A national study sponsored by Quantum Health presented new findings about how employees view the healthcare system and what problems they encounter. The State of Health 2023 studyrevealed that 67% of all employees are “currently navigating their healthcare journey alone without enough support from their employer or health insurer.” Specifically, the employees wanted help understanding their options such as how to access leading care providers in their networks and related costs. Fifty-one percent of employers are finding this objective difficult to meet.
Employee and Employer Perspectives
The study, conducted by Arizent, which is the parent company of the media outlet, Employee Benefit News (EBN), was comprised of a balanced mix of 500 employees (i.e., gender, age and race) and 165 benefit managers. The study sought to learn more about employees’ and employers’ perspectives on employee healthcare concerns. Here are some of the employees’ perspectives:
- Employees say that they are not getting access to the resources and expert guidance that could help them become more knowledgeable about cost impacts of their healthcare choices, and
- Employees want access to high quality, affordable healthcare and help navigating the complex healthcare system which is difficult to navigate on their own.
- Employers have responded with more choices in their benefit offerings, including many healthcare solutions, primarily focused on critical and chronic conditions; and
- Employers are attempting to provide more wellness solutions that meet their employees’ needs.
State of Healthcare
Regardless of their employers’ efforts, just 20% of employees are “very confident” they understand their health benefits and how best to use them, although they did feel they were supported during enrollment periods. What they are finding especially difficult is in making the right decisions; an area where support is readily provided.
More details on The State of Healthcare 2023 can be found at https://quantum-health.com/newsroom/national-study-by-employer-benefits-news/