Defining a culture ofhealth2017 MetLife Annual Trend StudyAdditional benefits to consider

• Telemedicine and advocacy resources
• Healthcare cost transparency tools
• Financial wellness, budget/debt tools
• College loan programs
• Personal protection and financial security (e.g., ID theft,legal)
• Caregiver support resources
• Consumer savings programs (e.g., cell phones, cable TV,retail)
• Discount medical programs to complement traditional insuranceor fill gaps where no insurance exists

5 easy button considerations

1. Only settle for best-in-class providers. The alternative benefits arena is exploding with new players. Partner with tenured companies that deliver ROI.
2. Worksite pricing versus retail. Partnerwith organizations that understand and price their products for theworksite—the savings can be huge!
3. Multidiscipline companies and/or wholesaleaggregators. Ease the administrative burden byworking with companies that can deliver multiple benefits on asingle administrative platform.
4. Flexible funding options. Although manyof these products require no underwriting, make sure you have theability to offer these benefits employer paid, voluntary payrolldeduct, or on a direct pay basis (think part-time employees).
5. Post enrollment marketing and servicesupport. Find those partners that help with ongoingpromotion of the program to increase awareness andutilization. These benefits tend to raise a lot of questionsat the employee level, so choosing partners that embed customerservice in their product will further minimize the administrationburden felt by the HR staff.