Evolving Needs and Trends of Plan Sponsors

With the rapid changes in health care and the evolving needs of members, plan sponsors are forced to keep pace. Members know what they need and expect their plan sponsor to adopt strategies that will help them and their families live healthier lives while continuing to drive down costs.

Recently we surveyed 1,100 commercial health services decision makers to understand where their current focus is and areas that they want to expand into over the next five years to meet the ever evolving needs of their members.

More than Pharmacy

In 2021, the total drug spend across the U.S. grew 7.7% over the previous year. And, while drug trend management remains top of mind, respondents expressed the need to be more comprehensive: 92% said that pharmacy is still the most widely used benefit but it is only the fourth most likely to be expanded, behind wellness programs (46%), behavioral health (42%), and EAP services (37%).

Specialty-focused Care

With rapid pharmacological innovation, the cost of specialty medications continues to rise. Providing quality care to members while managing high-costs can be challenging and overwhelming. Survey participants agreed that their organizations will focus on specialty services even more in the next five years, with fertility benefits generating the highest interest at 21%.

Flexible and Adaptable Partner

Because of the rapid changes taking place in health care, plan sponsors require a flexible and adaptable partner who:

• Understands their unique pain points
• Can address their specific needs
• Will continue to educate them and their members

Top needs represented include empowering employees to better manage care (38%) and providing better customer service and support (34%).

To access all of these insights and more, download the “Benefits Management Today and Tomorrow” report.