Tackling Point Solution Fatigue in a Crowded Benefits Space
Recently there’s been an influx of new vendors offering specialized solutions and digital platforms to round out health plans in areas like mental health, family planning, and more.
While intentions are largely good, the recent onslaught of new services has left many members confused about where to turn for care.
Estimates have found that 50% of organizations today offer access to between four and nine point solutions. Although these point solutions attempt to cover gaps in existing health benefits coverage and are often meant to enhance benefits packages to promote recruitment and retention, the plethora of options can also do more harm than good for employers. Too often, they’re left running in circles researching and managing each relationship with countless vendors, not to mention measuring the overall program’s impact.
In a health benefits world overrun by point solutions, here’s how benefit advisors can vet them:
Present health plans that bring point solutions together
Perhaps the best way to avoid point solution fatigue is to help narrow it down, prioritizing quality over quantity. It is most efficient to identify vendors that bring everything together – by both offering comprehensive coverage and serving as a central hub for point solutions. For example, with Gravie’s Comfort® health plan, we not only cover 85% of people’s routine healthcare services, but we also fully cover things like mental health care. Additionally, we offer an inclusive portfolio of point solutions that may fall out of the traditional healthcare landscape but would impact people’s wellbeing in unique ways – virtual services like Sword for musculoskelatal health, FitOn x Peerfit’s virtual fitness and Teladoc Health (telemedine) that are baked in to our existing plans to simplify things for users.
The proof is in the numbers
Digging into the data and analyzing the results ensures that the solutions you’re presenting are worth their weight. Are the solutions chosen last year delivering on the outcomes they promised? Paying attention to member engagement and utilization data, as well as any available health outcomes metrics, will ensure employers are getting the best possible return on investment.
Look for solutions companies with staying power
We all know it typically takes quite a bit of back-end work for clients to get set up with a new point solution provider. The costs of managing health insurance administration are extremely high – $21.57 billion according to a recent study. To help alleviate that hefty administrative burden, it’s critical that brokers and benefits advisors identify responsible point solution providers.
Unfortunately, we’ve been seeing many providers fail to scale up sustainably as they grow, or lose investors and abruptly exit the market. As you identify vendors, it’s worth doing a little background research to ensure they have a proven track record, strong leadership and solid fundraising. Clients will thank you later for ensuring their time and effort was worth it.
Encourage employers to regularly ask their groups for feedback
The more employers know, the easier it is to identify solutions that will feel truly valuable to their employees. For example, do you have a group with an older employee population? Maybe a benefits solution that offers quality orthopedic coverage would be more valuable than a fertility point solution, etc. At Gravie, our focus is consumer-driven health benefits, and we truly believe it should be that way across the board. That means offering benefits that employees truly want and need as identified through data and employee feedback.
Prioritize user experience
A point solution provider can have one of the best ideas in the world – but if members can’t figure out how to use it, it’s worthless. For years, our industry has had one of the worst net promoter ratings, second only to internet and cable TV. It’s time for a change, especially in an industry as personal and life-altering as healthcare. That’s why at Gravie we’re committed to simplifying the benefits process and making our entire user experience as seamless as possible, and we prioritize working with vendors who do the same. And by offering virtual point solutions under the Gravie umbrella, it’s easy for members to know what virtual services are available to them through their existing health plan.
There’s no doubt the world of point solutions is crowded. But with the right approach, you can cut through the clutter and bring options to the table that prioritize quality care that’s easier than ever to use.