Although unintentional, after decades of shielding employees from the true cost of health care, employers gave birth to an employee with a sense of entitlement to health care. Similar to an overprotective parent, employers now struggle with kicking employees out of the employee benefits nest to take responsibility for their own health care.
Enforced decision making from health reform and consumer-directed health plans alone will not make a better health care consumer. Employers need an investment in ongoing employee education, and that is where benefit advisers can help.
