America's Benefit Specialist December 2022

NOTEWORTHY

half now say they plan to add a new benefit, either employer-paid, partially-employer paid or voluntary.” Other findings in the report: Two-thirds of employers now offer at least one voluntary benefit to their employ ees. This represents an increase from 60% two years ago and is driven primarily by the higher percentage of smaller employers offering voluntary coverage. Nontraditional voluntary benefits con tinue to increase in popularity. Legal plans lead the list, followed by auto/homeowners, identity theft protection and pet insurance. Online benefits administration services are very important to employers of all sizes. The top three online services employers want include the ability to adjust and pay a bill, the ability for employees to file claims, and the ability for employees to check their claim status. More information is available at www. eastbridge.com.

percent support travel for medical purposes if a procedure is not available in state. Despite the support of a majority of HR decision makers for reproductive and family health benefits, only about a quarter are aware that certain expenses, such as egg-storage fees and baby formula, are cov ered by FSAs or HSAs. REPORT REVEALS INCREASING An increasing number of employers plan to make changes to their benefits programs in the next 12 to 18 months, according to East bridge’s new MarketVision—The Employer Viewpoint report. The report shows nearly two-thirds (62%) of employers plan to add or change an employee benefit—significant ly more than the 44% reporting such plans just two years ago. The MarketVision—The Employer View point report explores employer attitudes and PACE OF CHANGE FOR EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

opinions about voluntary benefits based on survey data from more than 1,000 employers in firms of all sizes, from 10 to more than 10,000 employees. The findings update more than two decades of Eastbridge data on a wide range of topics including types of benefits employers offer, which benefits they offer as voluntary and why, changes they’ve made recently or plan to make in the future, com munication and enrollment methods they use, benefits administration systems and more. The report is designed to help benefits carriers better understand the needs, wants and expectations of employers to develop effective marketing plans and business strategies. “Our research shows a past trend of em ployers cutting back on employee benefits to control costs has changed,” said Nick Rock well, Eastbridge president. “Only a handful of employers—six percent—say they plan to drop one or more benefits completely, less than half the number in our 2020 survey. In fact, just the opposite is true: more than

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