HR teams are struggling with an aging workforce. and questions about Medicare are landing on their desk by default. When employees near 65, they want to understand their Medicare options and how enrollment will affect spouses and dependents, but most HR teams lack the licenses and resources to navigate them through this complexity.
The lack of clarity becomes particularly costly during offboarding. Medicare-eligible departing employees may elect COBRA simply because they don't have proper guidance on the alternatives. The result? They stay on your employer plan when they're typically higher utilizers, creating unnecessary claim exposure for you while paying more than they should.
How Platform-Based Support Actually Works
When's Medicare Education Platform removes this burden through a combination of smart technology and licensed Medicare specialists who actually know what they're doing. The system plugs into your existing HRIS, identifies employees approaching eligibility, and delivers the right support at the right time:
For active employees approaching 65: Proactive outreach before their enrollment window, educational resources that actually make sense, AI-powered plan comparisons, and real humans they can talk to. Medicare enrollment goes from panic mode to planned transition.
For departing employees: The questions aren't straightforward. Should they choose COBRA, Medicare Advantage, or traditional Medicare with supplemental coverage? Each has different cost structures, network implications, and enrollment considerations. But here's what actually happens, departing Medicare-eligible employees get COBRA paperwork and nothing else. They default to the familiar option without understanding their alternatives. We change that equation by presenting all their Medicare options with clear comparisons, helping them make informed decisions that typically save them money while reducing unnecessary claim exposure on your plan. Spouses and dependents? We help them navigate individual coverage options too.
For your broader workforce: Scalable webinar series that answer common Medicare questions across your entire population. One well-run webinar beats fifty individual HR conversations.
The platform runs year-round because Medicare doesn't operate on your benefits calendar. When someone's specific enrollment deadline hits, support is already there.
Where the ROI Shows Up
Your HR team stops being Medicare experts: Those recurring Medicare inquiries that eat up disproportionate time? Gone. Your benefits team can focus on what they're actually good at instead of becoming accidental Medicare specialists.
You eliminate unnecessary COBRA claims exposure: Here's the big one: Medicare-eligible departing employees who default to COBRA are staying on your self-insured plan when they should be transitioning to Medicare. They're typically higher utilizers (people leaving jobs often address delayed medical needs), and they're creating claim risk you don't need to carry. Guiding them to appropriate Medicare coverage protects your plan while giving them better, more affordable options.
Household coverage doesn't fall through the cracks: When employees successfully transition to Medicare and their dependents get proper individual coverage, you avoid the mess of delayed retirements, coverage gaps, and panicked calls to HR three months later.
Offboarding scales efficiently: During workforce reductions, Medicare-eligible employees need different support than your general population. Platform-based solutions handle this specific cohort without requiring additional headcount when you're already stretched thin.
For companies managing large-scale transitions, consistent Medicare support at scale becomes particularly valuable. A 500-person reduction including 100 Medicare-eligible employees requires dramatically different support than directing everyone to healthcare.gov.
This Isn't Just About Medicare
Medicare support is part of something bigger: comprehensive workforce transition management. The infrastructure that helps pre-retirees navigate Medicare (HRIS integration, licensed specialists, household-level guidance) works equally well for other scenarios.
The same platform guiding employees to Medicare can help laid-off workers find ACA alternatives, support early retirees with bridge coverage, and ensure everyone leaving your company exits with appropriate health coverage regardless of their age or situation. Companies managing large-scale transitions particularly benefit, a 500-person reduction including 100 Medicare-eligible employees requires dramatically different support than sending everyone to healthcare.gov and hoping for the best.
Getting Started
Implementation isn't complicated—standard HRIS integrations handle the technical side. Most companies start with active employees approaching Medicare eligibility, expand to retirees, then fold Medicare support into their broader offboarding strategy. This phased approach lets you demonstrate value before scaling.
The Bottom Line
Medicare transitions are predictable moments where employees need specialized support that most benefits teams can't provide. The hidden costs, HR time, operational disruption, botched enrollments, and Medicare-eligible employees unnecessarily staying on COBRA, compound quickly.
Platform-based solutions with licensed specialists scale without proportional headcount increases. They integrate with your existing systems rather than creating parallel processes. And they extend beyond Medicare-only scenarios to handle full household coverage needs.
For companies evaluating workforce management, Medicare support isn't just about helping older employees transition to government coverage. It's about building infrastructure that protects your plan from unnecessary claim exposure while supporting effective transitions at every career stage.
Contact sales@forwhen.com to see how When handles Medicare transitions for both active and departing employees.
