"The Biden administration's new mandate will clearly accelerate a trend that was already underway and push others who were reluctant to take a stronger stance with their workforce." The National Alliance surveyed employers about their views on COVID-19, health strategy and policy. Among the key findings:

Almost three in 10 employers are now unsure of when the environment will stabilize.
The openness to considering vaccination mandates has grown substantially in the past six months. Thirty-seven percent of employers said in August that they will require vaccination for all employees, compared with 8% in March.
Almost all employers are continuing COVID-19 safety procedures in the workplace, and most are requiring stricter standards for those who have not been vaccinated. These include mandatory masking in the workplace (90%), and restrictions on meeting attendance (52%) and business travel (47%).
Employers continue to have significant concerns about the affordability of employer-provided health coverage for employees and their families, with 80% citing drug prices and 73% mentioning hospital prices as significant threats.
When asked about areas of focus for health benefit plans over the next one to two years, the top strategies included mental health and substance use access and quality (92%), centers of excellence (92%) and hospital price and quality transparency (91%).
Emerging health benefit strategies for which employers want more information are health equity (72%) and advanced primary care (68%).
Most employers view potential health reforms favorably overall.

"While mitigating COVID-19 remains the number one priority, employers are also rethinking their broader health and well-being strategies," Thompson said. "The days of delegating and shifting responsibility to employees are yielding to greater employer advocacy and guidance for employees to improve health, equity and value.

Instant Insights /

Employers rethinking COVID-19 strategies in light of Delta surge

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