Benefits navigation programs enable employers to cut health care costs without shifting the financial responsibility to employees, while also increasing their overall health care experience.

Health care costs are growing at an alarming rate, and managing these costs is one of the biggest struggles employers face today. With the cost of employer-sponsored health care benefits expected to approach $15,000 per employee in 2019, the search for a solution is a top priority among employers. As a result, many employers have turned to high-deductible health plans (HDHP) to cut costs which offer lower premiums to employees in exchange for significantly higher deductibles. In effect, a large portion of the health care financial responsibility is shifted to employees.

While this may help employer costs, it leads to greater employee frustration and a poorer health care experience. Employees are now required to pay more out-of-pocket costs for the same health care they were receiving before the switch to HDHP plans. When managing an unexpected health event, a larger-than-anticipated bill makes an already overwhelming experience even more distressing for employees.

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