Voya Financial launches new decision-support tool to help American workers optimize their health and wealth benefit selections

Rhea-AI Summary

Voya Financial (NYSE: VOYA) has launched an enhanced version of its myHealthMoney digital assistant, providing personalized guidance on workplace benefits. Powered by SAVVI Financial, this tool helps employees make informed decisions regarding medical, dental, and supplemental health insurance, along with health savings accounts (HSAs) and flexible savings accounts (FSAs). The initiative aims to simplify health care choices, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, where high costs and complex decisions have become more pronounced. Voya's research indicates that over 70% of employees seek decision-support tools for better financial management.

Positive

• Launch of enhanced myHealthMoney tool aimed at helping employees make informed decisions about health benefits.
• Tool integrates employer-specific benefits, providing personalized recommendations based on individual situations.
• Research shows that 73% of employees are interested in guidance tools for managing health and retirement savings.

Negative

• None.

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), announced today that it has launched a new version of its myHealthMoney digital assistant, which provides sophisticated guidance to help workers make more informed decisions when selecting their workplace benefits. Powered by SAVVI Financial, a leading technology-enabled financial wellness platform, the digital tool now integrates employer-specific benefits and provides employees with a personalized recommendation on medical, dental, vision and supplement health insurance, as well as contribution guidance for health savings accounts (HSAs) and flexible savings accounts (FSAs). This enhanced version of the myHealthMoney tool is available to Voya’s workplace clients and customers, as well as Voya’s own employees.

“The health and wealth needs of Americans are connected like never before, which the COVID-19 pandemic has only magnified. High costs, combined with the complexity of choosing the right plan, can make health care decisions difficult for employees — many of whom are already struggling to save for retirement,” explained Rob Grubka, chief executive officer of Health Solutions for Voya Financial.

“The myHealthMoney tool is designed to make health care benefits and savings decisions easier, and research shows employees welcome the power of decision support tools. A recent Voya study found more than seven in 10 employees (73%) said they are interested in guidance and support tools that would help them understand how much money to put aside for retirement, emergency savings and health care expenses¹,” added Grubka.

How does myHealthMoney work?

Initially launched as an HSA contribution digital assistant in 2020, Voya’s enhanced version of myHealthMoney now provides sophisticated guidance to help employees optimize several of their workplace benefits. Powered by SAVVI Financial and accessed through the participant’s account, myHealthMoney is an interactive experience that guides employees through a series of questions that leads to recommendations for a medical health plan, supplemental health insurance and HSA/FSA contribution guidance, based on their unique situation. For example, it takes into account family size, typical health-care spending, retirement dates and savings goals. Instead of calculating and comparing options manually, the employee receives personalized scenarios that illustrate the cost of each option and take into consideration their risk tolerance. The scenarios also give them the opportunity to see how different supplemental health products offered by their employer can work together. Watch this brief demo video.

“Voya piloted this enhanced version of myHealthMoney with our own employees during the fall open enrollment period, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. In a small pilot survey, 77% of respondents said they felt more prepared to manage health care expenses after using myHealthMoney²,” explained Andrew Frend, SVP of Health Solutions Product and Strategy. “We understand that benefits decisions are complicated. Decision-support tools like myHealthMoney can take some of the complexity out of the equation — which, hopefully, leads to employees making more informed benefits selections to help improve their financial wellness.”

Health benefit decisions impact financial wellness

Voya recently launched a study to better understand how people make health plan decisions and why they choose the plans they do during open enrollment. The key findings are summarized in a new Voya white paper — Retirement at Risk: The relationship between overspending on health care and retirement readiness.³

Interestingly, the research reveals employees often have a bias against high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) when compared to more traditional health plans, like a preferred provider organization (PPO) plan. In one part of the study, participants were presented with two different plans and told to think of them as identical in quality of care, access to care and all other features beyond cost. The only difference in the HDHP vs. PPO plans was the premiums and deductibles. Almost two-thirds of study participants (65%) chose the PPO plan — despite the fact that the study was purposefully designed so the HDHP would always be the optimal financial choice. As a result, Voya uncovered three key reasons to help explain this decision-making mindset:

• Naming of the plan has influence on enrollment — Participants were almost twice as likely to choose a PPO plan over an HDHP when the words “high deductible” were used in the plan name (65% PPO vs. 35% HDHP). This preference noticeably lessens when the plans are unbranded (53% PPO vs. 47% HDHP).³
• Inertia among employees to “set and forget” — 89% of respondents said they just pick the same health plan from the prior year, especially those enrolled in a PPO versus a HDHP (94% vs. 80% respectively).³
• General aversion to deductibles – Almost two-thirds of participants (63%) said they would pick the plan with the lowest deductible.³

“Voya’s research highlights the potential impact overspending on health benefits can have on workers’ financial wellness. Depending on their health care utilization, we found that the average employee would have spent between $500 and $2,500 more throughout the year³ — which is money a person could be saving for retirement, contributing to an HSA or putting aside for an emergency,” explained Frend. “This study illustrates the value of decision-support tools like myHealthMoney to help employees begin to see — and understand — which benefits are best for them as they work to build a secure financial future.”

Advancing financial wellness through purposeful innovation

In addition to myHealthMoney, which will complement Voya’s myOrangeMoney^® retirement-income-estimating capabilities, Voya has launched several digital innovations in recent months to help Americans holistically plan for their financial wellness needs. These resources include Voya’s: Emergency Savings fund solutions; budget calculator; Spanish-language experience; and Voya Learn digital educational platform, which offers live and on-demand sessions on a variety of topics, including saving for emergencies, market volatility, retirement investing, debt management and more.

Coming soon, the Voya Behavioral Finance Institute for Innovation plans to publish a new white paper outlining a digital strategy capable of helping participants see the big picture of their finances, improving the allocation of their savings across a range of financial products — from health to wealth.

As an industry leader focused on the delivery of health, wealth and investment solutions to and through the workplace, Voya Financial is committed to delivering on its mission to make a secure financial future possible for all Americans — one person, one family, one institution at a time.

1) Based on the results of a Voya Financial survey conducted through Ipsos on the Ipsos eNation omnibus online platform among 1,005 adults aged 18+ in the U.S. (featuring 294 people who are currently working and benefits-eligible). Research was conducted Dec. 17-18, 2020.

2) Based on pilot group data. When asked if myHealthMoney helped employees feel more prepared to manage health care expenses. 7 of 9 total respondents responded “Agree” (data collected as of Dec. 2, 2020).

3) An online survey conducted by Voya Financial, in partnership with Russell Research, between Sept. 2–6, 2020, among 315 U.S. consumers currently enrolled in an employer-sponsored health plan.

About Voya Financial^®

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), helps Americans plan, invest and protect their savings — to get ready to retire better. Serving the financial needs of approximately 14.8 million individual and institutional customers in the United States, Voya is a Fortune 500 company that had $7.6 billion in revenue in 2020. The company had $700 billion in total assets under management and administration as of Dec. 31, 2020. With a clear mission to make a secure financial future possible — one person, one family, one institution at a time — Voya’s vision is to be America’s Retirement Company^®. Certified as a “Great Place to Work” by the Great Place to Work^® Institute, Voya is equally committed to conducting business in a way that is socially, environmentally, economically and ethically responsible. Voya has earned recognition as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies^® by the Ethisphere Institute; as the No. 1-ranked financial services firm among Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies for three consecutive years; as a member of the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index; and as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” on the Disability Equality Index. For more information, visit voya.com. Follow Voya Financial on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter @Voya.

About SAVVI

Founded by a team of MIT PhDs on the belief that advanced modeling and analytics could offer more Americans the chance to reach their short and long-term financial goals faster. SAVVI Financial offers a full suite of services so employers can design financial engagement solutions that meet the needs of their employees. For all SAVVI press inquiries, please contact: pr@savvifi.com.

SAVVI Financial LLC (SAVVI) is an investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. SEC registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. SAVVI does not guarantee investment results and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Information is provided for educational purposes and does not constitute investment advice, which is only provided to registered users who have a valid Investment Agreement in place with SAVVI. Voya Financial, the parent company of Voya, and a number of other Voya Financial affiliates, have financial and business relationships with SAVVI which create an incentive for Voya to promote SAVVI’s products and services. You should access and read SAVVI’s Firm Brochure which is available at this link: https://www.savvifi.com/legal/form-adv. It contains general information about SAVVI’s business, including conflicts of interest.

Insurance products are issued by ReliaStar Life Insurance Company (Minneapolis, MN) and ReliaStar Life Insurance Company of New York (Woodbury, NY). Within the State of New York, only ReliaStar Life Insurance Company of New York is admitted, and its products issued. Both are members of the Voya® family of companies. Voya Employee Benefits is a division of both companies. Product availability and specific provisions may vary by state.

Health Savings and Spending Accounts, including Health Savings Accounts, Flexible Spending Accounts, Commuter Benefits, Health Reimbursement Arrangements, and COBRA Administration offered by Voya Benefits Company, LLC (in New York, doing business as Voya BC, LLC). Administration services provided by WEX Health, Inc., and Benefit Strategies, LLC.

VOYA-EB, VOYA-RET

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FAQ

What is the myHealthMoney tool launched by Voya Financial?

The myHealthMoney tool is a digital assistant designed to help employees make informed decisions about their workplace benefits, including health insurance and savings accounts.

How does myHealthMoney improve decision-making for employees?

myHealthMoney offers personalized recommendations based on employees' specific situations, helping them navigate medical, dental, and supplemental health insurance options.

What percentage of employees are interested in decision support tools according to Voya's research?

Over 73% of employees expressed interest in guidance tools to help them understand savings for retirement and health care expenses.

Who developed the technology behind the myHealthMoney tool?

The myHealthMoney tool is powered by SAVVI Financial, which specializes in technology-enabled financial wellness solutions.

How has the myHealthMoney tool been received by Voya employees?

In a pilot program, 77% of Voya employees felt more prepared to manage health care expenses after using the myHealthMoney tool.