Along with a shiftingpolitical climate, the impacts of the Affordable Care act willstill need navigating in 2019 as health care costs remain aprominent issue.

As we close out 2018, the economy is still showing signs oftremendous growth and employment rates continue to rise.

For employers looking ahead to next year, the health of the economy will play a part in howthey begin thinking about which benefits to implement. Not only canemployees be more selective about the companies they applyto work for, but companies will have to differentiate themselveswith their benefits catalog to attract the best candidates.

Related: 5 trends to expect in voluntary benefits in2019

Along with a shifting political climate, the impacts of theAffordable Care act will still need navigating in 2019 as healthcare costs remain a prominent issue.

Shifting health care costs

Health care costs are on track to eclipse $15,000 per employee per year in 2019.In an effort to reduce these costs, employers are shifting theirattention to finding alternative health care options foremployees.

Expansion of telemedicine and virtual care are at the top ofthe list for employers looking to reduce their health carecosts.

Additionally, after the passing of the Affordable Care Act, manyemployers shifted their attention to offering consumer-directhealth plans (CDHPs) as the sole option at their organization.

These plans combined high-deductibles with health savingsaccounts. By asking employees to pay for their doctors visits witha savings account, they're likely to seek out cheaper coverage,thus saving the company money overall.

The popularity of CDHPs was driven in large part by a proposed40 percent tax on high-value health care plans. Employers quicklymoved to CDHPs to save money, but the proposed tax has yet to takeeffect and employers are less eager to shift to CDHP options soquickly.

Custom communications

Personalized communications to employees about their benefitsare becoming more prevalent.

Every employees' benefits journey is different and theircommunications should be too.

As employees show interest or a need for a certain type ofbenefit, benefits platforms are gearing up to be able tocommunicate directly with employees to help.

For employees who prefer to communicate via text message orcalendar reminders, platforms will begin to integrate more closelywith employees' lives to deliver the guidance they need.

Employers should focus on partnering with providers who aredelivering customized messaging to employees to maximize engagementand adoption rates. 2019 will likely see employers not onlyoffering more customized and personalized benefits, but also morerobust communications that speak directly to employees' needs.

Benefits over salary

Hiring efforts have been made difficult by a strong job marketand economy. Employers in almost every industry are struggling toattract talent because of stiff competition.

Basic benefits like paid vacation and a 401(k) aren't enough tobreak through the noise anymore. People are able to be moreselective about which jobs they apply for based on the benefitsbeing offered.

In 2019, employers will need to focus on making their entirebenefits package more enticing—including offering help with thingslike student loans, tuition reimbursement, and college savingsplans.

Rise of voluntary benefits

Voluntary benefits, while supplemental to core benefits likehealth insurance, are a way to address the unique needs ofemployees and allow employees to personalize their rewards.

Voluntary benefits are appealing to employees because they offera nice flexibility to their compensation package. As employers arediscovering that benefits are not a one-size-fits-all package,voluntary benefits provide a cadre of solutions that can be builtfor the employee base.

Attractive benefits can make the difference between whether aprospective employee accepts a job offer or not. In 2019, employeeswill demand more from their benefits packages and the addition ofvoluntary benefits will be used as a factor in recruitment.

As 2018 comes to a close, employers should focus on talking toemployees about their benefits and where they'd like to seeimprovement. Start conversations with your IT team about securitymeasures you can work towards in 2019 and try to begin theconversation with your benefits providers about how to communicatemore directly with your employees to stay competitive in thecurrent job market.

Want more insights into 2019?

• Sunny forecast for health insurance industry in2019
• How will the midterm results affect the benefitsindustry?
• 3 trends and 4 survival tips for managingmillennials in 2019

Chris Whitlow is thefounder and CEO of Edukate, a platform that amplifies financial wellnessefforts through data-driven insights andsolutions.