Case Study: American Water achieves higher benefits engagement and increased voluntary enrollment with Businessolver

Water Utility Company Helps Employees Go with the Flow

American Water, the largest publicly traded water and wastewater utility in the U.S., faced a year of major benefits change: unbundling dental and vision, making a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) available to all employees, introducing several voluntary coverages, and moving to an active enrollment that required affirmative elections. To support employees through these shifts, American Water partnered with Businessolver and used Businessolver’s MyChoice Recommendation Engine to bolster benefits engagement and decision-making.

Businessolver implemented a targeted communications strategy—newsletter updates, a standalone medical plan comparison, a traditional benefits guide, refreshed print and website design, easy-to-read infographics, and the MyChoice personalized recommendation tool—to make information digestible and actionable. The results were measurable: nearly 45% of employees used MyChoice (almost a tenfold increase year over year), over 40% enrolled in optional accident insurance, critical illness and hospital indemnity enrollments exceeded 20%, and a meaningful subset of represented employees elected the new HDHP—demonstrating Businessolver’s impact on informed enrollment decisions.

American Water

Sean King

Director, Benefits and Retirement Services