Benefits Strategy

December 06, 2021

As 2021 draws to a close, the team at Business Group on Health shares this recap of many of the new resources and events delivered this year. We hope it serves as a reminder of the work we have done with and for our members.

Click on the images in this article to learn more about each resource.

COVID-19 – Vaccinations and Return-to-Worksite

Pandemic support for members continued with an emphasis on addressing workforce vaccination rates, best practices when bringing employees back to the office, as well as understanding and navigating emerging policy developments. We continued to host benchmarking calls focused on current challenges both in the U.S. and around the world. Surveys throughout the year kept track of evolving health care and well-being priorities and new approaches to communicating with employees.

What Your CEO is Reading: Employers are Wrestling with OSHA’s New Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS)

Female presenting person looking out an open window

Your Workforce is Interviewing Your Building

Female presenting person receiving a vaccine in her right arm from a female presenting nurse

Employers’ Role in the COVID-19 Vaccination Effort

Two people with masks on sitting opposite sides of a table looking at a laptop

The Latest on Return-to-Worksite: Employee Concerns and Employer Responses

2022 Large Employers’ Health Care Strategy and Plan Design Survey

Data collected from the 2022 Large Employers’ Health Care Strategy and Plan Design Survey is crucial, to understand the many ways employers have pivoted to support their workforces during the past year and to provide a glimpse into the future at emerging employer strategies and priorities. Among the more notable findings, we saw that employers anticipate long-term mental health effects on employees from COVID-19 and that health care spending will rebound. Employers are also focusing on social determinants of health as a gateway to increasing health equity, are expanding access to mental health care, and accelerating virtual health options, with plans to keep these options in place for the long-term.

Cover and inside of Business Group on Health's 2022 Health Care Strategy and Plan Design Survey

Virtual Health is Here to Stay

Not surprisingly, the acceleration of telehealth and virtual health offerings continued in 2021. Our conversations were expanded during our members’ only Virtual Health Summit to more fully address the need for integration with in-person care; and how virtual care can be leveraged around the world. While there are many virtues of virtual health, we also explored emerging items of relevance and concern including whether these solutions improve outcomes, are of high quality, reduce overall cost and improve the patient experience.