How employers can cultivate trust with employees through healthcare benefits
10 Minutes
Team Curative
Mar 19, 2025
Americans are eager to see improvements in the healthcare system, and employers are in the perfect position to help cultivate that change.
Business leaders may feel overwhelmed given the large number of Americans who are displeased with their employer sponsored health insurance. However, employers are finally starting to see the positive impact they can make on employees’ lives, communities, and the environment, simply by offering better medical benefits for employees.
Employers can make employees’ lives better by offering comprehensive health insurance that places value on overall wellness and access to preventive care services. By moving forward with proactive healthcare initiatives, employers can change how we view health insurance and even improve the entire U.S. healthcare system. But first, employers should know and understand why current employer sponsored health insurance falls short, and why employees may distrust their employer and health insurance due to high costs and a lack of transparency in their plans.
Interested in making a real impact on your workplace? Read on to learn more about the role employer-sponsored healthcare plays in building trust in your industry.
Building trust is a worthwhile investment
Trust in the industry is good for all parties and the bottom line. Building trust is something easier said than done. However, regardless of industry, employers can take actionable steps to build trust with their talent — paying dividends in the long run. About 81% of customers say that trust in a business is a deciding factor when deciding who to buy from. Trust is equally important to employees and business partners — research reveals that workers at “high-trust companies” experience 74% less stress, while also being 50% more productive.
So, how can you build trust in your organization?
A PWC survey was able to identify four areas where leaders, employees, and clients aligned on perceptions of trust. In order of priority, consumers, employees, and businesses all viewed the following as crucial elements of trust:
Protecting data and cybersecurity
Proper treatment of employees
Ethical business practice
Admitting to mistakes
To cultivate a company culture built on trust, start by focusing on these key elements. Leaders should hold themselves and their organizations accountable for how the business is performing in each area, and initiate change when needed. Organizations that aim to be truly trustworthy in their words and actions don’t just look better in the public eye. They also position themselves to get better results from employees and partners as well as improve the bottom line.
One way to satisfy the second and third elements of trust is to make the ethical decision to offer employees better employer sponsored health insurance. Medical benefits for employees should be comprehensive, affordable, easy to understand, and simple to use. Better health benefits can lead to increased employee engagement, better health outcomes, and a more engaged workforce. In coming years, health benefit costs will likely continue to rise for employers and employees alike. So, business leaders, employers, and employees must navigate a new “social contract,” — sharing the goal of better health and overall employee well-being. To build sustainable trust with talent, employers must use a balanced approach to shared accountability and fiscal responsibility while ensuring their employees can easily access affordable, comprehensive healthcare options.
Offering better medical benefits for employees will build trust and create a foundation for lasting success and can be a key factor for progress forward within your industry.
High-trust companies build value. Business leaders may not know that there is a well-established economic incentive for businesses to take action in healthcare. Healthy workers can avoid productivity decreases due to absenteeism and the burden of treating illnesses. Absenteeism costs can affect businesses’ bottom line in many ways — working while sick can delay an employee’s recovery time, increase the risk of future health problems for the individual, lead to increased absences, and cause illness to spread in the workplace. Productivity losses linked to absenteeism and presenteeism from chronic illnesses and injuries cost U.S. employers $2,945 per employee per year. Conversely, organizations that proactively address healthcare disparities by offering affordable, comprehensive employer sponsored health insurance with better medical benefits for employees enjoy benefits over reduced costs — while also taking socially responsible action and building trust with their talent.
By focusing on improving medical benefits for employees, business leaders can change how we view employer sponsored health insurance and cultivate trust within their organization. It’s a win-win: Compared with people at low-trust companies, people at high-trust companies report:
74% less stress
106% more energy at work
50% higher productivity
13% fewer sick days
76% more engagement
29% more satisfaction with their lives
40% less burnout
Employees trust employers who prioritize their health
Employees who have access to affordable, comprehensive health insurance are more likely to feel empowered in the workplace — leading to a higher perception of trust between employees and their employers.
A positive effect of helping workers feel empowered and feel that they can trust their employer sponsored health insurance is that they are more likely to seek preventative care. Preventive care can help reduce employer health costs. Access to preventive services can improve the physical, mental, and financial health of your organization’s talent force. For example, instead of delaying care until a health emergency caused by a disease or condition pops up, a preventive care approach seeks to lessen the likelihood of that illness occurring in the first place. Affordable, comprehensive employer sponsored health insurance plans mean people are more likely to be engaged in their healthcare journey and seek preventive care without worrying about cost.
With a focus on preventive care access, talent can benefit from progressive, preventive health plans, and employers can enjoy the rewards of improved productivity and satisfaction in the workplace.
Curative: Here to Help Businesses Build Trust with Talent
Good health is good business.
Curative is on a mission to deliver better benefits that create a healthier, happier workforce and help your business thrive. With easy-to-understand coverage and $0 copays and deductibles, employees get a plan they’ll love, and you get sustainable savings that keep your bottom-line goals within reach.
Easy-to-use healthcare supports the workforce.
All members are encouraged to attend a Baseline Visit with a Curative Care Navigator. This ensures members understand their plans and can access the right resources at the right time through our easy-to-navigate Provider Search. We work around employee work schedules and can provide support as frequently or as little as needed, so they can engage in their wellness while also being present in the workplace.
Healthcare supports your company’s mission.
At Curative, we know you want the best for your organization. Pioneering companies can’t risk resources on ineffective, unaffordable health benefits. Curative wants to change the status quo, with ultra-clear coverage and high-quality access to care for $0 copays and deductibles. With your help, we can work together to advance your mission and ours — improving medical benefits for employees.
How Curative Works
Curative is proud to offer innovative health insurance for companies. Curative helps employers provide talent with comprehensive, affordable health insurance — including access to preventive care services. Our approach to insurance prioritizes providing patients with access to healthcare. Here are a few primary and preventive care services we cover:
Annual Check-ups
Routine Screenings
Vaccinations and Immunizations
Chronic Disease Management
Acute Illness Care
Mental Health Services
Women's Health
Men's Health
Medication Management
Referrals to Specialists
Nutritional Counseling
Lifestyle and Wellness Coaching Referrals
By choosing Curative, you will be choosing to make a difference in employees’ lives. Curative is a next-generation group health plan employees will love. Learn more about Curative’s local and national provider network here.
Access to $0 care: Finding the right services can take a lot of time, especially without help. We’ll help your talent find services through the Curative Provider Search at zero cost to them, so they can take one more thing off their plate.
Baseline Visit and Care Navigator: All members are encouraged to attend a Baseline Visit with a Curative Care Navigator. This ensures members understand their plans and can access the right resources at the right time through our easy-to-navigate Provider Search.
No-hassle meds: Access to medication is a huge part of comprehensive healthcare. Eligible members have access to rapid medication delivery through the Curative Pharmacy. We can also help members find an in-network pharmacy and provide guidance on transferring and filling prescriptions. No-hassle meds mean members can focus on being their best selves, both in and outside the workplace.
Support on your time: Our care team members stay on track with member care through one-on-one check-ins. We work around the work schedule and can provide support as frequently or as seldom as needed, so members can engage in their wellness while also being present in the workplace.
Mental Health Resources: Members can access $0 therapy including therapists, psychiatrists, and psychologists that appear in the Provider Search. Curative helps with prescription transfers and offers $0 preferred medications that appear on the drug formulary. Members can also tap into remote therapy through our partnerships.
Telehealth: Curative offers 24/7/365 Telehealth to ensure members get care when they need it most.
For more information on health insurance, comprehensive care resources, and how Curative can help you cultivate better employee health in your organization, visit our employer page.
To see all disclaimers, please view them here.
References
Pollitz, Karen et al. (2023, June). KFF Survey of Consumer Experiences with Health Insurance. KFF. https://www.kff.org/private-insurance/poll-finding/kff-survey-of-consumer-experiences-with-health-insurance/.
Vitasek, Kate (2023, January). 3 Ways To Build Trust (To Build A Better Business) Forbes Business. https://www.forbes.com/sites/katevitasek/2023/01/17/3-ways-to-build-trust-to-build-a-better-business/.
Gambill, T. (2022, July). 5 Characteristics Of High-Trust Teams. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonygambill/2022/07/26/5-characteristics-of-high-trust-teams/
PwC (2024, March). PwC’s 2024 Trust Survey: 8 key findings. https://www.pwc.com/us/en/library/trust-in-business-survey.html.
PwC (2024). Medical cost growth will rise to highest level in 13 years; a renewed call to action to address affordability. https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/health-industries/library/behind-the-numbers.html.
World Economic Forum (2022). Businesses can play a key role in advancing health equity worldwide. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/10/how-businesses-can-tackle-health-inequity-worldwide/.
Kaiser Permanente (2022). The real cost of workplace absenteeism — and what you can do about it. https://business.kaiserpermanente.org/california/engagement/absenteeism-costs-what-you-can-do.
Cordina, Jenny et al. (2021, December). Income alone may be insufficient: How employers can help advance health equity in the workplace. McKinsey and Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/income-alone-may-be-insufficient-how-employers-can-help-advance-health-equity-in-the-workplace.
Vinopaul, Courtney (2024, May). On health needs, employers are trusted most, according to new report. HR Brew. https://www.hr-brew.com/stories/2024/05/30/employers-trusted-most-health-needs.
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Table of Contents
Building trust is a worthwhile investment
Employees trust employers who prioritize their health
Curative: Here to Help Businesses Build Trust with Talent
How Curative Works
