Insights

Find out about the biggest surprises from the election and what they could mean for 2020 and beyond, and how new and emerging paid leave laws are poised to disrupt employee benefits.

Download a copy of the presentation and related materials:

Webinar: Slide deck
Flyer: Common sense solutions for paid sick leaves
Flyer: Paid Family/Parental Leave programs for employees: top 10 considerations

What are the latest top 10 high-cost claims conditions and injectable drugs

Find out about the recent trends, including million-dollar+ claims and more...

This whitepaper covers the rising interest in self-funding and how employers of many sizes can transition to self-funding with different captive options and structures.

As President Trump approaches his 450th day in office, what changes are in store for employer- provided health insurance plans?

Webinar notes:
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In Issue #2, learn about injectable drug cost trends including the top 20 high-cost injectables, conditions they treat, million-dollar+ claimants, and more.

In Issue 1, find out about the catastrophic claims conditions, million-dollar+ claimants, and more.

After a failed attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare, what comes next? Will President Trump find a way to work with Congress on a new solution or will the ACA remain for the foreseeable future? Join the conversation as Jim Klein from the American Benefits Council and James Slotnick, AVP of Government Relations with Sun Life, discuss the possible scenarios ahead

The role of technology is growing exponentially in employee benefits, with an array of new platforms and partners emerging every year. Join a dynamic conversation as our thought leaders discuss these questions: How far have we really come in the past 10 years? What does the future of employee benefits look like? And with everything changing so fast, how can you keep up with the latest solutions?

Show notes:
These resources were mentioned in the discussion.
Deloitte study: Aligning the Organization for Its Digital Future
Book: The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen

Mastering The Benefits Disruptors: Politics, People, Technology

As the demographics of the American workforce change due to population, economic, and social trends, employers need to effectively tailor messages to reach different groups, including women, foreign-born workers, older workers, and part-timers. During this session, you’ll get valuable and practical tips from our panel of communication experts.

Self-funding is on the rise. According to a 2016 Sun Life–sponsored employer insights study, there will be nearly 35,000 potential new self-funded employers by 2020.¹ Hear from Doug Gosney, AVP, Stop-Loss Market Manager, and experienced self-funding brokers Shay Cowan, Principal, Katz Pierz; and William Laughlin, VP, Manager of Data Analytics, GBDS, Conner Strong & Buckelew, as they share insights and best practices to help support the 40% of fully insured employers who would consider switching to self-funding.²

Download our Switching to Self-Funding market insights summary.

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^{1.Information provided from the 2016 Employer Insights research study sponsored by Sun Life and conducted by Chadwick Martin Bailey. The blind study included decision makers for companies that have between 50 and 999 employees and offer medical benefits to all their full-time employees.
2.This estimate is an extrapolation using population census and survey data to convert the 40% of fully insured employers that indicated they would consider converting to self-funding into full market potential.}

Originally aired April 4, 2017. SLPC 28237 04/17

In a recent survey of 1,000 full-time employees, Sun Life found that 54% don’t know their out-of-pocket maximum, and 33% don’t know their deductible. Nearly two in three employees are concerned about the ability to pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses. Here you can view the full survey results, and read our white paper that offers in depth analysis and considerations for effectively communicating voluntary benefits.

How will the 2016 election impact employer-sponsored health coverage? Has the implementation of the Affordable Care Act changed expectations? How can brokers and employers prepare for November and beyond? Katy Spangler, a health policy expert with the American Benefits Council, will share insights. James Slotnick of Sun Life moderates.

What’s the connection between healthy employees and a healthy business? How do America’s changing demographics affect employee retention? Is work really good for us? Hear from three industry experts about how ACA policies, wellness trends, and demographics are changing what we think of as a healthy workplace.

Absences from work happen. They could stem from an illness, maternity leave, or another cause. How employers manage those absences can make a real difference to employee retention—and the company’s bottom line. At this session, you will learn about absence management best practices that help employees deal with life’s ups and downs, and employers stay in compliance with state and federal laws.

Find out about the conditions that added up to $2.3B in stop-loss claims reimbursements, the new #6 condition, key factors that affect employer costs, and more.

Absences can cost employers over 15% of payroll – with replacement workers 31% less productive than the replaced employees. Costs for not complying with the ADA and FMLA can be in the millions. Be sure to read our new white paper that provides key information about managing absences and disabilities to learn what you need to do to control the absence management process and comply with complex legal requirements.

Either way, you'll find tips you can use immediately in the Self-Funded Playbook. It provides guidance for employers to help them make key decisions in funding arrangements, claims administration, and stop-loss insurance.

Learn about the top ten, the condition that's on the move, how self-insured employers can navigate the costs, and more.

Even before the Affordable Care Act became law in 2010, more companies were moving to self-insurance as a way to control their health care costs. That trend has been particular true for mid-sized companies. Watch Self-Insurance 101: A Practical Guide to learn more.

Is health care reform finding its footing—or fatally flawed? MIT economist and Affordable Care Act (ACA) expert Jonathan Gruber and Cato Institute Director of Health Policy Studies Michael Cannon share opposing viewpoints on the current state of reform.

There are several critical decision points that employers must consider after making the choice to self-insure. Watch industry experts dive into critical topics related to self-funding, such as stop-loss coverage, claim administration, and cost-containment methods.

In 1999, 44% of U.S. employees who got health benefits through work were in a self-insured plan. By 2014, that number had risen to 61%.* Most are at large companies, but increasingly, self-funding is seen as viable for smaller companies. Who’s diving in? What has their experience been?

Catch the highlights of our summit on private exchanges. You’ll hear from private exchange administrators, brokers, consultants, and the Freakonomics guys.

What makes a great private exchange? Do we even know yet? What do employers want? How about consumers? Hear from the leading private exchanges in the country on what they're doing, why they think it's working, and where private exchanges are going.

An insurer, a health care economist, a sociobiologist and others talk about what’s working and what trends they see emerging in the disrupted benefits landscape.

With the advent of health care reform and public exchanges, private exchanges are rapidly emerging as a new way for companies to control costs while delivering benefits. Watch Private Exchanges: A Practical Guide to learn more.

On October 1, Sun Life launched the first Sun Life Wake Up Summit to address this hot topic.

We recruited Affordable Care Act expert Jonathan Gruber as our keynote speaker and Fox News political analyst Juan Williams as moderator. This video provides a recap of what happened that day.

At Sun Life, we’re committed to offering a variety of group, voluntary and stop loss coverage. And we want to be the best partner we can be. That’s why we’ve been working to provide you with articles, information, and events like this one—the Sun Life Wake Up Summit—that go beyond the products we offer, by providing insights that can help you do your job better.

Jonathan Gruber rejoined the panel to compare notes on how the practices being implemented today will change the American workplace of 2020.

What are the 5 most important decisions employers must make in the coming year? How does the ACA work in practice? Will it affect your company? This panel will walk through questions employers and brokers need to ask about their current plan. Panelists will look at the implications for employees, as well as the impact of reform on group and voluntary benefits and how those might fill any voids left by the ACA.