voluntary benefits

Voluntary Benefits 2027: Why Prescription Savings Are Essential for Your Employee Package

September 29, 2026

Key Takeaways

Healthcare costs are driving voluntary benefits adoption.
Prescription savings programs fill critical coverage gaps.
GLP-1 medications create extraordinary cost pressures.
Implementation requires strategic provider evaluation.
Measuring success drives continuous improvement.

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Healthcare costs are projected to reach a 9% trend in 2027, the highest in nearly two decades. GLP-1 prescriptions alone now account for 10.5% of annual pharmacy claims, and nearly 8 in 10 employers report these medications are directly driving up healthcare costs. These figures are reshaping how employers approach benefits planning, with prescription savings programs gaining ground as practical additions to voluntary employee benefits packages.

The case for inclusion is straightforward. Prescription savings programs address medication coverage gaps without adding administrative complexity or increasing plan costs. Employees receive immediate, usable value; employers gain a cost-control mechanism that requires no additional premium outlay. This article covers what voluntary benefits are, why prescription savings warrant a defined place within your voluntary benefits plan, and the steps to incorporate these programs into your 2027 open enrollment strategy.

What Are Voluntary Benefits and Why They Matter in 2027

Understanding voluntary employee benefits

Voluntary employee benefits are insurance products and supplemental coverage options made available through the workplace, with costs paid primarily by employees through payroll deductions. Core benefits such as health insurance require substantial employer funding; voluntary benefits shift that financial responsibility to employees while the employer provides access to group rates and vetted coverage options. The result is a broader benefits portfolio with no direct premium cost to the employer.

The category covers a wide range of products: supplemental health insurance, accident coverage, critical illness plans, hospital indemnity, disability insurance, dental and vision add-ons, pet insurance, identity theft protection, and legal services. Employees select what fits their circumstances and life stage. Pre-tax payroll deductions handle payment, which makes voluntary coverage more affordable than comparable individual market options.

Rising healthcare costs driving voluntary benefits adoption

Average health plan deductibles jumped 43% over the past decade, reaching approximately $2,600 for small employers and $1,670 for large employers. Nearly half of U.S. adults report difficulty affording healthcare bills. One in three adults skipped or postponed needed medical care in the past year due to cost, and four in 10 Americans carry health-related debt.

Employers are responding. 51% now identify voluntary benefits as tools for attracting and retaining talent, up from 31% in 2023. Research supports the shift: U.S. employees place equivalent value on accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity coverage as they do on employer-funded HSA or HRA contributions. That equivalence signals that supplemental offerings carry real weight in how employees evaluate a total compensation package.

How voluntary benefits complement core health plans

High-deductible health plans reduce employer premium costs but expose employees to significant out-of-pocket risk. Voluntary benefits address that exposure directly. Cash payouts go to employees when qualifying medical events occur, covering deductibles, copays, lost income, or household expenses during a health crisis. That safety net makes HDHP adoption less financially threatening for employees, which supports plan design decisions that lower overall cost.

Presenting supplemental options alongside core health plan choices during enrollment reinforces this dynamic. Employees who see their out-of-pocket exposure laid out against available gap coverage are better positioned to select appropriate protection.

The role of prescription savings in voluntary benefits plans

Prescription savings programs fit within the voluntary benefits framework without adding administrative burden or plan complexity. They function as a direct response to medication affordability, a cost category rising faster than the overall medical trend and one that traditional health plans increasingly fail to address fully.

Why Prescription Savings Programs Are Essential for Employee Packages

Addressing the prescription drug cost crisis

Six in ten adults worry about affording prescription drug costs. Prescription drug spending exceeded $449.7 billion in 2023. Drug prices have increased by 4% annually on average; specialty drugs have risen 21% per year. The share of healthcare dollars spent on pharmacy climbed from 22% to 28% between 2017 and 2019. Four in ten adults report not taking medications as prescribed due to cost, skipping doses or not filling prescriptions at all.

These figures collectively indicate a cost burden that standard health plan design has not resolved.

Filling coverage gaps in traditional health plans

Traditional health plan structures leave identifiable gaps in medication affordability. When insurers remove drugs from formularies, negotiated discounts are not passed to members, employees pay full retail prices. Prescription discount cards, by contrast, frequently price below insurance copays, particularly for generic medications under $50. Routine generics that carry $20–40 insurance copays often price at $4–15 through discount cards. During deductible periods, before insurance benefits apply, discount cards provide access to pricing that would otherwise require full out-of-pocket retail payment.

GLP-1s and specialty drug expenses

GLP-1 medications represent a distinct cost pressure. After rebates, these drugs cost $600–900 per member per month, or $7,200–10,800 annually per employee. Adding GLP-1 coverage could increase employer premiums by 14%. Specialty drugs now account for more than 50% of total pharmacy spend while serving less than 2% of patients. Annual out-of-pocket costs for specialty tier drugs average $8,109 per patient.

The concentration of spend in this category, a small patient population driving the majority of pharmacy costs, makes targeted cost management a practical necessity rather than an optional measure.

Immediate value for employees without added employer costs

Prescription savings programs produce a return without requiring employer premium contributions. These programs generate $2.00 in plan savings for every $1.00 in member savings on average. Average medication savings reach 60%, with some transactions exceeding 80%. There are no enrollment fees and no usage limits.

That cost structure, where savings accrue to both employees and plans without upfront employer expenditure, distinguishes prescription savings programs from most other benefits additions.

Prescription savings vs. traditional pharmacy benefits

Discount programs function outside standard insurance mechanics. Savings apply at the pharmacy counter directly, with no claims submission required. Amounts paid through discount cards typically do not count toward insurance deductibles; however, when drugs are excluded from coverage or copays exceed the discount price, the card delivers superior net value to the employee. The programs operate as a parallel access point, not a replacement for insurance, but a correction for its pricing gaps.

How to Add Prescription Savings to Your 2027 Benefits Package

Evaluating prescription savings program providers

Not all prescription savings programs deliver equivalent value. Partner with benefits providers or pharmacy benefit managers that offer prescription discount programs as part of their voluntary benefits platform. Pharmacy network size is a foundational criterion, leading programs are accepted at 60,000 retail pharmacies nationwide, ensuring employees can access discounts where they already fill prescriptions. Evaluate savings potential carefully; programs offering 10% to 85% discounts across most prescriptions represent meaningful coverage of routine and specialty medication costs.

Ease of access matters equally. Mobile apps and web portals that allow members to search prescriptions, compare prices across local pharmacies, and view transparent pricing before arrival at the counter reduce friction and increase utilization. Programs like Inside Rx remove cost unpredictability by providing discounts on thousands of medications at 60,000 pharmacies nationwide.

Integration with existing voluntary benefits offerings

Prescription savings programs fit cleanly alongside existing voluntary benefits without displacing them. Position the program during benefits selection periods so employees evaluate it in context with their other coverage decisions. The programs carry particular utility for part-time workers who lack traditional health insurance, self-funded plans aiming to manage expenses without substantial cost additions, and associations seeking to offer members tangible value. For employees enrolled in high-deductible health plans, prescription savings fill deductible-period gaps, the period when employees bear the most direct medication costs.

Communication strategies for open enrollment

Enrollment communication should begin well ahead of the open enrollment window, with consistent updates maintained throughout. Reach employees through multiple channels, email, webinars, intranet posts, and printed materials, recognizing that different employees engage with different formats. Avoid insurance terminology. Employees respond to plain-language explanations of what they will receive at the pharmacy counter and what they will actually pay. Specific, scenario-based examples outperform general benefit descriptions in driving comprehension and uptake.

Setting up prescription savings as a supplemental benefit

Establish managed services agreements with prescription savings providers structured as either default fulfillment pathways or additional pharmacy channels within existing networks. Once operational, track employee usage consistently. Reporting dashboards from your provider should surface adoption patterns, transaction volumes, and savings totals, data that enables ongoing evaluation of program impact and early identification of areas requiring adjustment.

Measuring Success and Employee Engagement with Prescription Savings

Tracking utilization and employee savings

Benefits represent 30-40% of payroll, which makes ROI measurement a practical necessity, not an optional exercise. Two distinct metrics matter here: participation rate, the share of eligible employees enrolled in the prescription savings program, and utilization rate, which reflects how many enrolled employees actually use it. These numbers often diverge, and that gap signals where communication or access barriers exist.

Track prescription fill data through your provider's reporting dashboard on a quarterly basis. Monitor average savings per transaction alongside total employee savings accumulated across the workforce. Programs that consistently deliver 60% average savings, with select transactions exceeding 80%, generate figures worth presenting to leadership as concrete program outcomes.

Employee feedback and satisfaction metrics

Satisfaction data is a leading indicator; it predicts utilization problems before they show up in fill rates. A 48-point satisfaction gap exists between employees who feel supported through the benefits process versus those who report confusion, which underscores how directly communication quality affects program performance. 74% of employees report working harder when satisfied with their benefits package.

On prescription-specific trust, the numbers warrant attention. Only 38% of employees trust their employer's guidance on prescription decisions, and 78% want exact out-of-pocket cost information before arriving at the pharmacy counter. Pulse surveys and structured focus groups provide qualitative context that enrollment figures alone cannot capture. Track whether the 26% of employees who currently skip prescriptions due to cost show measurable improvement following program launch.

Adjusting your voluntary benefits strategy for 2028

Cross-reference satisfaction survey results with actual utilization data to pinpoint communication gaps or program elements that are underperforming. Time-to-value metrics, measuring how quickly employees move from enrollment to first program use, reveal whether onboarding materials and pharmacy access are working as intended. These findings should directly inform messaging adjustments, pharmacy network expansions, or program feature changes ahead of 2028 open enrollment.

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Conclusion

Prescription drug costs are not stabilizing, and traditional health plan structures leave identifiable gaps that affect employee medication adherence. Prescription savings programs fit directly into voluntary benefits packages as a practical, low-friction solution, no added premium costs for employers, no enrollment barriers for employees, and measurable savings at the pharmacy counter.

For 2027 open enrollment, the decision is largely operational: select a program with broad pharmacy network coverage, establish clear communication before and during enrollment, and track utilization data to confirm the program is being used. Inside Rx supports employers, brokers, and benefits platforms in delivering prescription savings that employees can use immediately and consistently. The value is tangible, the implementation is straightforward, and the gap it fills in your benefits package is well-documented.

References

Topics:

Prescription Savings