Today's employers have a much more paternalistic relationship with employees compared to when I joined the workforce. And, while I believe some Silicon Valley companies have gone overboard with free helicopter rides and concierge services, I commend the trend of companies going beyond traditional health coverage to provide additional perks that help employees optimize many aspects of their lives.

However, these fringe benefits don't come without additional complexities. Beyond the enormity of managing all of these resources, an equally daunting task is educating and engaging employees in the benefits and resources offered to them, such as free flu shots, behavioral health support, and wealth management.

Let's face it: Employee wellness is a waste of time and money if people aren't using the programs and services or don't know how to access them. Generally, employees do not improve the ability of an employee to be a discriminating and active health care consumer, which is key to driving down costs of care. In addition, most employee programs are not systematically solving the inefficiencies and hassles of the health care system.