Since the exchanges were announced, there's been a lot of talk about how these marketplaces have the potential to change the entire landscape of employee benefits. But what's really happening?

The results of surveys with both employers and brokers say change has been slow. Based on a survey of more than 900 employers with 10 to 10,000 employees, about 21 percent say they're using exchanges for benefit offerings. Of these, more than half are offering benefits through a private exchange. Six percent are using a public exchange for medical but continue to offer other benefits, while 4 percent use a public exchange and no longer offer any benefits.

Most (55 percent) of those using a public or private exchange send all employees to the exchange. Almost one-third (28 percent) use some type of exchange but for active employees only, while 17 percent are using these for retirees only.