Current Health Benefits Trends for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

There is no doubt about it – the health insurance benefits your company offers will have a major impact on the type of talent you are able to attract. If you want to retain your best employees and attract hardworking new ones, you will need to offer healthcare benefits that reflect what employees need and want in today’s society. In other words, you must stay aware of current benefits trends to stay afloat. Before contacting a group health insurance broker Santa Rosa, take a look at the following health benefits trends for small and medium-sized businesses.

Telehealth

Telehealth benefits are steadily becoming more popular. Prior to the pandemic, the use of telehealth services increased, but it was obvious that many employees preferred to see a healthcare provider in person. However, during the first few months of the pandemic, telehealth usage increased significantly, causing many doctor’s offices to change the way they interact with patients.

Offering telehealth benefits is a great way to attract employees, primarily because telehealth visits tend to be effective, safe, and cost-efficient. Telehealth visits for primary care and mental health purposes are especially popular now, but as time progresses, additional types of offerings such as chronic care and remote monitoring will become popular as well. The telehealth revolution is also being credited with making health care more convenient and accessible for individuals and families.

Mental Health Coverage

Historically, health insurance treated mental health as a secondary need, and many employees did not have access to mental health coverage at all. In recent times, especially with the rise of the pandemic, mental health has started to receive increased attention from society. Mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety are no longer considered taboo by many. For this reason, employees now expect to have mental health coverage as part of their health benefits package.

There are numerous benefits to prioritizing mental health in the workplace. Mentally healthy individuals perform better, and this improved performance is beneficial to both employees and the company as a whole. Some employers have even started to offer health insurance packages that include a limited number of free counseling sessions. Other common mental health offerings include access to 24/7 emotional support lines and mental health-oriented apps.

Caregiver Support

Being a caregiver is difficult, and often, caregivers are left without support in the workplace. In the past, health insurance benefits have had little impact on caregivers, who often struggle with mental health issues such as extreme stress and emotional exhaustion. As the aging population of America steadily increases, workplaces around the country can expect to see more employees become caregivers in the coming years.

Fortunately, employers can help caregivers in a variety of ways. By offering a benefits package with mental health benefits, as well as caregiver support programs, employers can show their caregiving employees that they haven’t been overlooked.

At-Home Healthcare

The age of old-fashioned doctor house calls may be over, but employers are now offering benefits that take at-home health care into consideration. The demand for at-home care is rapidly increasing, especially among older Americans. At-home support is currently becoming more popular as individuals seek out benefits to cover medical, palliative care, behavioral health, and social services.

Personalized Benefits

To attract the best employees, companies will need to offer healthcare benefits that reflect today’s diverse workforce. To do this, employers are starting to see the advantages of offering personalized benefits packages to employees. More progressive employers are now taking factors such as age into consideration when offering benefits, as well as lifestyle and financial categories. To appeal to younger workers, employers are now offering increased mental health benefits as well as other benefits such as gym reimbursement. On the other end of the spectrum, older employees are often more interested in benefits such as long-term disability.

To offer the best benefits, employers will need to survey and study their employees to learn more about their wants and needs. Employers can also save money by eliminating benefits that are no longer useful or desirable to their employees.

Lower Premium Costs for Employees

Over time, the average cost of family premiums has risen sharply and outpaced wage growth by a considerable percentage. This sounds like bad news for employees, but in recent times, more employers have begun to shoulder a greater share of the costs related to premium increases. This removes a significant amount of financial pressure off of employees. High-deductible health insurance plans are also becoming a thing of the past since they don’t offer many benefits to employees.

Employees are also beginning to gravitate towards plans that offer more predictable healthcare costs and help them manage more serious medical conditions. For this reason, employers are starting to offer plans with:

More transparent pricing toolsThe reintroduction of copaysAdditional specialty care optionsChoices for managing chronic health conditions

Offering health insurance that removes some of the financial burdens off of employees is a great way to attract top-tier talent and keep employees loyal.



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Here at Sackett & Associates Insurance Services, we understand current benefits trends and patterns. We will do our best to help you find the right type of
insurance benefits for you and your employees.
Contact us today to learn more about our insurance offerings