Health Insurance Companies Think They’re Differentiating in 2022 … But Are They?
It’s no secret that the HR function has become more complex in recent years. Thanks to policy changes in State Paid Sick Leave, the Affordable Care Act, demands brought forth by the #MeToo movement (among other changes), today HR professionals have the gargantuan task of keeping their organizations compliant, while also keeping employees happy, safe and healthy.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated these complexities even further as employers grappled with questions like, “How do I handle symptomatic employees?” And “What happens if I shut down my business due to an outbreak?” Add that on top of that a backdrop of remote work and ever-changing state and municipal health and safety regulations, and the pressure on businesses, especially resource-strapped small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs), becomes even greater.
Historically, health insurers have tried to drive innovation by adding new benefits to their health plans with various versions of wellness programs, mental health, and virtual care. But if everyone keeps adding the same benefits, then no one is differentiating their plan designs from other competitors.
As the pandemic demonstrated, organizational health and employee wellness are inextricably linked – businesses need healthy employees in order to function, and employees need “healthy” organizations (businesses that meet the minimum HR compliance threshold required to function) in order to stay engaged. For these reasons, businesses need a simplified, “one stop shop” solution for maintaining compliance while keeping employees safe and healthy.
Enter: Mineral. Through thousands of partnerships with leading insurance brokers, PEOs and HCMs, Mineral combines data, technology as well as human HR and legal expertise to power the HR function for SMBs nationwide. Today, Mineral brings together the largest SMB HR community in the U.S. with more than 500,000 clients.
To address the unique challenges faced by employers today, Mineral is partnering with health insurance companies to embed its HR products and services as a part of employer-sponsored health plans. That means when employers sign up with a health insurer, they’ll receive access to the Mineral Platform, which provides the tools and resources necessary to help businesses manage their HR and compliance issues. This includes employee handbooks, an HR compliance library, a benefits document creator and regular updates on changing HR and compliance laws and regulations.
Employers will also have unlimited access to Mineral Experts, HR and legal experts that provide personalized guidance to businesses, as well as Mineral’s Learning Management System (LMS), which includes trainings for employees on management skills, compliance topics, workplace harassment prevention, safety and diversity. Lastly, business will be able to use Mineral Intelligence, the industry’s first-ever proactive HR and compliance engine.
Mineral is already partnering with the nation’s largest health insurers to enable businesses to reduce healthcare costs while managing HR. Its products and services are currently embedded in level-funded and fully insured employer-sponsored health plans for both small and large group employers in a rapidly growing list of states across the country.
By embedding Mineral inside employer-sponsored health plans, employers receive a holistic solution that combines employee health insurance with the HR and compliance tools they need to protect their most important asset: their people. The health insurance companies driving this innovation are raising the bar for others in the market and pioneering a new way to think about employee and organizational health.
Written by Janna Jones, Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Mineral