The employee benefits landscape continues to evolve—and fast. Between rising healthcare costs, compliance updates, and shifting employee expectations, employers across the country are navigating a lot of change.

At Christensen Group, we’ve been having conversations every day with business leaders who are asking smart questions about how to stay ahead. Here are some of the top questions employers are bringing to the table in 2025—and how we’re helping them respond.

1. How can we manage rising healthcare costs without cutting employee benefits?

With healthcare inflation hitting employers hard, many are feeling stuck between rising premiums and employee satisfaction. The good news? There are strategic alternatives that can help you balance both.

Solutions include:

• Level-funded or self-funded health plans: These options offer more transparency and potential savings, especially for groups with low to moderate claims.
• Healthcare captives: Group captives allow mid-sized employers to pool together for purchasing power and protection from catastrophic claims.
• Reference-based pricing: This approach sets employer benefits costs based on Medicare benchmarks rather than carrier-negotiated rates, often resulting in major savings.
• Smart plan design: Encouraging high-value care, tiered networks, and decision-making tools can reduce waste and improve outcomes.

Example: One of our clients with 85 employees reduced their healthcare renewal by over 22% by moving to a level-funded model paired with a high-touch wellness strategy.

Pro tip: Don’t just focus on premiums—evaluate total cost of care, claims trends, and plan utilization to uncover savings.

Ask yourself: Are we overpaying for services employees don’t use or understand?

Expanding employee education on plan usage is another major area of opportunity. When employees understand how to navigate the healthcare system, they make more informed decisions—reducing employer health insurance costs and out-of-pocket expenses. Consider implementing benefit navigators or member advocates to provide year-round guidance.

2. What’s the impact of RxDC reporting and PBM transparency laws?

Federal requirements like the RxDC (Prescription Drug Data Collection) report and new PBM (Pharmacy Benefit Manager) laws are changing how employers manage pharmacy benefits. These regulations are designed to shed light on hidden employer health insurance costs and ensure more transparency in drug pricing.

Employers want to know:

• Are we collecting the right data for RxDC?
• How do PBMs impact our drug spend?
• Can we access more transparent pricing models?

Pro tip: Ask your current PBM partner for a breakdown of rebates, spread pricing, and true net cost to evaluate their value.

Ask yourself: Do I understand how our pharmacy program generates revenue for the carrier or PBM?

In addition, more businesses are exploring carve-out pharmacy benefits to regain control of employer benefits costs and visibility. While not the right solution for everyone, it offers greater transparency and the ability to customize formularies and clinical programs.

3. Are there new carriers or networks entering the market?

At Christensen Group, we're seeing a wave of innovation from new insurance carriers and narrow network models that prioritize value-based care. These new entrants are driving competition, which is great news for employers.

If your plan hasn't been marketed in the past two years, you may be missing out on:

• Lower premiums
• Improved network quality
• New plan types and configurations tailored to your business

Pro tip: Carriers are hungry for growth. Use that leverage to negotiate better rates or enhanced services.

Ask yourself: When was the last time we truly shopped our employee benefits plan?

These new models may also offer integrated care coordination and digital tools that enhance member engagement and provide better outcomes. Don't overlook the opportunity to move from a transactional renewal to a strategic evaluation of what's really available in today’s market.

4. How do we better support mental health and employee well-being?

Employee expectations have shifted. Mental health and total well-being are now central to benefit strategies. Beyond traditional EAPs, employers are expanding their offerings with:

• Virtual counseling and teletherapy
• Lifestyle spending accounts (LSAs) for wellness, fitness, and mindfulness
• Expanded behavioral health access within medical plans
• Programs that reflect DE&I values

Example: A manufacturing client saw a 38% increase in EAP engagement after adding an on-demand mental health platform and promoting it in Spanish and English.

Pro tip: Make mental health access easy, private, and culturally relevant for maximum impact.

Ask yourself: Are we addressing all dimensions of wellness—mental, physical, financial, and social?

Also, consider regular wellness surveys and pulse checks to see what your team is really experiencing. Mental health strategies should be rooted in real-time feedback, not assumptions.

5. Are we staying compliant with all the new rules?

Compliance isn’t a once-a-year task. Employers are navigating a growing list of obligations, including:

• ACA affordability thresholds
• RxDC and Gag Clause attestation
• COBRA, HIPAA, and ERISA compliance
• State-specific rules

Pro tip: Maintain a compliance calendar and partner with a broker who provides proactive updates and resources.

Ask yourself: Would we be ready for a Department of Labor audit tomorrow?

Don’t forget internal documentation. Policies such as wrap documents, SPD notices, and employee handbooks need to reflect accurate benefit and compliance language. We routinely audit client documentation to ensure nothing gets overlooked.

6. How can employee benefits help us attract and retain talent?

With talent at a premium, your employee benefits offering needs to stand out. We’re helping employers:

• Benchmark their benefits against local and national peers
• Customize offerings for multigenerational workforces
• Incorporate flexibility, such as voluntary benefits, student loan assistance, and fertility support

Example: One of our tech clients added a student loan repayment benefit and saw a 25% increase in retention among early-career employees.

Pro tip: Ask your team what they value most—sometimes the answer isn’t medical insurance but paid time off or wellness perks.

Ask yourself: Are we marketing our employee benefits effectively to job candidates and current staff?

Employee benefits are now a top line item in job offer negotiations. Providing easy-to-understand benefits guides, digital summaries, and onboarding materials helps ensure your investment in benefits is fully appreciated by new hires.

7. What role does technology play in employee benefits today?

Benefits tech is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. Employers want tools that:

• Simplify enrollment and eligibility tracking
• Enhance employee understanding and engagement
• Automate compliance and reporting

From robust benefits administration platforms to mobile apps that put information in employees' hands, we guide you through the digital transformation.

Example: A construction client with 120 employees reduced HR admin time by 40% after implementing a mobile-friendly employee benefits platform.

Pro tip: Integrate your benefits technology with payroll and HRIS systems to reduce duplicate work.

Ask yourself: Are we still relying on spreadsheets and paper forms for enrollment?

User experience matters more than ever. Make sure your tech stack not only functions but also provides an intuitive, mobile-friendly experience for your workforce.

8. What should we be benchmarking?

As all successful businesses know, data helps drive better decisions. To that end, employers want to know:

• Are our employer benefits costs in line with industry benchmarks?
• How do our contributions compare regionally?
• What’s our utilization and engagement rate?

Pro tip: Use benchmarks not just to compare cost, but to identify trends in employee behavior and plan success.

Ask yourself: Are we making decisions based on data or habit?

Beyond cost benchmarking, employers are starting to look at the ROI of employee benefits offerings and utilization by department, demographic, and tenure. Deeper analysis helps guide program design and eliminate low-value offerings.

Final thoughts

If you’re asking these questions, you’re ahead of the curve. At Christensen Group, we believe in proactive, strategic benefits consulting tailored to your local market. Whether you need a fresh perspective or help navigating a specific challenge, we're here to support you.

In an industry that often favors routine over innovation, we pride ourselves on being an independent, employee-owned firm that challenges the status quo. Our goal isn’t just to manage renewals—it’s to deliver long-term strategies that help businesses grow and employees thrive.

We partner with HR teams, CFOs, and business owners across the country to turn their employee benefits program into a competitive advantage. From in-person education sessions to data-driven claims analysis, we go beyond the spreadsheet to provide real solutions that work for your people.

Let’s start the conversation. Contact us today!