The Future of Benefits – What Matters Most to Employees

Jackye Clayton and John Baldino break down what benefits truly mean to employees in 2025 and where the system is headed. They explain why health benefits remain the number one concern for workers, how mental health coverage is now being embedded by dental and vision providers, and why COBRA costs are devastating for displaced workers. The episode tackles age-banding pricing as legalized ageism, the disproportionate impact of layoffs on Black women in 2025, and emerging concierge healthcare models that are raising significant venture capital. Both hosts share personal experiences navigating the Affordable Care Act marketplace and argue that tying benefits to employment status holds people back from entrepreneurship.

• Health benefits are the first thing 90% of employees think of when they hear the word benefits
• Dental and vision providers like MetLife and Principal now embed mental health and wellbeing services
• COBRA costs over $600 per month for individuals and $3,000 or more for families
• The Affordable Care Act marketplace is cheaper than COBRA but still far from affordable
• Age-banding pricing is legalized ageism, still permitted in two US states
• Over 600,000 Black women were laid off in 2025 out of more than 1 million total job cuts
• Concierge healthcare models are growing: Citizen Health raised $30 million for AI patient advocacy
• Benefits tied to employment status prevent people from pursuing entrepreneurship
• Part-time and gig worker benefits are increasing but still insufficient
• Personalized wellbeing platforms like Maave let employees direct funds to what matters most to them

[00:17:49] Health benefits as the number one employee concern

[00:19:19] Mental health benefits embedded in dental and vision plans

[00:22:46] The devastating cost of COBRA for displaced workers

[00:26:42] Affordable Care Act marketplace: not actually affordable

[00:32:32] Age-banding pricing as legalized ageism

[00:34:37] Over 600,000 Black women laid off in 2025

[00:38:57] Concierge healthcare and MDVIP membership models

[00:42:05] Citizen Health raises $30M for AI patient advocacy

[00:44:05] Benefits tied to employment status holding back entrepreneurs

[00:46:02] Personalized wellbeing platforms like Maave

Keywords: employee benefits, health insurance, COBRA costs, Affordable Care Act, mental health benefits, concierge healthcare, age-banding, gig worker benefits, wellbeing platforms, benefits strategy