August 18, 2020

2021 Plan Design Survey

The 2021 Large Employers' Health Care Strategy and Plan Design Survey solicited information about employer approaches to health care and benefits in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a window into leading ways that employers are addressing COVID through their benefit plans, programs and overall workforce strategy outlook.

Full Series icon_right_chevron_dark

Looking for the latest data?

Check out our 2024 Large Employer Health Care Strategy Survey, released in August 2023.

Based on the findings from the 2021 survey, the following messages surfaced as top trends and emerging concerns among employers.

Health and Well-being’s Role in Workforce Strategy

This year, more than ever before, employers see investments in health and well-being as an integral part of workforce strategy, increasing from 36% in 2019 to 45% in 2020. This is spurred in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, shining a light on the connection between employee health and well-being and overall business performance.

Figure 2: The Role of Health Care in Large Employers' Workforce Strategy, 2018-2020

Virtual Care Ubiquity

Virtual care is here to stay, spanning an array of services, from primary care to musculoskeletal to mental health and many others. While employers have been implementing more virtual solutions in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the pace to accelerate at an exponential rate. Telehealth offered through traditional telehealth providers, as well as brick-and-mortar practices forced to go virtual during pandemic lockdowns, has seen a surge in demand across a range of conditions.