Editor’s Note

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It’s that time of the year again, when you think of your current benefits plan and consider your other options for increasing value for the coming year. However, the struggle is real now. Planning employee benefits for the year 2021 will be quite challenging, due to the current pandemic-led crisis.

This month’s Employee Benefits & Wellness Excellence includes articles that will guide you on the expectations set on the benefits arena for 2021. 
 

When the Biden administration takes office in January, health care—or the lack thereof—will be front and center. Whether we see substantive changes in health care access, delivery and costs will depend in part on the level of bipartisan cooperation in Congress and President Biden’s willingness to embrace the Executive Order. 

Read this month’s cover article What The New Biden Administration May Mean For The Future Of Health Care by Kim Buckey to understand what the coming months would offer for employers and what the new administration would mean for the proposed and pending legislation and ongoing challenges.

In between Halloween and the holidays, lies the 2020 open enrollment season, and HR departments are busier than ever sorting through health insurance and workplace benefits options. Aside from the ultimate decision on which insurance and benefits plan to go with, some employers are hunting for a new insurance broker. Catch up with Brian Freeman’s article, How Employers And HR Pros Can Hack OE With The Right Insurance Broker, for three tips to help pick the right insurance broker for the year ahead.

As the Supreme Court is hearing on California v. Texas, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is on trial. Even though the duration and outcome of California v. Texas maybe uncertain, President-elect Joe Biden plans to preserve the ACA and build upon it. The President and Congress could make sound reforms, or an already broken healthcare system could become even more expensive for employers and less protection for employees. David Vivero, in his article, Healthcare In 2021: What HR Leaders Need To Know And Prepare For, shares what HR leaders need to equip for in the unpredictable year ahead.

Also, read our exclusive interview “There's An Awareness Of Employee Experience This Year That Wasn’t There Before” by Amy Mosher (Chief People Officer, isolved), where she talks about the importance of empathizing with individual circumstances and evangelizing the need for flexibility to meet an individual’s unique needs in these trying times, and much more. 

This is not all! Apart from these articles, we also have a few other informative articles that focus on various strategies and insights to help you build a healthy and happy workplace.

As always, please don’t forget to send us your valuable feedback. Stay healthy!
 

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