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Employers miss wellness tools already in group health premiums
Univest says many programs, such as EAPs and digital engagement features, are included in premiums but go unused because employers and employees do not realize they exist.
Insurance Business reports that many workers treat group health coverage like a simple card-and-bill transaction, but Philadelphia-headquartered Univest Financial executive Kristen Dougherty argues the problem extends to the employer and broker relationship.
Dougherty said employees often do not understand how to use benefits beyond receiving care and a bill, and she described a broader “employee benefits education gap” that leads to underuse of offerings that are already embedded in standard medical plan premiums.
She cited examples including mental health resources, employee assistance programs, nutrition counseling, digital engagement tools, gamification features, and even gift-card incentives tied to healthy activity targets, noting these features are frequently untouched because neither employers nor employees know they are available.
According to Dougherty, brokers have an opportunity to close the gap by first conducting a thorough audit of what clients already have before recommending additional offerings that could increase costs, framing it as a fiduciary responsibility to ensure existing benefits are being used.