Highlights of key findings, United States
Research findings are based on responses from 446 organizations employing 6.3 million employees. Of those total respondents, 238 that employ 3.7 million workers responded to the voluntary benefits section. The survey fielded between February 23 through March 12, 2021.
The health care industry, our economy and your employees are facing extraordinary times. The diverse, complex needs of a multigenerational workforce, one shaken by the pandemic, is compelling employers to seek and deliver more personalized value through innovative, impactful health care benefits, while holding overall plan costs in check.
To help organizations assess recent issues tied to health and wellbeing programs and to keep pace with rapidly evolving practices, we conducted the 2021 Emerging Trends in Health Care Survey.
This year’s questionnaire examined hot topics including policies and communications around COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, analyzing social determinants of health and aligning programs with inclusion and diversity objectives, key considerations and trends for pharmacy plan benefits and voluntary benefits.
A majority of U.S. employers believe that immunization of the workforce is essential to moving beyond current pandemic restrictions to a new normal in terms of returning to the workplace (80%) and reactivating the economy (84%). As vaccine availability ramps up, employers are taking actions to encourage and facilitate the vaccination of their employees.
Employers are beginning to look at their health and wellbeing strategies through the lens of social determinants of health (SDoH), the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. This entails examining benefits programs, design features, network composition and access in order to align with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategies. The ability to capture and analyze key information by cohort will lead to more meaningful insights, driving both programmatic changes and employee/member engagement strategies.
Voluntary benefits (employee-paid benefits) enable employers to augment their standard benefit plans and personalize rewards to fit employees’ needs and lifestyles.
Group offerings | 2018 or prior | Currently in place, considering for 2022 |
---|---|---|
Identity theft insurance | 36% | 78% |
Critical illness insurance | 43% | 76% |
Legal | 48% | 75% |
Pet insurance | 42% | 69% |
Accident insurance | 37% | 65% |
Hospital indemnity | 24% | 65% |
Long-term care insurance | 42% |
Title | File Type | File Size |
---|---|---|
2021 Emerging Trends in Health Care Survey | .5 MB |