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The Real Problem With Benefits Utilization

Employers aren’t short on benefits. They’re short on connection. In this episode of Margin of Care, Kirk sits down with Chad Cruse, VP of Ecosystem at Benefitfocus, to unpack why utilization remains one of the biggest failures in employer healthcare. Despite an explosion of digital health tools and point solutions, most employees still struggle to understand what’s available to them—or how to use it when they actually need care. Chad explains how rapid growth and capital inflows have fragmented the healthcare landscape, creating plenty of aggregators but very few true curators. He shares why benefits administration platforms are uniquely positioned to serve as year-round engagement partners, not just open-enrollment destinations, and how real-time data, smarter routing, and ecosystem design can drive meaningful behavior change. The conversation also explores what separates effective digital health partnerships from shelfware, why efficacy and long-term commitment matter more than flashy features, and how employers can move from offering benefits to actually helping employees use them. If utilization is the real ROI problem in healthcare, this episode lays out what it takes to fix it. Margin of Care is presented by Garner Health. Learn more at getgarner.com ⸻ 00:00 – The real cost of digital health fragmentation 01:15 – From benefits admin to year-round engagement partner 03:45 – Why benefits platforms are uniquely positioned to drive utilization 05:20 – The problem with a one-time open enrollment experience 06:35 – How data and digital behavior are changing member engagement 08:10 – Where the ecosystem is breaking down today 09:45 – Aggregators vs. curators in digital health 10:55 – Why Benefitfocus built the Care Partner Panel 12:10 – What actually matters when evaluating digital health partners 14:00 – Why utilization fails across most employer programs 15:55 – Designing benefits around the real member journey 17:10 – Using data to surface the right benefit at the right moment 18:55 – Why hidden benefits create zero ROI 20:15 – Staying ahead of trends in a fast-moving ecosystem 22:55 – What employers should be preparing for by 2030 25:45 – How AI and consumer tech will reshape benefits engagement 28:05 – Social influence and healthcare decision making 29:45 – What success looks like in benefits utilization