Open enrollment season is nearly upon us. The 2023 Employee Benefits Survey from the Society for Human Resource Management shows that health care benefits remain the top priority for employers, ahead of retirement, leave and flexible work benefits. As we look closer at this category, we see that 89% of employers offer coverage for mental health services. Forty-four percent of employers offer coverage for wellness programs.

This SmartBrief on Workforce Special Report takes a deep dive into employee benefits, with highlights on trends around health care and health care benefits. The issue is packed with insights on the benefits of telehealth; the importance of employee mental wellness; how AI is enhancing health services, and more.

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Out-of-pocket health care costs for women, with pregnancy excluded, typically outpace men by $266 per year, according to a report published by Deloitte. The report's authors recommend health plans review their benefits, looking at member demographics and health concerns, noting the gender discrepancy could be resolved for less than $12 per worker per year.

Educating employees, especially younger ones, about benefits makes those workers more likely to use them and fosters health, happiness and loyalty, writes Frank Mengert, founder and CEO of an employee benefits provider. Clarity, technology and ongoing updates are among Mengert's teaching tips, and he also notes the effectiveness of interactive elements like competitions, games or quizzes.

Digital innovations are rapidly changing healthcare delivery and the medical laboratory environment, but challenges are seen for patients with limited English proficiency as they face barriers to these platforms, including lack of access to technology and patient portals, and increased privacy concerns. To address this, the CMS has updated its Framework for Health Equity, which focuses on improving health equity among underserved populations.

Employees from the University of Pennsylvania who were treated with pre-COVID-19 employer-sponsored telehealth plans incurred lower charges compared to in-person care, reveals a report from the school's Perelman School of Medicine. Visits via telehealth cost 23% less for employees and beneficiaries than in-person care.

Workers' mental health has a direct effect on satisfaction, longevity, productivity and financial growth, and companies can bolster well-being and success when they pay close attention to it, according to business consultant Margarita Volovikova. A supportive culture, access to mental health training and counseling, flexible work arrangements, positive communication, self-care including stress reduction, and regular work breaks can help cultivate healthy work-life balance, and use of the Process Communication Model can help employees work effectively with different personality types and communication styles.

Now is the time for leaders to review their policies and culture to ensure that employees' needs are recognized and taken care of, writes Shawna Seldon McGregor, the founder & CEO of Maverick Public Relations. Seldon McGregor offers three areas leaders should examine including benefits and policies and whether their culture encourages employees to speak up about their issues.

Many physicians and patients view telehealth positively, with a majority saying that it frequently leads to favorable outcomes, says a survey from Doximity, an online network for medical professionals. The poll found 44% of doctors use telehealth weekly and 40% use it daily.

Health care organizations are increasingly turning to automation to meet the expectations of both clinicians and patients, with a focus on empathetic, personalized and digital-first engagement. The shift toward automation not only enhances patient support and customer service but also promises substantial increases in clinical productivity, with the potential to add trillions of dollars in value annually in customer operations, marketing and sales, software engineering and R&D, according to a recent McKinsey report.

Teledentistry has been pivotal during the COVID-19 pandemic to maintain care for patients, and will continue to help patients in rural areas and those with disabilities access oral health care while allowing dentists to expand their diagnostic reach, says Enable Dental's Chief Innovation Officer Nathan Suter, D.D.S. ADA policy notes that teledentistry can help address barriers to care, and the Association has continued to adapt, with new teledentistry CDT and diagnostic imaging codes, and has released a technical report on teledentistry.