- Center on Health Equity & Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
As the Workforce Diversifies, Healthcare Choice Becomes Increasingly Important
A new study by Willis Towers Watson finds technology plays an increasingly important role in employee health benefits.
Choice is becoming increasingly important in employee health care benefits according to a new study by Willis Towers Watson.
Researchers found that 86% of employers surveyed are prioritize future efforts to enhance the experience of their health and wellbeing programs. The survey found that 31% of respondents said that offering and expanding healthcare choices was the most important healthcare priority for their company over the next 3 years. However, investigators also found that employers were not doing enough to address behavioral and mental health issues in the modern workforce.
The survey polled 535 employers with a minimum of 100 employees. In total, respondents employ 5.5 million employees, 4.4 million of which are full time. The majority of respondents worked in the manufacturing industry.
According to the responses, technology was increasingly shaping the benefits landscape. Only 31% of respondents reported providing their employees with digital platforms like mobile apps to help them make decisions. However, 61% said they wanted to increase digital capacity within the next 3 years.
“With the rise of e-commerce, Americans have become smart comparison shoppers,” Catherine O’Neill, senior director of health benefits design at Willis Towers Watson, said in a statement. “Technology-powered solutions, such as an online benefit shopping experience and smart decision support tools, empower employees to make intuitive healthcare choices year-round.”
The survey found that 75% of employers are hoping to provide employees with the tools needed to make smart benefit decisions. Currently, slightly more than half of employers provide employees with benefit decision tools. Often, the tools are provided year-round, but only during open enrollment. Only 44% of employers surveyed said they were confident in the benefit information they were providing their employees.
“With 5 distinct generations in today’s workforce, most companies have vastly different populations—from stage-of-life perspectives to health solutions,” said Kevin House, the national leader of client relationships and sales benefits delivery at Willis Towers Watson. “The challenge for employers is to offer both the options that address a diverse set of employee needs and the tools that make those choices easy to navigate and understand.”
ERISA Industry Committee Sues Minnesota Over PBM Law
January 3rd 2025The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) Industry Committee filed a legal challenge against the Minnesota Department of Commerce, arguing that Minnesota’s Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Licensure and Regulation Act illegally interfered with employer-sponsored health plans by restricting plan design options and increasing costs.
Read More
Contributor: The Diabetes Vendor Resource Guide—A Useful Directory for Employers
November 13th 2024Employees living with diabetes often face unique challenges, such as managing blood sugar levels, balancing medication, and preventing complications, all while maintaining their professional responsibilities. This condition can lead to increased absenteeism, reduced productivity, and rising health care costs.
Read More
How Can Employers Leverage the DPP to Improve Diabetes Rates?
February 15th 2022On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Jill Hutt, vice president of member services at the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health, explains the Coalition’s efforts to reduce diabetes rates through the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP).
Listen
