Benefits are an investment, not an expense

As benefits advisors, does it often seem easiest to just renew your client with the health plan they had last year? What if the rising cost of doing this has eroded participation so much it is starting to become embarrassing? Let’s face it, it’s hard for an employer to prove their company health plan strategy is successful when only a small percentage of their employees choose to participate — regardless of the reasons they opt out.  

When participation is low, it’s hard for an employer to feel good, especially if they need to explain away their health plan shortcomings when they are hiring. It’s tiring to continually explain why half of their employees “didn’t want health insurance,” or “chose to use their spouse’s insurance.” Everyone knows the real answer is that the plan offered was simply too expensive and/or didn’t provide value for what the employer could afford to subsidize and employees could afford to pay.