The whole picture

Something we've observed and seen reinforced in our own marketresearch is wellness giving way to “well-being,” with employerslooking at employee health from a whole-person view, recognizingits physical, social, emotional, financial and environmentaldimensions. And while these dimensions of well-being are criticalin determining overall health, a key component is the delivery—howyou empower employees to pay attention to take action. Thisrequires adapting the way you work with each participant and clientcommunity to instill a culture of health that fosters sustainablehealthy actions in more of an employee population.

Sean McManamy, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development,HeathFitness

Shifting costs

Health care inflation has driven our business to grow leaps andbounds this year.

It's no secret that health care cost increases are pushingout-of-pocket costs. Employers and brokers are facing PR issuesbecause employees are strapped. As a result, employers demand newways to contain costs and/or soften the landing as they increasecost sharing. This is our sweet spot, and it's enabled us to addhundreds of new partners this year.

Reid Rasmussen, Co-Founder & President,Freshbenies

More voluntary

We've seen a dramatic increase in RFP activity this year and Ibelieve that spike is attributed to three triggers. First,completing the implementation of the Patient Protection andAffordable Care Act . Now that many aspects of PPACA have been putin place, employers can move their attention to voluntary benefitslike legal insurance.

Secondly, life is complicated and problems seem to get morecomplex every day. Companies are looking for resources to helpemployees solve personal issues that cause problems at work. If anemployer can offer a benefit that reduces stress to make employeesmore productive while decreasing absenteeism and presenteeism, it'sa win for everyone.

And finally, in response to increased public concern aroundidentity theft, we added protection and recovery services to ourproduct this year. Our unique approach to pair identity theftprotection with our comprehensive legal plan has been veryattractive to brokers and employers because it allows them to solvetwo problems with one solution.