In my last two articles, we covered two of the larger shifts that will be occurring in the worksite marketplace in the next few years.

1. The shift from employer-bill to zero-bill: Taking the employer out of the payroll deduction billing process through a premium direct deposit or EFT model
2. The move from a pre-tax to post-tax model: Mostly due to the potential tax liabilities now associated with pre-taxing fixed indemnity VB plans

But doesn't everything come in threes?  The shift to a zero-bill, post-tax environment opens the door for the last major coming change:  from scheduled benefit plan design to lump-sum design.

Traditionally, when it comes to voluntary benefits, most plans have been a scheduled benefit design model.  These are plans that have upwards of 30 different procedures that could trigger a claim payment.  For example, cancer insurance has claim benefits for diagnosis, radiation/chemotherapy, surgery, hospital stays, ambulance, prosthetic, and the list goes on.  Same with other lines of VB, such as hospital and accident plans.  These plans, while valuable, are certainly more difficult for employees to understand and more complicated at claim time than their simpler cousin, the lump-sum plan.

Related: 5 trends to expect in voluntary benefits in 2019