Vocabulary
| ALEX uses this | Not this | Notes |
| (the specific company name) or “your employer” | “the company,” “the organization” | Whenever possible, using the specific company name gives ALEX a more personal touch. Otherwise, it’s best to write around this, or use “your employer” if you absolutely must (see “Words to avoid” below). |
| 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) | 401K, 401k, 403b, 403B, etc | No space in between, lowercase letter in parentheses. Per IRS. |
| ADA | ada | Acronym for Americans with Disabilities Act, which is uppercase when spelled out. |
| after-tax | After tax, post-tax | When discussing contributions made after taxes are taken out. |
| ALEX | Alex, alex | ALEX should appear in all caps, except for logos. |
| ALEX ID | ALEX account | An ALEX username and password, collectively, is referred to as an ALEX ID. |
| auto-enrollment, auto-escalation | auto enrollment, auto escalation | |
| Biweekly, bimonthly | Bi-weekly, bi-monthly | |
| caregiver | care giver | |
| C-section, Cesarean section | c-section, c section, cesarean section | “C” is capitalized when in short form. |
| checkup | check-up, check up | |
| childcare | child care | |
| coinsurance | co-insurance, co insurance | |
| copay | co-pay, co pay | Note: this is contrary to Merriam-Webster, but matches how most healthcare companies refer to it. |
| details page | Details Page | Always lowercase. The page title would be “Medical details,” and ALEX should usually refer to it as “your details page.” (“The Tax Savings details page…” “Check out your details page.”) |
| DCFSA, dependent care FSA, dependent care flexible spending account | Dependent Care FSA, Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, dcfsa | Not a proper noun when written out. |
| E-mail, eMail | ||
| ER | E.R., er | |
| EOI, evidence of insurability | E.O.I., Evidence of Insurability | Not a proper noun when written out. |
| FMLA, Family and Medical Leave Act | F.M.L.A., family and medical leave act | |
| FSA, flexible spending account | F.S.A., fsa, Flexible Spending Account | |
| full-time, part-time (employee) | fulltime, parttime | Typically hyphenated (ex. “Are you a full-time employee?”), unless saying ex. “Do you work full time? |
| health care (when using as a noun) | healthcare | When using as a noun, it’s two words. |
| healthcare (when using as an adjective) | health care | When using as an adjective, it’s one word. |
| HRA, health reimbursement arrangement, health reimbursement account | H.R.A., Health Reimbursement Account, etc | The IRS refers to it as an arrangement, but some customers use “account” instead, so keep an eye out. Also, it’s “an HRA” and not “a HRA.” |
| HSA, health savings account | Health Savings Account, health spending account | Not a proper noun when written out. Also, it’s “an HSA” and not “a HSA.” |
| in-network | In network | Hyphenate unless you’re saying “in the network” or “in your network.” |
| inpatient | in-patient | |
| IRA, individual retirement account | Individual Retirement Account | Note that it’s not a proper noun when written out. |
| LASIK | Lasik, lasik | |
| LOA, leave of absence | Leave of Absence, leave-of-absence | |
| log in (verb) | Sign in, login | Two words when used as a verb (i.e. “Log in to the website.”). Also, we use log in vs. sign in for consistency. |
| login (noun) | Sign-in, log in | One word when used as a noun or adjective (i.e. “Go to your login page.”) |
| long-term disability | long term disability, longterm disability | Unless saying “your disability is long term.” |
| okay | OK | |
| online | On-line, on line | One word. |
| out-of-network | out of network | Hyphenate unless you’re saying “out of the network” or “out of your network.” |
| out-of-pocket maximum | out of pocket maximum, maximum out of pocket | Hyphenate as an adjective. Not hyphenated as part of a phrase, ex. “What you pay out of your pocket.” |
| outpatient | out-patient | |
| over-the-counter | over the counter | Hyphenate unless you’re saying “a drug you got over the counter.” |
| parental leave | maternity/paternity leave | Unless referring to a specific company policy with those names. |
| prescription | Rx | |
| pre-tax | pre tax, pretax | |
| preventive | preventative | Both are real words, but ALEX uses “preventive care.” |
| rollover (as a noun) | roll over | One word as noun or modifier (i.e. rollover healthfund). See below for verb usage. |
| roll over (as a verb) | rollover | See above for noun usage. |
| Roth IRA | roth IRA | |
| short-term disability | short term disability, shortterm disability | Unless saying “your disability is short term.” |
| target date fund | Target Date Fund | Roth usually appears in the context of “Roth or traditional IRA/401(k).” Note that “traditional” isn’t capitalized. |
| toward | towards | |
| US | U.S. | |
| walkthrough | walk through | Note: we break with Merriam-Webster here. |
| website | web-site, web site | |
| well-being, well-woman, well-man, well-baby, well-child | Wellbeing, well-male, well-female | Always hyphenated. |
| workers’ compensation | worker’s compensation, workers compensation, worker compensation | “Workers’” is both plural and possessive so the apostrophe goes after the final s. |
| worst-case scenario | worst case scenario |
Frequently confused terms:
- Healthcare vs. health care: one word when referring to the industry or system (ex. healthcare plans). Two words when referring to medical care or treatment (ex. preventive health care).
- Login vs. log in: Login when used as a noun or adjective (ex. the login page). Two words when used as a verb (ex. log in to your account). Do not use log-in.
- Rollover vs. roll over: one word as a noun (ex: FSA rollover) or modifier (ex: rollover healthfund). Two words as a verb (ex: “the annual coverage maximum rolls over at the end of the plan year”).
Words to avoid:
For a summary of problematic language that should never appear in ALEX’s vocabulary, see “Off-the-table Words & Phrases” under the ALEX Voice tab. The list here covers health and insurance terminology that should be avoided and some potential alternatives.
- Healthfund: This is sometimes used internally to refer to the umbrella of HSA, HRA, FSA, but is not a standard term and should not be used in any external copy.
- Mammography: Use “mammograms.”
- Maternity: This term should be phased out in favor of pregnancy care, gestational leave, parental leave, etc. as appropriate.
- Mat/pat: short for maternity/paternity. This term should be phased out of usage, since it is not inclusive of all parental identities. Instead, use “parental leave” when referring to taking a leave to have a kid, regardless of reason. An exception can be made if it is used in the official name of a customer policy.
- Opposite-sex (as in “opposite-sex partner”): not gender inclusive. Write around this as much as possible.
Be conscientious about using the following words.
- Client: The people who buy and use our products are our customers.
- Company: as in, “your company provides…” If in text, use the customer’s name. If audio is required, write around using this word. Ex. “The kind souls where you work offer you a 401k,” “You have access to…” “XYZ benefit is available to you…”
- Employee: Many customers have different euphemisms for this. Also, some people who use ALEX are not employees.
- Employer: Likewise, some customers are not employers, or do not wish to be referred to as such. See guidance for “company.”
- Insurance: use sparingly. “Coverage” or “the plan” often do the trick.
- Premium: Many self-insured customers use the term “contribution,” so it’s best to minimize usage. Ex. “Here’s what you pay to be on the plan.”
Disease Names
Unless named for a person or region (aka a proper noun), disease names should not be capitalized. Only the proper noun should be capitalized.
Ex: Hodgkin lymphoma, Ebola virus vs. diabetes, influenza, multiple sclerosis
Non-possessive disease names are preferred. When a disease is named after a person, the possessive apostrophe (’s) is not required. The possessive may be used for consistency or by request, but this style guide prefers the non-possessive in accordance with the World Health Organization and American Medical Association Manual of Style.
Ex. Alzheimer disease, Down syndrome, Crohn disease
Insurers
Below is a list of our most-used insurers and the correct spelling and style treatment for each.
- Aetna
- Anthem
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Cigna
- Coventry Health Care
- Health Net
- HMSA
- Humana
- Kaiser Permanente
- Premera
- Security Administrative Services (SAS)
- UnitedHealthcare
- WellCare
- WellPoint