Insights

Connecting the dots in a fragmented health benefits ecosystem

Jul 08, 2025

Explore the challenges of benefits management and discover the advantages of an integrated health solution.

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Woman at a desk, looking intently at her laptop.

Today’s health care system is more complex than ever—strained by high demand and rising expectations. To attract and retain talent, employers continue to grow their health and wellness offerings.

But this growth often leads to a tangled web of point solutions, each tackling a different need in isolation. The result? A fragmented benefits ecosystem that’s tough for employers to manage and confusing for employees to navigate.

To make it all work, meaningful integration is essential. It’s the key to connecting the dots across this complex landscape and turning disconnected tools into a cohesive, high-performing strategy.

The current state of benefits management

Employers continue to add both digital and in-person health solutions to their benefits packages. While well-intentioned, this approach often results in a patchwork of disconnected offerings that can lead to frustration on all sides.

While benefits teams juggle a growing list of vendors—each with their own systems, contacts, and reporting structures—employees face a maze of options with little integration or guidance to help them make the right choices.

For administrators, this fragmented setup means more time spent managing vendors, higher administrative costs, and limited visibility into what’s actually working. The impact adds up quickly:

For employees,fragmented health benefits aren’t just inefficient—they’re frustrating.

Navigating multiple platforms, interfaces, and logins adds unnecessary friction to getting care.

The result? Lower engagement, underutilized resources, and less impact when it matters most.

Evaluating health solutions: Pros and cons

Generally, employers could take two possible routes for adapting their point-filled benefits ecosystem, each with their own pros and cons.

Approach

Pros

Cons

1 - Maintain the status quo with many point solutions and relationships

  • Familiar vendor relationships
  • No upfront integration costs
  • Continued administrative complexity
  • No cohesive data insights
  • Fragmented member experience
  • Gaps in care and underutilization

 2 - Integrated navigation model

  • Less admin burden; fewer contracts to manage
  • Actionable, centralized reporting
  • Personalized guidance for members
  • Better experience, reduced barriers
  • Requires initial investment in integration and change management

Smarter health data isn’t optional—it’s a business imperative

Employers make smarter, more cost-effective decisions when they have clear insights into engagement, utilization, and vendor performance. Integrated data makes this visibility possible—unlocking the ability to assess ROI and continuously improve.

Better data integration also enables more personalized member experiences. Tailored communications and interventions lead to better engagement and stronger health outcomes. At a time when managing health care can feel overwhelming, personalized benefit strategies can make all the difference.

Moving forward with integrated solutions

To cut through complexity, employers should look for solutions that offer:

  • Vendor management support to reduce administrative burden

  • Comprehensive reporting for better visibility and smarter decisions

  • Personalized guidance that drives higher engagement and satisfaction

A navigation model brings these elements together—creating a more cohesive ecosystem, enabling more effective benefits teams, and empowering a healthier workforce.

Connecting the dots across your health benefits ecosystem
The challenge isn’t just offering more benefits—it’s connecting them in a way that works. A centralized, integrated model transforms the member experience, simplifies vendor oversight, and gives employers the data they need to measure what matters.

It’s time to move beyond fragmented solutions with CareNav+ by Evernorth. With integrated data, vendor accountability, and personalized, guided care at the core, you can deliver a benefits experience that actually works—for your business and your people. 

Tags
Benefits Navigation
Digital Health
See how our solutions can help
CareNav+

Evernorth CareNav+ SM is a vendor-agnostic benefits navigation solution that makes employer’s benefits ecosystem easier to use and reduces benefit and vendor management fatigue. For members, it transforms the way they access and experience high quality care – by putting a fact-based, guided and personalized care experience in their hands.

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