The healthcare benefits industry is on a transformative journey. Accelerated by the impact of COVID-19, consumer-directed healthcare saw some surprisingly positive developments as consumers proved they could adapt to new technologies, and quickly. And, more than in recent memory, employers, brokers, and consumers alike were paying close attention to the coverage and care they have access to and the costs associated with these benefit programs. In this episode, we bring you highlights from the 2021 Health Benefits Forum, a virtual roundtable we hosted last month. Listen as the panel discusses the five key themes driving change in our industry in 2021. Panelists include Karli Dunkelberger of Alight, Jason Lacey of Foulston Seifkin LLP, and Cat Perez of HealthSherpa. Moderated by Brian Colburn.

For many people, 2020 was a year of crisis. New realities forced consumers to focus on the present. What do I need right now? What can I afford right now? How do I maintain my health right now? Naturally, thoughts of the future and long-term savings fell to the wayside. Yet it's precisely these long-term savings strategies that can help people through moments of crisis. With this in mind, Karli Dunkelberger and Karen Frost of Alight discuss the strategies benefit administrators and employers can use to coax consumers back to a savings mindset. From lifestyle cards to account seeding, learn the best ways to support employees during times of hardship and set them up for long-term financial success.

Consumers like options. Whether shopping for a new car, refrigerator or pair of kicks, we seldom make a purchase without considering at least one alternative. And technology has made this kind of shopping easy. In the world of healthcare, however, this doesn’t seem to be the case. While technology has accelerated in some areas of healthcare, is has severely lagged in others, like health benefits. In this episode we discuss how technology — specifically AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning — can play a meaningful role in helping consumers select the right coverage and save money on the care they receive. With COVID-19 forcing us all to adapt to new ways of interacting with healthcare, benefit administrators and employers have an unprecedented opportunity to increase adoption and see real change.

COVID-19 has upended the healthcare industry from top to bottom, including the health benefits space. In this inaugural episode, we discuss trends we're seeing in consumer healthcare spending, what an industry recovery may look like as the pandemic continues, and emerging technology that can improve the consumer experience. Our guests in this episode: Josh Collins, President of NueSynergy; and Marie Aloisi, Senior Vice President of Commercial Payments at MasterCard.

In a year unlike any other, the health benefits industry is making monumental strides toward becoming more technologically-driven and consumer-centric. This new podcast series from Alegeus will not only address the opportunities that lie ahead for healthcare in the U.S., but also further our mission: to guide people to the right coverage, care and savings strategies to secure a healthier future.