Announcing the 2021 Employee Benefits Insights Report

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of the 2021 HealthJoy Employee Benefits Insights Report.

The report reveals responses from over 1,000 consumers with employer-sponsored benefits, including employees, spouses, and dependent children. It opens a window into how their understanding, perceptions, and priorities have changed over this most challenging year.

The 2021 Employee Benefits Insights Report is HealthJoy’s most extensive research report to date, and we believe it comes at a critical time for employers. The 2021 Employee Benefits Insights Survey ran in March. At that time, excitement was building for a vaccine-fueled reopening, buoying the job market. Yet employees were also weighed down by lingering uncertainty about the pandemic, fears about their health, and ever-present discomfort with our healthcare system. Our survey sought to gauge what respondents thought of healthcare and benefits now while uncovering what they hope for in the future.

The consumers we surveyed told us that the last year had changed how they view their benefits and made clear what they want most. Their most-wished-for perks, like work-from-anywhere policies, reveal a growing desire to experience flexibility in a changing workplace.

They also revealed that they are struggling to navigate the healthcare system on the heels of a national health crisis. Many reported delaying care, being confused by medical bills, and worrying about costs. Worryingly, they reported uncertainty about critical employee benefits such as telemedicine and EAP.
The survey indicates that:

Employees are putting off care because they don’t understand their benefits:

• 79% are worried about the costs of healthcare
• 40% reported avoiding services because they weren’t sure about costs.
• 29% avoided taking medication as prescribed because they don’t know what was covered.

There’s a gap between real and perceived benefits understanding:

• 92% of employees say they understand their benefits at least somewhat well, despite delaying care.
• 31% weren’t sure whether they had access to an EAP; 17% were unsure about telemedicine.

Employee benefits will continue to be crucial for employee retention and satisfaction as the job market expands.

• 47% say they’re satisfied with their benefits, and they contribute to job satisfaction
• 56% agreed the pandemic caused them to place greater importance on benefits.

The world of work experienced tectonic shifts over the last year, but helping our people thrive will always come first. We hope this report aids industry leaders and decision-makers as they shape the next era of employee healthcare and benefits. Armed with insights from the Employee Benefits Insights Report, HR teams can prioritize the changes employees want and need most, now and in the future.

Download the full report here, and join me in two weeks, on May 5, as I host an exclusive webinar about our findings.