Standard Interview Instrument

Employee Benefits Leader Survey

The interview protocol used in every HealthLuminate Clarity Study conversation. The same questions, asked the same way, so results can be benchmarked fairly across organizations, industries, and markets.

About 30 minutes Strictly confidential Independent research Eight sections
Schedule Your Interview Jump to Questions
8

Structured sections covering partners, cost, and employee experience

1–5

Agreement scale used for broker, TPA, technology, and employee ratings

0–10

Recommendation scores collected separately for each relationship

0

Cost to participate — and no attribution to you or your organization

How this interview works

This is the standard HealthLuminate survey document. Every employee benefits leader we interview is asked these questions so peer comparisons stay consistent. Some sections appear only when they apply — for example, the TPA section is skipped if you do not work with a TPA separate from your broker.

Unless marked required, you may skip anything you cannot answer. Open-ended questions are optional. Individual responses are never shared and are reported only in aggregate, benchmarked form.

Section 1

Screening & Firmographics

A few quick questions about you and your organization.

Q1 Company name*
Q2 Primary role*
Benefits Director HR Director / VP CFO / Finance Total Rewards Leader Other
Q3 Approximate covered employees*
<100 100–499 500–999 1,000–4,999 5,000–9,999 10,000+
Q4 Industry*

Open response — for example Healthcare, Manufacturing, Hospitality, Professional Services.

Q5 Funding arrangement*
Fully insured Self-funded Level-funded Hybrid
Q6 Do you currently work with a broker or consultant?*
Yes No
Q7 Do you currently work with a TPA (separate from a broker)?*
Yes No
Section 2

Employee Satisfaction with Benefits

From your perspective as a leader, how do you believe employees feel?

Agreement scale for Q8
1Strongly Disagree
2Disagree
3Neither
4Agree
5Strongly Agree
Q8 Please rate each statement from 1 to 5.
  • Employees understand the benefits available to them
  • Employees are satisfied with their medical plan options
  • Employees are satisfied with the cost they pay (premiums, deductibles, out-of-pocket)
  • Employees find it easy to use their benefits (enrollment, claims, finding care)
  • Employees feel supported when they have a benefits-related problem
  • Overall, employees are satisfied with their benefits package
Q9 Do you have direct data (survey, engagement scores) on employee benefits satisfaction, or is this your best estimate as a leader?
Direct data Best estimate Mix of both
Q10 What is the most common benefits-related complaint you hear from employees?

Open response.

Section 3

Overall Outcomes

A few big-picture questions before the detailed partner ratings.

Q11 Which relationship delivers the most value relative to cost?
Broker TPA Technology vendor
Q12 Which relationship are you most likely to change in the next 12 months?
Broker TPA Technology vendor None
Q13 What is one thing you wish your broker, TPA, or technology vendor did differently?

Open response.

Recommendation scores (0–10) are collected separately for your broker, TPA, and each technology vendor in the sections that follow, so each relationship can be benchmarked on its own.

Section 4

Broker / Consultant Relationship

Asked only if you currently work with a broker or consultant.

Skip logic: this section is omitted when Q6 is No.

Q14 How long have you worked with your current broker / consultant?
<1 yr 1–2 yrs 3–5 yrs 6–10 yrs 10+ yrs
Data requests
Q15 Have you requested claims or utilization data from your broker in the past 12 months?
Yes No
Q16 Typical turnaround time
1–3 days 4–10 days 11–30 days 1–3 months 4–6 months 6+ months Never received
Q17 Have you ever had to escalate or repeat a data request to get a response?
Yes No
Broker rating
Agreement scale for Q18
1Strongly Disagree
2Disagree
3Neither
4Agree
5Strongly Agree
Q18 Please rate each statement from 1 to 5.
  • This broker delivers more savings than they cost us — the value exceeds the fee
  • When we request data, we are given what we expect
  • My broker proactively brings us cost-savings ideas, not just renewal options
  • My broker understands our specific employee population and industry
  • My broker’s stop-loss / vendor marketing process is competitive and thorough
  • My broker provides benchmarking data relevant to our peer group
  • I would recommend my broker to another benefits leader
Q19 How likely are you to recommend your broker / consultant to a peer?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 — Not at all likely10 — Extremely likely
Q20 What is the single biggest gap in service from your current broker / consultant?

Open response.

Q21 If tenure suggests a recent switch: why did you change brokers?

Asked only when tenure is under two years.

Section 5

TPA Relationship

Asked only if you work with a TPA separate from your broker.

Skip logic: this section is omitted when Q7 is No.

Q22 How long have you worked with your current TPA?
<1 yr 1–2 yrs 3–5 yrs 6–10 yrs 10+ yrs
Data requests
Q23 Have you requested claims or utilization data from your TPA in the past 12 months?
Yes No
Q24 Typical turnaround time
1–3 days 4–10 days 11–30 days 1–3 months 4–6 months 6+ months Never received
Q25 Have you ever had to escalate or repeat a data request to get a response?
Yes No
TPA rating
Agreement scale for Q26
1Strongly Disagree
2Disagree
3Neither
4Agree
5Strongly Agree
Q26 Please rate each statement from 1 to 5.
  • This TPA delivers more savings than they cost us — the value exceeds the fee
  • When we request data, we are given what we expect
  • Claims are processed accurately, with minimal errors requiring correction
  • The TPA’s member service / call center meets our employees’ needs
  • The TPA’s reporting portal is easy to use and provides actionable insight
  • The TPA proactively flags high-cost claimants or emerging trends
  • The TPA’s network access meets our geographic / specialty needs
  • I would recommend this TPA to another benefits leader
Q27 How likely are you to recommend your TPA to a peer?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 — Not at all likely10 — Extremely likely
Q28 If tenure suggests a recent switch: why did you change TPAs?

Asked only when tenure is under two years.

Section 6

Rate Trends & Financial Outcomes

Used to benchmark renewal experience against similarly sized peers.

Q29 Medical plan PMPY (per member per year) renewal rate increase

Please use PMPY trend, not total plan spend — this isolates true rate increase from enrollment or employee growth. Provide the three most recent plan years.

Oldest of the three years (%) Prior year (%) Most recent renewal (%)
Q30 Which network(s) does your plan currently use?

Select all that apply.

National / leased networks

Cigna PPO Network First Health Network PHCS / MultiPlan Aetna Signature Administrators (ASA) UnitedHealthcare Options PPO Beech Street

Regional / hospital-system networks

Identify the regional or hospital-system network(s) used in your market.

Blue-branded / BCBS network

Local BCBS / Blue-branded network

Alternative network structures

Reference-Based Pricing (RBP) No-Network (Direct-Pay / Open Access)
Q31 How does your actual increase compare to what was initially quoted or projected?
Lower than expected As expected Higher than expected
Q32 Have you changed plan design to offset rate increases in the past 3 years?
Yes No
Q33 Have you changed carriers or TPAs specifically due to rate increases in the past 3 years?
Yes No
Q34 Estimated share of rate increase attributable to each driver

Allocate approximately 100% across the categories below.

Medical trend %
Pharmacy trend %
Large claimants %
Plan design changes %
Network changes %
Other %
Section 7

Technology & Point Solutions

Identify the technologies you use, then rate each one.

Q35 Which technologies do you currently use?
Benefits administration platform Decision-support / enrollment tools Navigation / advocacy platform Virtual care / telehealth PBM point solutions Wellness platform Other
Q36 For each technology selected, which vendor or product is it?

Open response per selection.

Agreement scale for Q37 — asked once for each selected technology
1Strongly Disagree
2Disagree
3Neither
4Agree
5Strongly Agree
Q37 Please rate each statement from 1 to 5 for that technology.
  • This technology delivers more savings / value than it costs us
  • The platform is easy to configure for open enrollment
  • The employee self-service experience is strong
  • Data / EDI feeds to carriers are accurate and reliable
  • Reporting and analytics meet our needs
  • The vendor is responsive to support issues
  • I would recommend this technology to another benefits leader
Q38 How likely are you to recommend that technology to a peer?

0–10 scale, asked separately for each technology selected.

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 — Not at all likely10 — Extremely likely
Q39 Have you added or removed a point solution in the past 12 months?
Yes No
Q40 If yes, why?

Open response — asked only when Q39 is Yes.

Section 8

Get Your Benchmark Report

Optional — used only to send your benchmarked comparison.

Providing contact information is completely optional. You can complete the interview anonymously and still be included in the aggregate benchmark. Individual answers are never shared, and an email address is never linked to responses in any report.

Q41 Email address to receive your benchmarked results comparison

Optional.

Q42 Organization name

Optional — helps route your report.

Ready to add your voice?

One 30-minute conversation. The same instrument for every benefits leader. Complete benchmarked insight into your brokers, TPAs, and partners — at no cost.

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