Employee Satisfaction With Benefits Falls to New Low
This article is from RISQ Consulting’s Zywave client portal, a resource available to all RISQ Consulting clients. Please contact your Benefits Consultant or Account Executive for more information or for help setting up your own login.
A recent study from Metlife found that an increasing number of employees feel they are not receiving the benefits they need from employers. Employee satisfaction with benefit offerings has fallen to 61% in 2023 from 64% in 2022, reaching its lowest point in the past decade of the study’s history. One significant reason for this decrease in satisfaction is higher employee expectations due to financial and mental health struggles in the wake of the pandemic.
“Feeling cared for at work is a key driver of employees’ holistic health and happiness, which are strongly connected to employee productivity and job loyalty.”
– Bradd Chignoli, senior VP at Metlife
In general, employees continue to expect robust traditional offerings such as health insurance, paid leave and retirement. But they have also heightened their expectations regarding modern benefit options, such as financial wellness and caregiving assistance. While employers have started to increase their benefit offerings to coincide with employee desires, most have not been able to meet the newfound expectations quickly enough.
What’s Next?
With employee satisfaction with benefits falling to a new low, it’s important employers reevaluate their benefits packages. When employee needs are met, employers are likely to find their workforce happier and more satisfied with their everyday tasks. Each organization’s employees may desire different benefit offerings, so it’s important to consider the needs of the workforce before considering what to offer in the future.
For more information on employee benefit satisfaction, contact RISQ Consulting today.
- Published in Blog
PBM Drug Pricing Transparency Bill Heads to Senate
This article is from RISQ Consulting’s Zywave client portal, a resource available to all RISQ Consulting clients. Please contact your Benefits Consultant or Account Executive for more information or for help setting up your own login.
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation recently advanced a bill to increase pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) transparency and combat what some legislators called “deceptive practices.” The proposed bill received bipartisan support in the committee, with an 18-to-9 vote, and is supported by many health care and consumer organizations.
The Pharmacy Benefit Manager Transparency Act identifies activities that would be unlawful for PBMs to engage in, including the following:
- Spread pricing, a practice in which PBMs charge health plans and payers more for prescription drugs than they reimburse pharmacies
- Clawing back reimbursement payments from pharmacies
Additionally, PBMs would be required to direct 100% of any rebate to the plan or payer and disclose the cost and reimbursement to the health plan.
PBMs were initially formed to process claims and negotiate lower drug prices with drug makers. Today, they administer prescription drug plans for hundreds of millions of Americans and manage many aspects of the prescription drug process for health insurance companies, self-insured employers, unions and government programs. This includes developing lists of covered medications, negotiating rebates from drug manufacturers and contracting with pharmacies for reimbursement. According to the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, PBMs play a positive role in creating savings and options and providing expertise for employers regarding prescription drug benefit design and coverage.
What’s Next?
Since PBMs have largely operated out of the view of regulators and consumers, this bill could impact how PBMs operate, potentially increasing prescription drug transparency. There’s currently no timeline for the Senate to consider the bill. Last year, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation passed the same bill, but it was never put to a full vote on the Senate floor.
Employers should continue to monitor the situation closely. [B_Official] will keep you apprised of notable changes.
- Published in Blog
