High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs) continue to grow in popularity—and for good reason. They’re cost-effective for employers, offer long-term savings for employees, and provide greater control over how healthcare dollars are spent. But despite their advantages, HDHPs can be a hard sell without the right rollout strategy.

For employers and HR teams, it’s not just about offering a plan—it’s about helping employees understand the value and feel confident choosing it. With a thoughtful HDHP implementation approach, you can increase adoption, improve employee satisfaction, and reduce benefits spend. Here’s how to do it right.

Pair Your HDHP with a Health Savings Account (HSA)

An HDHP alone may feel risky to employees due to the higher deductible, even if the monthly premiums are lower. That’s why pairing it with a Health Savings Account (HSA) is critical.

When offered together, the HDHP-HSA combination becomes a powerful tool for both healthcare and financial wellness. HSAs allow employees to save and spend on qualified medical expenses tax-free, build long-term savings through investments, and carry funds with them if they change jobs or retire. This triple tax advantage—contributions, growth, and withdrawals—is one of the most compelling benefits you can offer.

By bundling an HDHP with an HSA, you:

• Make the plan more attractive and less intimidating

• Provide a clear solution for covering out-of-pocket costs

• Empower employees to plan ahead and take control of their health spending

If your team is new to HSAs, we’ve broken down everything you need to know in our complete HSA guide.

Communicate Early and Often

Even the best benefits package can fall flat if employees don’t understand it. A successful HDHP strategy starts with clear, confident communication—especially leading up to open enrollment.

Focus on what employees care about:

• Lower monthly premiums that put more money in their paychecks

• HSA tax savings and employer contributions

• Preventive care coverage before the deductible

• Investment potential for long-term savings

Use plain language, relatable examples, and multiple formats—emails, FAQs, benefits guides, lunch-and-learns—to meet employees where they are. And don’t stop once open enrollment ends. Year-round education reinforces value and keeps employees engaged with their HSA.

Make Employer Contributions (Even Small Ones)

If you want employees to engage with their HSA, show them you’re invested too. Even a modest employer contribution can make a big difference in participation and perception.

Whether it’s a flat amount, tiered by coverage level, or a matching contribution, your support encourages employees to contribute more regularly—and see the HSA as a core part of their benefits package. In turn, this helps drive HDHP adoption and unlocks additional savings for your organization.

Employer HSA contributions are also pre-tax, which can reduce your overall FICA liability. It’s a win-win: employees feel supported, and you save on payroll taxes.

Enable Flexibility and Ease of Use

An HSA should be as easy to use as it is valuable. The more seamless the experience, the more likely employees are to engage with the plan and stay enrolled.

Look for features that simplify the experience:

• The ability to adjust contributions at any time

• Integrated investment options with no minimum thresholds

• A physical or virtual debit card for healthcare purchases

• Mobile apps and dashboards for easy account management

• No expiration on reimbursements, as long as expenses were incurred while the HSA was active

Flexibility builds trust, and convenience removes barriers. Together, they make the HDHP-HSA combo more usable—and more likely to succeed.

Help Employees Think Long-Term

HDHPs aren’t just about this year’s health expenses. When paired with an HSA, they become part of a broader financial wellness strategy.

Encourage employees to view their HSA as more than just a rainy-day fund. Contributions roll over year after year, can be invested for growth, and even used in retirement. Over time, the HSA becomes a powerful complement to a 401(k), especially for covering future healthcare costs tax-free.

Reframing the conversation from “saving for a deductible” to “saving for your future” can shift employee perception and deepen long-term engagement.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

A strong HDHP strategy isn’t just about what you do—it’s about what you avoid. Here are a few pitfalls to watch out for:

• Offering an HDHP without an HSA

• Skipping employer contributions

• Relying only on open enrollment to educate

• Making the HSA experience confusing or outdated

Avoiding these mistakes can significantly improve your plan’s adoption and performance.

A Thoughtful Rollout Makes All the Difference

Implementing an HDHP is more than a cost-cutting move—it’s an opportunity to modernize your benefits strategy and offer real value to your team. When you combine a competitive plan design with clear communication, financial support, and a flexible user experience, you create a benefits package employees understand and appreciate.

How Lively Supports HDHP Success

At Lively, we partner with organizations to make HDHP and HSA implementation seamless and successful. We offer:

• Payroll integrations for easy, automated contributions

• Flexible investment options with no minimums

• Award-winning customer support for you and your employees

• Education tools to drive engagement year-round

Ready to simplify your benefits strategy and boost employee satisfaction by providing an HSA? Reach out to our team today to learn more.