4 major trends in health benefits plan design

Extensive family leave benefits have become table stakes, and supporting new mothers and families goes far beyond extended time off. (Photo: Shutterstock)

As we look to 2020, it’s a good time to reflect on the creativity and innovation that’s happening in health benefit plans from employers across the U.S. and look ahead at the changes companies might want to consider down the line.

One thing is obvious: employers are seeing that the status quo is no longer acceptable as a growing number of forward-thinking companies and self-insured employers are tailoring their plan design to keep up with employee demand for new solutions and benefit offerings. For example, in 2020, the percentage of companies that offer high-deductible plans as the sole option will decline for the third year in a row. It’s also been well documented that high-deductible health plans do not result in their desired impact, and, with more resources at their disposal than ever before, employers can design unique benefits plans that don’t solely rely on shifting costs over to their employees.