing benefits
• Maximizing savings
• Navigating life events

Programs

Enrollment season is just the beginning. Personalized member journeys incorporate next-best-step communications to help ensure members get the most from their accounts. 

Increase education and benefits literacy.

Provide helpful how-to content.

Promote positive habits and savings.

Maximize benefits utilization and plan performance.

• Getting started 
• Payment basics 
• Spend reminders

• Getting started 
• Account setup
• Spending and savings 
• HSA investing
  

Programs | Engage360

Through years of user testing, we’ve optimized communications to drive positive behaviors and make benefits easier than ever. 

• Simple messaging
• Direct headlines
• Clear calls to action
• Ample how-to content

Messaging is based on member behavior. So, cadence is dynamic. Members only receive next-best step messages, tailored for them.

This helps limit message fatigue and ensure highly relevant communication.

Ultra-low unsubscribe rate 

I worked with HealthEquity directly to customize some webinars for us that were able to go out to our members. We used the Engage360 program as well as training our trainers out into the field. We did have over 600 members that started contributing to the plan and over 200 that did increase their contributions.

Groups Benefit Manager, State of Louisiana

Programs | Engage360

HSA performance

started contributing

increased contributions

FSA performance

didn't forfeit funds

reelected their benefit

HealthEquity’s investments in engagement innovation continue to make a measurable difference for clients and members. We continue to exceed industry benchmarks on nearly every relevant indicator. And we’re really proud of that record.

Director, Consumer Engagement, HealthEquity

Programs 

Targeted initiatives help members dive deeper into their benefits, showing how smart choices can enhance their overall financial health. The goal is to build momentum and enthusiasm outside of enrollment season.

Programs | Seasonal campaigns

Whether members have an upcoming bonus or are looking to strategize tax deductions, we explain how making prior-year HSA contributions can help them lower their tax bill.

Programs | Seasonal campaigns

Twice a year, we roll out campaigns focused on boosting financial and benefits literacy. It's all about spending wisely––and saving more. We kick off in April to mark Financial Literacy Month and again in late summer for HSA Week.

Programs | Seasonal campaigns

Finally, several campaigns each year aim to encourage members to make the most of their benefits.

HSA

Account checkups invite members to review their contributions—and ensure they’re on target to meet their goals.

FSA

Balance reminders invite members to review their balance and suggest helpful ways to spend remaining account funds. 

These campaigns are shown to boost engagement, utilization, and overall benefits satisfaction.

¹HSAs are never taxed at a federal income tax level when used appropriately for qualified medical expenses. Also, most states recognize HSA funds as tax-deductible with very few exceptions. Please consult a tax advisor regarding your state’s specific rules.

²HealthEquity, 2023: Benefits. Clarity. Understanding. In partnership with 8Acre Research.

³HealthEquity, 2023: HSA Market Research. In partnership with 8Acre Research. 

⁴HealthEquity Member Account Data, 2023 compared to the industry data found in the 2023 Year-End Devenir HSA Research Report.

HealthEquity does not provide legal, tax or financial advice. 

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