EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Would You Rehire Your Health Plan?
How to Score Its Performance
Picture this: It’s annual review week. You’re sitting across from a team member who looked like a fantastic hire at first, but the employee consistently misses the mark. They’ve gone over budget, they’re difficult to reach, and their output creates confusion instead of clarity.
Now ask yourself: What if that team member were your health plan?
Too often, benefit programs are treated as a fixed cost instead of a strategic investment. And like any high-impact investment, your health plan should be evaluated on performance. Not just once a year at renewal, but throughout the year, against measurable, relevant benchmarks that reflect both business priorities and employee well-being.
What Does a High-Performing Health Plan Look Like?
When assessing employees, you use a mix of quantitative and qualitative metrics to evaluate success:
- Goal Achievement: Are targets being met?
- Efficiency: Is work delivered on time, within budget, and with minimal rework?
- Communication & Teamwork: Do they foster collaboration and trust?
- Engagement: Are they a culture contributor or a culture killer?
- Professional Growth: Are they evolving with the company’s needs?
Your health plan should be no different.
Translating Performance Metrics to Your Benefits Strategy
Would you re-hire your health plan if you evaluated it like an employee? Here’s a framework to help you stay curious and evaluate your plan:
Goal Achievement
- Are your plan’s health and financial objectives clearly defined and met?
- Is the plan aligned with your organization’s broader workforce strategy?
Communication & Transparency
- Do employees understand their coverage?
- Are cost-sharing and network decisions communicated clearly?
Initiative & Problem Solving
- Is your plan reactive or proactive? Are issues only surfaced at renewal?
- Are vendor partners actively contributing ideas to improve outcomes?
Employee Engagement
- Does your plan support talent attraction and retention?
- How does it impact morale, loyalty, and overall satisfaction?
Continuous Improvement
- Is the plan evolving to meet the needs of a modern workforce?
- Are you using data to drive decisions, or just hoping for the best?
Metrics That Matter: Sample KPIs
Start with the basics:
- Total PEPY (Per Employee Per Year) spend: Employer + employee contributions
- Pharmacy PMPM (Per Member Per Month) costs
- Participation rate: How many eligible employees are actually enrolling?
- Affordability gap: Employee contribution + max out-of-pocket for the lowest-paid employees
These steps aren’t just best practice; they’re becoming essential under new fiduciary expectations around benefit plans.
Bring More Voices to the Table
You wouldn’t evaluate a key hire without input from multiple stakeholders. The same applies here. Engage HR, Finance, leadership, and yes, your employees.
- Annual Benefits Survey: Ask targeted, anonymous questions to identify pain points and priorities.
- Health & Well-Being Committee: Think 401(k) committee, but for benefits. A cross-functional group that gets under the hood, asks tough questions, and holds vendors accountable.
Final Thought
The most effective health plans don’t run on autopilot. They’re designed with intention, managed with care, and evaluated regularly against clear goals. If you’re not confident that your plan would earn a “rehire” today, it’s time to take a closer look.
After all, if your health plan were an employee, would you be scheduling a promotion…or posting the job again?
At CCIG, we help employers build high-performing benefit strategies that are aligned, accountable, and adaptable. Let’s talk about what that could look like for your team.