America's Benefit Specialist May 2023

NOTEWORTHY

mothers in particular (32%), significantly more likely to lack confidence that they can afford needed healthcare than men (18%). Employers are in a unique and critical position to address healthcare gaps by exploring benefits and employee experience strategies that balance human and digital health delivery and respond to the different needs of a diverse workforce. Additionally, the findings show that employees who believe their employer cares about their health and well-being are much more likely to be thriving – feeling positive about their health, wealth and careers. The findings also show that there is a positive correlation between higher levels of benefits and employee satisfaction. In fact, employees who receive 10 or more benefits are more likely to believe their employer cares about their health and well-being, are less likely to move to a different employer, and are more confident that they can afford the healthcare their family needs. The 2023 Health on Demand Report was fielded in October and November 2022, and surveyed 17,531 employee respon dents in 16 global markets about their priorities when it comes to health and well-being. The resulting report captures the voice of the employee to inform discussion around employ ee health and well-being needs, including the relationship between providing benefits and enabling employees to thrive, benefits that are suitable for the environment in which em ployees live, and benefits aligned with company purpose to support the wider health of society. EMPLOYEES VALUE VISION CARE AS MUCH AS DENTAL BUT MANY ARE LEAVING BENEFITS ON THE TABLE A new survey conducted by The Harris Poll for XP Health finds that employees value vision care as much as dental, but many are confused about how to take advantage of it—even when they have vision benefits. According to the research, vision benefits and vision health are seen as valuable or very valu able by most, similar to overall physical healthcare. The survey of 1,009 full-time employed adults in the U.S., aged 25+, who are eligible to receive vision benefits from their employer was conducted online February 3-13 by The Harris Poll. Across America, the vast majority of employed adults see the clear value of vision benefits, with 94% saying they are valuable, including 60% finding them to be very valuable. In fact, 82% say vision benefits are equally important as gen eral medical insurance. Moreover, they find vision health (75% very important) on par with dental (77%) and ahead of annual preventative screenings (69%), mental (66%) and dermatology (36%). The survey also revealed that employees raise pervasive concerns over cost, the biggest barrier to taking care of vision, both for those with and without benefits. Out-of-pocket costs were cited as the most common factor preventing employ ees from taking care of their vision (30%) and, despite all the

money spent on premiums, the majority feel like they end up paying a lot out of pocket for their vision-care needs (55%). Further, 64% of glasses wearers agree with the statement: “I often leave my appointments with sticker shock with how much my glasses cost.” “Despite 75% of employees considering vision benefits as very important, only 42% are VERY satisfied, which is the standard we want our sector to achieve,” said Antonio Moraes, CEO, and co-founder of XP Health. “That means millions of employees who deserve benefits they can rave about are not getting them, and it presents an opportunity and a responsibility for both providers and human resources professionals to help alleviate confusion and reduce costs to help employees access the highest quality care. With the emergence of remote work and eight-hour workdays in front of screens, the days when vision care was a simple ‘check the box benefit’ are gone.” Also of note, according to 86% of employees, vision ben efits are an important part of their healthcare budget, and 68% say they are not likely to sacrifice their vision care due to economic uncertainty. The survey points to gaps between how people value vision care and what they are getting. It appears that clear and acces sible information from employers about what the benefits exist and how/when to access benefits might help encourage enroll ment and usage. More than two in five (43%) of employed adults with vision benefits have some difficulty understanding what’s covered, and the majority (59%) wish their employer provided more helpful information. More than a quarter (28%) say the big gest reason they don’t always use benefits to cover vision-care costs is lack of clarity on what is and isn’t covered. Another 36% say clearer information about their coverage could prompt more people to enroll in vision benefits. In another interesting survey finding, the rise of remote work has exacerbated problems for American eyes. For most employed adults, screen time both overall (50%) and related to remote work (58%) has sharply increased over the past three years, and the majority (78% screen time; 63% remote work) believe this is having a negative impact on their vision. The majority of remote workers (70%) have experienced some physical symptoms of deteriorating eye health, such as headaches (40%) or eye irritation (40%) and neckaches (38%) and recognize that remote work demands focus and a greater importance on taking care of vision. Most say their eyes feel tired after logging off (57%) and sometimes they just have to take a break during the day to give their eyes a break from screens (83%). Despite this, the majority (52%) aren’t more likely to take any extra steps to seek eye care. Additionally, most don’t feel their employer has provided support related to employees’ vision care since working remotely (55%). While a majority feel their employer cares about their vision needs (62%), over half wish

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