In our last few blog posts, we explored Picwell’s health plan recommendations. We reviewed how preferences and financial wellness affect benefits decisions, and how often employees actually choose Picwell recommended plans.
So far we’ve reviewed how preferences and financial wellness impact employees’ benefits selections and as a result, why the lowest cost plan is not always the best option.
The past several years have thrown a wrench into the way your employees live their lives and make decisions - especially when it comes to health care benefits.
It’s the year of the HSA and this tax-advantaged benefit is finally getting the recognition it deserves! While health savings accounts (HSAs) have always featured a host of valuable benefits, many employees have shied away from them in the past, often due to a lack of awareness and understanding. Now (due in part to the effects of the pandemic) nearly 50% of workers surveyed are investing the time to learn more about the plans that protect their health and their wallet. In addition, 77% of employees reported their HSA gave them peace of mind over the past year!
Your workforce is becoming increasingly diverse, and in order to stay competitive, your benefits have to follow suit. That means your suite of perks must cater to the unique needs of women, people of color, LGBTQ+ team members, veterans, workers with disabilities, and every other group that you employ. According to the recent Willis Towers Watson Emerging Trends in Health Care Survey, more than 70% of polled employers plan to redesign their benefits using a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) lens as their guide.
As a benefits professional, you probably focus on reducing organizational costs and satisfying employees when you design your benefits packages. You strive to provide a variety of benefits so that all of your team members are healthy and happy. You do this because it’s the right thing to do -- and because a satisfied workforce is an engaged, productive workforce.
When we start to think about retirement savings, most of us think of a 401(k) or an IRA as the primary vehicle that we will use to achieve our retirement goals. But there’s another account that not enough people are taking advantage of that could be more beneficial in the long run and that is a Health Savings Account (HSA).
Health Savings Accounts, commonly known as HSAs, are one of the best kept secrets in employee benefits. If you are enrolled in a high deductible health plan (HDHP), you are likely eligible to enroll in an HSA. Contributing to an HSA enables you to maximize your finances, and each year you go without, you’re leaving potentially thousands of dollars on the table.
