Benefits brokers and consultants deliver enormous value to employers by helping their employees become smarter consumers of health care. But that value could be threatened by growing employee dissatisfaction with an overly complicated health care billing system.

Many employees are inundated by endless medical bills and notices, but the information rarely makes sense. They don't know what they owe or to whom. Nor do they understand what is and is not covered by their employer's benefits plan. Somewhere within the mountain of medical messages they receive each month is useful information that could help them understand what they actually owe. But most information is disaggregated, repetitive and often not useful when it comes to understanding their payment situation. In turn, employee stress, confusion and dissatisfaction spreads among the workforce, creating challenges for employee retention and wellbeing.

But new developments in payment platforms are giving benefit consultants fresh opportunities to solve their clients' insurance and health care billing issues. By making health care billing less confusing and more cost-effective for all, these new platforms can help turn employees into better informed consumers who are more in control of their medical expenses. More importantly, employees become more engaged and motivated in their own health care journey.