The New Better: Strategic Innovation in a Post-Pandemic Environment
COVID-19 shifted the way employers think about health plans. Here’s how organizations can harness their benefits to build a resilient and productive workforce of the future.
lEARN mORE
lEARN mORE
Download the Executive Summary Findings
The Impact of COVID-19
Aon’s 2020 Health Survey, which surveyed benefits leaders prior to the pandemic and later in the year during the enrollment period, showed a massive change in what mattered in healthcare, brought on by concerns of uncertainty and the need for business continuity. Priorities shifted from using benefits to attract talent to drilling down on how to keep workers safe, productive and resilient.
The report includes responses from:
200+
survey respondents
Company size ranging from <500 employees to 5,000+ employees
Industry insights across sectors including consumer goods, manufacturing, life sciences and more
A key strategy health systems use to address cost (for both employer and employee) and quality is to encourage members to use their own facilities and providers through plan features like a “domestic tier.” The survey also dives into tactics that health systems employ to increase domestic utilization.
82%
of respondents Have assessed network adequacy for their primary care and/or specialty physicians — a key step in building and maintaining a physician network
How firms describe their future health strategy
Pre-COVID Post-COVID
Good to Great
Focus on taking programs from good to great
Experiment & Expand
Explore solutions by experimenting through pilots
Biggest employee wellbeing issues today
physical health
Rank 1st
Rank 2nd
Rank 3rd
Rank 4th
Rank 5th
Overall
burnout
Financial stress
COVID-19 Pandemic
work / life balance
mental health
childcare
Support Mental Health in Your Workforce
Percent Interested in Adding a DE&I Strategy to Benefits
16%
22%
15%
14%
5%
72%
9%
15%
12%
11%
10%
57%
25%
8%
9%
5%
5%
52%
5%
10%
12%
9%
12%
49%
11%
7%
9%
9%
6%
42%
8%
10%
9%
7%
7%
41%
3%
5%
9%
9%
11%
36%
Executive Summary Findings
Download the white paper to receive a clearer picture about the future of healthcare.
Learn more about how our Health Solutions can help your organization build a resilient and productive workforce of the future.
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Navigating an increasingly complex world, building a resilient workforce
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62%
57%
14%
19%
No change from Pre-COVID to Post-COVID
Change the World — Lead the market with innovative strategies.
Keep It Simple — Benefits are important but not core to our business or employee value proposition.
5%
19%
Share the insights:
Push Mental Health to the Top of the Agenda
The pandemic has elevated mental health to one of the most important wellbeing issues among the majority of employers. As such, organizations need to ensure their workforce has the resources to access mental health support and solutions to ensure that employees can bring their best and most resilient selves to work.
About the Survey:
23%
50% of survey respondents stated they were interested in adding this to improve/support the employee experience.
While only 23% of employers indicating having
benefit programs that effectively support and advance DE&I (diversity, edquity, & inclusion) initiatives
17%
highlighting significant room for improvement. Employers are now focused on taking their health strategy from “good to great,” with a growing number of HR leaders seeking to “experiment and expand” using targeted pilots to measure results.
Only 17% of respondents rate their current health and benefits strategies as very effective,
Create a Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive Workforce
0%
0%
0%
0%
39%
46%
48%
37%
35%
42%
50%
47%
41%
45%
37%
36%
36%
41%
41%
36%
Redirect to optimal provider
Access digital self-management tools
(through plan design or other financial incentives) to high-quality and/or cost effective hospitals and/or physicians
Steer participants to high-quality and/or cost-effective care
that aggregate health data, consumer data, and communications in a personal, relevant manner
Implement digital platforms that aggregate data and communications
Use digital app to manage chronic conditions
Live navigation support
Narrow or dynamic network with preference-sensitive steerage
Design a virtual-first plan
Optimize vendors to reduce redundancies and improve engagement
Adapt benefit programs to support and advance DE&I
Employers increasingly realize that it’s a business imperative, and competitive advantage, to create a diverse and inclusive workforce in which all individuals feel valued, respected and have an equal opportunity to succeed. While half of survey respondents said they wanted to support employees by adding DE&I to their benefits, only 23% of employers said they have benefit programs that effectively support and advance these initiatives.
Pre-COVID
Post-COVID
Pre-COVID
Post-COVID
Integrate a DE&I Strategy Into Your Benefits
Virtual Care Plan Design Composition
Plan Design Composition
Interested in Adding
8%
16%
34%
35%
41%
47%
Virtual mental health services: virtual therapy, etc.
Virtual primary care: enables ongoing relationship with same primary care physicain
Other specialities, e.g. dermatology, physical therapy
Digital self-management tools (mindfulness, etc.)
Digital health apps to manage chronic conditions
Virtual on-demand urgent care
(traditional services)
The rapid expansion of virtual care in the wake of the global pandemic has changed how people engage with their health. Of all the virtual care plan options, adding digital health apps to manage chronic conditions was top of mind, with nearly half of respondents indicating they are interested in such an option.
Enter the Age of Digital Medicine
Close the Gap in Variation of Provider Cost and Quality
To create a more cohesive clinical ecosystem, it’s become more important than ever to close the gap in variation of provider cost and quality. Our survey found that steering employees to high-quality and/or cost-effective options is especially important to larger organizations, while smaller companies are more focused on virtual plan design.
Plan Design Composition — Interested in Adding
<500 Employees
500-4,999 Employees
Over 5,000 Employees
Average Answer
54%
40%
45% Average
Steer participants to high-quality and/or cost-effective care
31%
36%
32%
47%
36% Average
Design a virtual-first plan
45%
22%
28%
33% Average
Provide tiered benefit designs
36%
26%
44%
33% Average
Explore designs that vary cost-sharing by provider choice or treatment
What’s more, redirecting care to optimal providers is paramount, as our survey showed low penetration in this realm in current plans. Therefore, solutions that focus on targeted services and leverage hospital and provider cost and quality data will help individuals select the best care for their specific needs.
Optimize Cost & Quality of Healthcare
Rank 1
rank 3
rank 2
Organizations are increasingly providing access to resources to enhance individual coping skills, such as meditation, and help them balance work and life in an environment where workers may be juggling caregiving responsibilities or struggling with social isolation and loneliness.
rank 5
rank 4
Rank 1
rank 2
rank 3
rank 4
rank 5
Reach us now
Download Executive Summary Findings
To build a resilient workforce and improve employee health and wellbeing, employers are focusing on four areas:
Create a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce
Build virtual care solutions and digital support
Close the gap in variation of provider cost and quality
Push mental health to the top of the agenda
Revisiting Business Strategy
When done well, virtual care can make healthcare more accessible and personalized—while also reducing employer medical plan costs by as much as 15%.
Download executive summary Findings
Interested in Adding
Part of Plan
Interested in Adding
85%
77%
49%
44%
40%
35%
Part of Plan
Virtual mental health services: virtual therapy, etc.
Virtual primary care: enables ongoing relationship with same primary care physicain
Other specialities, e.g. dermatology, physical therapy
Digital self-management tools (mindfulness, etc.)
Digital health apps to manage chronic conditions
Virtual on-demand urgent care
(traditional services)
Pre-COVID
Post-COVID
Pre-COVID
Post-COVID
Interested in Adding
Part of Plan
Rank :
1
2
1
2
3
3
4
3
4
5
5
Virtual mental health services: virtual therapy, etc.
Virtual primary care: enables ongoing relationship with same primary care physicain
Other specialities, e.g. dermatology, physical therapy
Digital self-management tools (mindfulness, etc.)
Digital health apps to manage chronic conditions
Virtual on-demand urgent care
(traditional services)
The percentages within the bar graphs represent the corresponding ranks by surveyed participants.
The percentages within the bar graphs represent the corresponding ranks by surveyed participants.