• 17% of health care employees do not have insurance benefits available through their employer.
• 38% say they are only somewhat satisfied with their overall benefits package; 10% say they are not very/not at all satisfied.
• 32% say their current benefits package meets their family’s needs only somewhat; another 13% say their needs are not very/not at all well met.
• 33% say their overall benefits package is significantly/slightly less competitive than the package their peers.

• Almost half (48%) somewhat/strongly agree that a well-communicated benefits program would make them less likely to leave their jobs.
• 45% say their HR departments only communicate about employee benefits during open enrollment or new hire enrollment; another 28% say only twice per year.
• 47% receive benefits advice and information by word of mouth from colleagues, friends and/or family, the largest percentage among industries surveyed.
• 41% believe that their human resources departments communicate only somewhat effectively about employer benefits; another 17% rate the communications as not very/not at all effective.
• 38% of employees say they are only somewhat informed about benefits offered at their company and 10% say they are not very/not at all informed.

• When asked if they need to be more engaged in making health insurance coverage decisions, 40% say they strongly or somewhat agree.
• 49% somewhat/strongly agree they would be more informed about health insurance choices if an insurance consultant were present during enrollment.
• 68% somewhat/strongly agree they would be more likely to take advantage of a benefits package tailored to their personal situation.

• 40% say they are not very/not at all prepared to pay out-of-pocket expenses that aren’t covered by major medical/health insurance.
• 21% have less than $500 available to pay out-of-pocket expenses associated with an unexpected serious illness or accident; 46% would have less than $1,000 available to pay for out-of-pocket expenses.
• 24% have experienced a health issue that affected their ability to get work done.
• 47% say having adequate insurance coverage would strongly/very strongly affect their ability to cope with personal health issues.
• 31% of employees say that their overall benefits package is very/extremely influential on their productivity.

• 55% say their employer offers voluntary benefits, yet only 28% are enrolled.
• 37% say adding voluntary insurance benefits to their insurance plans would provide more coverage options, 36% say voluntary benefits would give them more comprehensive insurance protection and 32% say voluntary benefits would help them meet their needs.
• 61% say they would be likely to purchase voluntary insurance offered by their employer.
• 36% say their HR departments are only somewhat knowledgeable about voluntary benefits; another 12% say their HR departments are not very/not at all knowledgeable about voluntary benefits. 

The 2012 Aflac WorkForces Report was conducted January 24–February 23, 2012, by Research Now on behalf of Aflac.