Defining a culture of health 2017 MetLife Annual Trend Study Additional benefits to consider

• Telemedicine and advocacy resources
• Healthcare cost transparency tools
• Financial wellness, budget/debt tools
• College loan programs
• Personal protection and financial security (e.g., ID theft, legal)
• Caregiver support resources
• Consumer savings programs (e.g., cell phones, cable TV, retail)
• Discount medical programs to complement traditional insurance or fill gaps where no insurance exists

5 easy button considerations

1. Only settle for best-in-class providers. The alternative benefits arena is exploding with new players. Partner with tenured companies that deliver ROI.
2. Worksite pricing versus retail. Partner with organizations that understand and price their products for the worksite—the savings can be huge!
3. Multidiscipline companies and/or wholesale aggregators. Ease the administrative burden by working with companies that can deliver multiple benefits on a single administrative platform.
4. Flexible funding options. Although many of these products require no underwriting, make sure you have the ability to offer these benefits employer paid, voluntary payroll deduct, or on a direct pay basis (think part-time employees).
5. Post enrollment marketing and service support. Find those partners that help with ongoing promotion of the program to increase awareness and utilization. These benefits tend to raise a lot of questions at the employee level, so choosing partners that embed customer service in their product will further minimize the administration burden felt by the HR staff.