Introduction

If employers are to recruit and retain valuable employees, having effective benefit programs is crucial. Identifying optimal benefit design strategies requires careful analysis of the many healthcare factors known to affect employers and employees. These include clinical outcomes, quality-of-life issues, costs, and economic benefits. For example, growing evidence suggests that raising copayments to such a level that they burden employees economically increases nonadherence to treatment regimens, which subsequently increases the incidence of comorbid conditions and ultimately generates higher benefit costs. To date, employers have had little authoritative guidance or quantitative data to rely on when designing an appropriate benefit program—one that is fair to employees, yet effectively manages the limited resources of the organization’s total benefit plan. This supplement intends to facilitate discussion on recent research, proprietary analytic tools, and the experiences of leading employers in relation to benefit design strategy. It offers insight into the possible outcomes of placing an undue economic burden on employees and highlights the critical importance of considering these consequences when designing a healthcare plan. Employers should use the data presented within this supplement to help them determine a benefit design strategy that is right for their organization and employees.

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