CONEXIS Launches New Employee Focused Flexible Benefits Education and Awareness Program.

ORANGE, Calif. -- Innovative Program Features Web-Based, Electronic and Printed Communication Tools, Designed to Help Employers Better Inform their Employees about FSAs and Similar Consumer Directed Programs

CONEXIS, one of the nation's fastest growing benefits administration companies specializing in COBRA/HIPAA, Flexible Benefits (Cafeteria plan), Direct Bill and other administrative services, today announced the launch of its new employee-focused Flexible Benefits education and awareness program. The program features user-friendly web-based, electronic and printed communication tools that will help employees to better understand the savings benefit of using pre-tax dollars from a Flexible Spending Account to pay for eligible health and dependent care expenses. In addition, several on-line calculators are available so employees can estimate their actual annual savings. The goal of the program is to increase employee participation in FSAs, which offer savings to both employers and employees.

"As consumer directed healthcare plans continue to gain acceptance among employers, employee education about these various plans will be a key component in helping them to make the best possible use of their healthcare dollars," said Ken Farrell, President of CONEXIS, a Word & Brown company. "FSAs are a key component of these plans, yet nationally, only about 15% of employees today take advantage of this valuable benefit when it is offered by their employer. The CONEXIS program will help companies increase FSA participation by providing them with simple communication tools to help inform and educate their employees about the savings to be gained by using a Flexible Spending Account. FSAs are a "win-win" for employees and employers. The employee benefits by getting more health and dependent care for less, while the employer benefits from increased FICA savings."

Employees can save anywhere from 15% to 40%, depending on their individual tax bracket, on eligible health and dependent care expenses by using the funds they put into their FSA. The CONEXIS program is designed to help the employee clearly understand the savings impact an FSA can have on eligible unreimbursed expenses such as co-pays or deductibles, vision, dental or chiropractic care.

The CONEXIS program features a dedicated web-based FSA education portal that includes a short FSA video, FAQs and downloadable brochures and forms. CONEXIS can also deliver live, one hour web-based FSA seminars to clients and their employees conducted by a CONEXIS FSA expert. In addition, CONEXIS has created printed materials, such as posters, flyers and payroll stuffers, which are available to current clients. The printed materials provide typical, real-life examples of the benefits of participating in an FSA.

"FSAs are growing rapidly in popularity as companies shift to new consumer directed health plans," said Paula Wilson, RHU REBC, owner of Paula Wilson Insurance. "In order for companies to realize the maximum cost savings that these tools provide, they must teach their employees how to access and use their accounts, and get them excited about the savings they can realize. The CONEXIS campaign takes on this challenge with simple, clear materials that will both educate and motivate employees to take action."

About CONEXIS

For more than 17 years, CONEXIS has delivered a wide range of employee benefit solutions to employers, third party administrators (TPAs), business outsourcing partners and health plans nationwide. Specializing in the complex areas of administration and compliance, our expertise includes COBRA and HIPAA Administrative Services; Direct Bill Services for Retirees, Leave of Absence (LOA) and Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA); and Flexible Benefits Administration, including Section 125 Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Section 132 Transportation Plans, Section 105 Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA), and Health Savings Accounts (HSA). CONEXIS is the only industry-leading outsourcing provider to offer benefits administration on a single Web-based, fully integrated system. This approach helps its clients to easily and cost-effectively develop, implement and manage these popular, yet highly regulated and complex benefits programs. Headquartered in Orange, Calif., with regional offices in Dallas, CONEXIS is a Word and Brown company. For more information about CONEXIS, contact Tom Donham, brand manager, at 877.CONEXIS (877-266-3947), or visit the company's website at www.CONEXIS.org.