Most Employers Say They Won’t Cut Medical Benefits in 2021

Only 18% of employers say they’ll shift more healthcare expenses to employees in 2021, such as adopting higher deductibles or copays, according to a Mercer study. “Given all the turmoil employees have been through this year, employers are putting big changes on hold, looking to balance economics with empathy. This is different from what we saw at the start of the economic recession in 2008, which drove many employers to trim health benefits,” said Tracy Watts, a senior consultant with Mercer.

Employers are planning these enhancements:

• 27% are adding or improving digital healthcare resources, such as telemedicine for episodic care and artificial-intelligence-based symptoms triage 
• 37% of those with 5,000 employees or more are offering text-a-doctor apps and virtual office visits with the PCP
• 22% are adding voluntary benefits like critical illness insurance or a hospital indemnity plan 
• 20% are adding or improving behavioral healthcare resources. Fifty-nine percent have trained managers on how to support employees’ emotional and behavioral health since the onset of the pandemic or are planning to