UHC: High Tech Industry Analysis of Surest Health Plans

Tech companies are used to finding newer, better, faster ways to get things done. One key strategy to fueling this agile industry is retaining and recruiting top talent. Beyond competitive compensation, companies are also looking to offer rich benefits that appeal to a younger generation of workers, particularly Gen Z and millennials, who prioritize health and well-being.

Rich Benefit, Simplified

According to Alliant’s 2024 Technology Perks and Benefits Survey, technology companies continue to shift their focus from growth to profitability, leading to scrutiny of expenses, including benefits. Although benefits are the second largest expense following compensation, the survey notes companies are focusing on driving savings and value in ways that don’t negatively impact employees.

The Surest health plan offers a rich benefit that provides comprehensive medical coverage but with deliberate differences in how it works, primarily around member experience and price.

Through a digital user experience, employees can shop for care like they do everything else—comparing care options and costs before scheduling an appointment. The Surest plan eliminates deductibles and coinsurance so members simply pay a copay for care, which can help eliminate confusion and cost. When they choose high-value care options, they can save money—for their employer too.

In fact, Surest is performing well in the high-tech industry:

• Allowed medical PMPM: 3% below benchmark
• Members’ OOP savings: 45% below benchmark

High-tech employers view Surest as an appealing way to offer a rich benefit that aligns with other plan options yet allows them to manage, not shift, costs.

Strong employee engagement can lead to savings

The Marsh McLennan Agency’s 2025 Employee Health & Benefits Trends report noted that more than 79% of millennial and Gen Z employees highlighted the need for personalized coverage. To meet this demand, employers are turning to solutions that offer greater customization and insights into health care costs.

The Surest health plan is designed with the premise that clinical excellence is the best path forward and uses this methodology to assign prices to providers and facilities. Surest makes a cost–quality connection based on historical performance data, including effectiveness and cost-efficiency criteria to set actual copays. Those that performed better are deemed high value and have a lower copay. When employees shop and compare care options, they may save money.

Highlights of the Surest health plan:

No deductible or coinsurance

so members know the price for care on day one, no calculations required

Broad network

one of the largest in the country—to provide options for physical, emotional, and mental health

Upfront copays (not estimates)

for care, which may help reduce financial barriers to seeking care

Alternative treatment options

presented alongside a member’s original search to help them decide how to get care, which may include low- or no-cost virtual care options

Value-based copays

where lower prices are often assigned to providers evaluated as high value

Surest also bundles health services that often occur together into a single copay, making it easier for members to understand and plan their health care costs. Bundling simplifies expenses by combining the cost of related services, like labs or imaging, into a single copay, rather than individual bills for each.

Results show that when members in the high-tech industry have more information and the ability to compare options, they’re more engaged in their health care and better equipped to make choices that are right for them.

88%

Of households created

a Surest account

92%

Of households engaged

with the plan

8.8

Average number of

app sessions

33%

Shopped for and

received care

The power of data science and analytics comes together in the Surest member experience. Innovative features like Surest Care Ratings are designed to help explain to members, in the Surest experience, the link between copays and historical provider value. Surest assigns higher Care Ratings—and lower copays—for higher provider performance to help members navigate care options, and possibly save money based on their choice.

Through the Surest app, members can easily find these high-value care options. For the high-tech industry, this led to use of lower-cost procedures and care settings compared to traditional plans.

• ER utilization: 37% below benchmark
• Urgent care utilization: 28% below benchmark
• MRI: 31% lower cost for shoppers
• Physical Therapy: 12% lower cost for shoppers
• Utilization of virtual providers: 39% higher than benchmark—35% higher for mental health and 43% for acute care
• Utilization of all service shopping was the highest among every industry (100th percentile)