How offering seamless healthcare can lower costs

Healthcare costs continue to rise year over year, yet employees are struggling to access the basic care they need. 

Nearly three-quarters of large employers responding to Mercer's 2025 U.S. Health & Benefit Strategies Survey expect health benefit cost increases to outpace inflation again in 2026. And at the same time, AMN Healthcare reports that average wait times to see a physician have exploded to more than 31 days. 

When care is inaccessible, employees either delay it or are forced to turn to expensive emergency departments for issues that could have been addressed earlier and more affordably. The result is a negative cycle: worsening employee health and productivity alongside rising costs for employers.

Benefit brokers and advisers should encourage their employer clients to offer smarter benefits, not necessarily more, to break this cycle. One of the most promising approaches is giving employees access to responsible, AI-enabled, physician-led care that is always available, asynchronous and built to deliver personalized guidance in minutes. 

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Traditional healthcare still depends on scheduled appointments and in-person visits that don't match the pace of modern life. While digital health has made major strides to solve this, many models continue to rely on advance scheduling and limited business hours, leaving employees without the timely access to care they need.

Asynchronous care, where employees can message a physician at any time, represents a fundamental shift in access. By removing the scheduling barrier, treatment becomes seamless and more convenient. Employees can ask about new symptoms, receive prescriptions, get referrals and more without having to take time off work.

When care is this seamless, engagement and utilization rise. Employees are also more likely to seek treatment early, helping prevent avoidable complications and reducing costly downstream care. 

Early, easy access to proper healthcare directly controls costs. Research shows that up to 89% of emergency department visits are potentially avoidable. Many even are a result of minor conditions that have escalated because employees couldn't access proper care fast enough. 

Asynchronous care can intercept issues before they become emergencies by giving employees timely access to physicians. Rather than waiting weeks and risking an ER visit, employees can get same-day guidance to manage conditions earlier, often using lower-cost services. For employers, this early intervention helps flatten the cost curve by directing employees to appropriate care sooner.

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Employers, on average, spend thousands of dollars per employee each year on health benefits, yet a significant share goes unused. A study from Yourco found that the average employee leaves nearly $2,000 in unused benefits on the table annually. Underutilization means lost value for both the employer and their employees. As a result, Business Group on Health is calling on employers to "hold vendors accountable for performance — and eliminate underperforming programs." 

Asynchronous care can be the modern replacement to legacy front doors to the broader healthcare system. When employees engage with a physician, it creates opportunities to connect them with preventative screenings, pharmacy benefits and chronic condition programs they might not otherwise use or even know about. Every interaction from that point on becomes a chance to guide employees to the right care, helping them get more from the benefits they already have. 

Another source of hidden costs is lost productivity in the workplace. Time spent scheduling and attending appointments is ultimately time away from work. 

Asynchronous care changes that, cutting wait times from weeks to minutes. Employees can get answers at any time that is convenient to them and the reassurance of always-available guidance brings peace of mind. The result: stronger engagement, higher satisfaction and better retention.

A new focus for benefits leaders

As benefits teams begin to design next-generation AI healthcare strategies, it's critical to shift from offering more programs to offering innovative ones that deliver value, reduce the total cost of care and improve overall population health. Employers have poured resources into wellness stipends, digital health tools and virtual visits, yet costs remain high. 

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What is missing is a frictionless, modern alternative to legacy front doors — one that meets employees at the moment of need. Asynchronous care, when combined with the power of clinical-grade AI, delivers fast, convenient access to trusted physicians who can resolve issues early, preventing avoidable ER visits and costly downstream care. This approach doesn't require replacing existing benefits, but instead enhances them with innovative, tech-forward solutions that transform how employees access care.

Rising costs may be inevitable, but limited access to care doesn't have to be. The future of healthcare lies in meeting employees at the moment of need, transforming benefits from a financial burden into a powerful driver of health, productivity and retention.