When employees sit down to make benefit elections, their attention almost always focuses on the health plan. That decision feels big, immediate, and essential. However,  what often gets overlooked in the process are the supplemental benefits, such as HSAs, disability coverage, accident protection, or critical illness insurance, that can make the difference between financial resilience and financial vulnerability.

The problem isn’t that employees don’t care about these options. It’s that they often don’t understand them, or they underestimate their importance until it’s too late. Faced with complex explanations and little context, many decide to skip supplemental coverage entirely. The result: households are left exposed to financial shocks, and employers see less value delivered from the benefits they’ve invested heavily in.

The consequences can be substantial. Take HSAs, for example. Employees who don’t contribute miss out on one of the most powerful financial tools available: the triple tax advantage of pre-tax contributions, tax-free growth, and tax-free withdrawals for qualified expenses. Even modest contributions made consistently can grow into tens of thousands of dollars over the course of a career. Similarly, skipping disability coverage leaves families vulnerable to losing 40 to 60 percent of their income if an illness or injury keeps them out of work. For many households, just a few months without income would mean depleting savings or incurring debt.  Critical illness or accident insurance fills gaps that health coverage doesn’t cover—without it, an unexpected event can quickly derail financial stability.

So why do so many employees pass on these benefits? The answer is usually straightforward: they don’t know what the benefit does, they don’t see how it connects to their overall financial picture, or they assume it’s unnecessary unless they’re already facing a crisis. In the absence of clarity, the default choice is to skip.

This is where smarter benefits guidance changes the story. When employees are shown, in plain language, how supplemental benefits integrate with their health coverage and how they protect both income and savings, the decision becomes much clearer. Instead of a confusing list of add-ons, employees see these benefits as essential pieces of their financial safety net.

For employers and brokers, the upside is significant. Better uptake of supplemental benefits translates into a more financially secure workforce, reduced stress, and higher satisfaction with the overall benefits program. It also means employees see the full value of the benefits being offered, which strengthens engagement and retention. For brokers, it demonstrates measurable ROI and creates stronger, longer-lasting client relationships.

At the end of the day, skipping supplemental benefits leaves too much at risk, for employees and for employers. Smarter guidance not only helps people make better choices, it empowers them to feel confident that they’re protected. And when employees feel secure, everyone wins.

Join our upcoming webinar: Driving Supplemental Utilization with Survey-less, Silo-less Guidance. Or simply click here to schedule a 30 minute chat.

‍