Last week, we had the incredible opportunity to present at The Conference Board’s Employee Healthcare Conference in New York, a premier gathering of industry leaders, forward-thinking employers, and benefits executives. The event served as a dynamic forum for exploring the latest trends and innovations shaping the future of employee healthcare.
Kindbody’s Founding Physician and Chief Innovation Officer Dr. Fahimeh Sasan took the stage alongside our valued employer partner, Mindy Christopher, Benefits Manager at The RealReal, to discuss one of today’s most pressing topics: how employers can balance rising cost pressures with the need to deliver meaningful, high-quality care that drives employee retention and engagement. Together, they shared a candid look at what it takes to drive impact, from aligning on outcomes that matter to building solutions that are both clinically effective and financially sustainable.
In addition to the conversations on stage, our team spent time connecting with employers at our booth, providing a valuable, real-time pulse on what is top of mind across the market. A few themes came up consistently:
Cost control is the top priority. Employers are under increasing pressure to manage healthcare spend, with many sharing that CFOs are more involved than ever and holding teams accountable for measurable outcomes. There is a clear expectation that solutions demonstrate impact, both in terms of clinical outcomes and cost savings. As part of this focus, employers are also looking for greater transparency and alignment in how solutions are priced and utilized, with models such as Kindbody’s approach of only charging for services actually provided, rather than a PEPM structure, resonating as a way to ensure spend is directly tied to value delivered.
A shift toward efficiency over expansion. Rather than adding more point solutions, employers are focused on optimizing and better utilizing existing benefits. This increasingly includes auditing their current vendor ecosystem to identify underperforming or redundant solutions and, where appropriate, consolidating or replacing them with more impactful, integrated options that deliver stronger outcomes and clearer value. A shift toward efficiency over expansion was also evident, with Mindy sharing that at The RealReal they took a holistic look across their vendor ecosystem, evaluated utilization across programs, and made intentional trade-offs to reallocate existing dollars, ultimately enabling them to add Kindbody without increasing their overall budget.
Family-building benefits continue to be one of the most impactful tools employers have for both recruiting and retaining talent. As competition for top talent intensifies, employees are increasingly evaluating benefits as a key factor in where they choose to work and whether they stay. As Mindy shared, “I’ve actually heard somebody say, ‘I wanted to leave, but now with this benefit, I can’t because I won’t find it anywhere else.’” She noted that from a talent acquisition and retention perspective, fertility and family-building benefits can be a meaningful differentiator and “a wonderful retention strategy.” Beyond retention, she emphasized the life-changing impact of these benefits, sharing that “there’s people who may not have had an option before, and now they do have options,” and that “it makes me feel like what I do is actually changing somebody’s life—because it actually is.” She also highlighted how powerful it is to hear directly from employees, including those who share their experiences with senior leadership such as the CEO, CPO, and CFO.
Optionality is key. Employers are looking to provide more choice and flexibility in how employees access care, recognizing that one size does not fit all. This includes offering multiple pathways to care, more personalized benefit experiences, and solutions that can adapt to diverse employee needs. At the same time, there is a tension between offering optionality and avoiding unnecessary complexity, making thoughtful curation and guidance increasingly important. As Mindy shared in the context of menopause care, while it is not something they currently offer, it is a benefit they anticipate wanting to provide in the future as their workforce ages. Dr. Sasan noted that “the number one word I hear from women who have had appropriate menopause care is ‘life-changing,’” adding that employers should be able to support “life-changing moments in our 40s and 50s when we feel more like ourselves.”
Taken together, the conversations at The Conference Board and insights from The RealReal reflect a clear direction for employers: reproductive health benefits must deliver measurable value, support employee needs, and operate within increasingly defined financial constraints. As employers continue to refine their strategies, those that can balance affordability with impact, while also supporting recruitment, retention, and employee experience, will be best positioned for long-term success.
