Unpacking the Healthcare Crisis: 2022 Employee Engagement and Benefits Trends
Millions of Americans are facing health and financial challenges stemming from a lack of understanding and confidence in healthcare selection and navigation. We’ve gathered insights from 600+ employees to surface these realities in the wake of challenges escalated by unprecedented inflation, lingering impacts of Covid-19, rising medical debt, and more.
Who Was Surveyed
Our research found that the majority of both female and male respondents were unconfident when choosing benefits, with female respondents slightly less confident than the male respondents.
Employees who responded “unconfident” selecting benefits, by gender:
Department / Role
Organization size (by employees)
Millenials
Confident
10%
Unconfident
70%
Moderate
20%
Boomers
Confident
20%
Unconfident
54%
Moderate
26%
Gen X
Confident
14%
Unconfident
62%
Moderate
24%
Benefits Confidence and Understanding
Without access to a decision support tool, how confident are you when choosing benefits?
HR Leaders
Confident
14%
Unconfident
63%
Moderate
23%
Resondents who were “unconfident” choosing benefits, by company size:
Industry
of respondents have children and/or dependents
57%
63% of employees across America are not confident selecting benefits without a decision support tool. When broken down by generation, we can see that confidence increases with age, but not by much.
Boomers have the most confidence when choosing benefits, and still only 46% are moderate to confident.
Gen Z
Confident
0%
Unconfident
80%
Moderate
20%
The top reported method of benefits education from HR during open enrollment came in the form of written materials outlining plans.
75%
Of consumers surveyed reported that without access to a decision support tool, they were unlikely to select Voluntary Benefits plans.
61%
The top reported method of finding in-network care was visiting an insurance carrier app or website
62%
Of respondents with children and/or dependents responded that they were “unconfident” whenchoosing benefits.
62%
The reality is, many Americans are currently facing record high inflation, medical debt, and a severe lack of understanding in the selection and application of benefits. Despite best efforts from businesses and HR teams, benefits planning and strategies are not meeting consumer needs. We need to bridge this gap, and support employees across America with education and confidence around benefits so that consumers across the nation can achieve health and financial equity.
Access our HR Analysis
Full HR Findings
Access our Combined Highlights Report
Combined Highlights
What This All Means
Prior to having access to a decision support tool, on average how long did it take for you to select your benefits plans during open enrollment?
Our research shows that lack of confidence when selecting benefits drastically increases at organizations with greater than 15,000 employees.
The majority of employees reported that on average, without a decision support tool, they spent between 1-3 hours selecting benefits during open enrollment.
Scheduling preventative care
82%
In what ways do you plan to use your benefits this year?
Managing a chronic condition
42%
Addressing occasional illness
66%
Of employees across America feel that their benefits have fallen short of their expectations.
68%
Of employees have migrated to a high deductible health plan (HDHP) within the past 2-3 years.
60%
Of employees on HDHP plans feel that their benefits have fallen short of their expectations.
73%
Of employees across America feel that their benefits have fallen short of their expectations.
75%
Are unconfident when selecting benefits without a decision support tool
67%
Have experienced an unplanned medical event or emergency
75%
Faced debt as a result of unplanned medical emergency
69%
In what ways do you plan to use your benefits this year?
65% of employees across America have experienced an unplanned medical event or emergency, and as a result, 63% faced significant medical expenses and debt.
of respondents who’ve experience medical debt as a result of an unplanned medical event responded that they are “unconfident” when choosing their benefits
65%
Of respondents have felt the effects of inflation on their routine expenses.
95%
Inflation by the Numbers
The top 5 categories that respondents have felt a cost-increase due to inflation:
Of consumers across America did not meet their financial savings goals in 2021.
59%
Of consumers plan to contribute to an emergency fund in 2022, and 73% of these respondents plan to use their checking account to do so.
68%
Of employees across America have experienced an unplanned medical event, the effects of inflation on daily expenses, and missed their savings goals in 2021.
40%
Do benefits matter when it comes to evaluating whether to stay at a company or to leave for a new opportunity?
• Compensation
• Benefits
• Culture
• Remote/ Hybrid Workplace
C-Suite
Operations
Medical / Health
Information Technology
Finance
Human Resources
Marketing
Engineering / Technical
Sales
Legal
Less than 1,000
1,000-5,000
5,000-10,000
10,000-15,000
15,000-20,000
Greater than 20,000
11%
1%
1%
6%
3%
7%
6%
5%
36%
24%
3%
4%
14%
40%
34%
5%
Pharma / Biotech / Medical Product
Retail / Hospitality / Food Services
Energy and Chemicals
Professional Services
Banking / Financial Services
Other
Manufacturing
Insurance
Technology
Government / Education / Non-Profit
Healthcare
1%
1%
1%
6%
6%
15%
4%
14%
4%
3%
45%
Female
Male
64%
59%
Less than 1,000
1,000-5,000
5,000-10,000
10,000-15,000
15,000-20,000
Greater than 20,000
Less than 30 min
30 min - 1 hour
1-2 hours
2-3 hours
3-4 hours
4+ hours
63%
62%
59%
58%
79%
68%
12%
11%
30%
28%
10%
9%
Have you or a dependent ever experienced an unplanned medical event or emergency?
65% Yes
35% No
Did you experience a significant expense or debt due to this event?
63% Yes
37% No
2%
11%
20%
20%
13%
10%
0-$50.00
$50.00-$100.00
$100.00-$150.00
$150.00- $200.00
$200.00- $250.00
$300.00 or more
$250.00- $300.00
26%
Groceries
Gas Prices
Utilities
Medical Care
Rent
Employees across America ranked benefits as the second-most influential factor when evaluating whether to stay at a job or leave for a new opportunity, and 90% responded that benefits matter when considering staying at a job or leaving for a new opportunity.
Yes: 90%
How much more are you spending per month?
Yes
No
Yes
No
37%
65%
37%
65%