The Stretch: Workforce health and benefits – expanded

“The Stretch: Workforce health and benefits – expanded" is a cutting-edge podcast series hosted by Aon that explores the latest breakthroughs and emerging ideas in workplace health and benefits. Join us as we stretch the boundaries of what's possible in this space by uncovering revolutionary approaches, interviewing thought leaders and spotlighting organizations that are setting new standards.

This podcast series seeks to highlight innovative thinking when it comes to health and benefits. In this conversational setting, podcast host Kevin Fyock will engage guests in a digestible discussion about forward-thinking approaches to the topic at hand to inspire listeners — benefits leaders, HR professionals and other interested parties — to challenge the status quo and investigate new and innovative approaches to workplace health and benefits.

SPECIAL EPISODE: Aon Accelerate Labs: Women’s Health Collaboration 02/23/2026

Season 2, Ep. 11 – Longevity: The Power of Knowing Your Body 02/09/2026

Exceeding Employee Expectations By Listening 11/18/2025

Changing the Way Point Solutions are Accessed & Paid For 11/03/2025

Price Transparency In Healthcare Is Finally Here 06/30/2025

Heart Health at the Heart of Wellbeing 06/16/2025

The Evolution of the Chief People Leaders 05/12/2025

Claims Payment Integrity and an Employer’s Role 04/28/2025

The Era of Consumer-Native Care Delivery Is Here 04/14/2025
The Era of Consumer-Native Care Delivery Is Here Individuals are increasingly working outside the traditional insurance avenues to seek care. Today’s consumers want their care to be marked with options, convenience and transparency. To deliver on those expectations, the digital health market is transforming & evolving rapidly. Here to help us make sense of these major changes is Adriana Krasniansky, principal and head of research at Rock Health. /episode/index/show/01fa643e-aa2d-4311-acad-6bda403b0452/id/40946825

Thinking Differently About Substance Use 03/31/2025
Thinking Differently About Substance Use The impact of substance use can be costly, damaging and devastating. But the vast majority of people struggling with substance use don't receive the care they need. In this episode, we discuss why substance use management is an issue employers can't afford to overlook — and why it needs a more thoughtful, personalized approach. Joining our discussion is Maroof Ahmed, COO and co-founder of Pelago, a virtual clinic for substance use management. /episode/index/show/01fa643e-aa2d-4311-acad-6bda403b0452/id/40946830

The Pursuit of High Quality, Affordable Care 03/17/2025
The Pursuit of High Quality, Affordable Care Employers’ cost of healthcare grew 8% from 2023 to 2024, according to Aon data. Expenses are slated to rise as much as 9.2% in 2025. These increases are not new, nor are they unexpected: employers have been dealing with rising healthcare costs for decades. But as affordability continues to worsen for employers and employees alike, bold, innovative solutions have emerged. Joining The /episode/index/show/01fa643e-aa2d-4311-acad-6bda403b0452/id/40946835

A Vision for the Health Plan of The Future 03/03/2025
A Vision for the Health Plan of The Future Employers expect their healthcare cost to increase by an average of 9.2% in 2025, on the heels of 8.5% increase seen in 2024. Yet with the increasing cost, employers and employees alike are seeing less and less value. As costs increase and outcomes decrease, satisfaction and trust wane. It’s time for a new approach — but what does that approach look like? Joining us to help answer that very question is Kyle Rolfing, partner at Lemhi. /episode/index/show/01fa643e-aa2d-4311-acad-6bda403b0452/id/40946840

Creating New Pathways To Specialty Care 12/16/2024
Creating New Pathways To Specialty Care Employers want the best for their employees and their families, and that extends to health outcomes for major life-altering surgeries, cancer care and other specialty infusions. Many employers are familiar with and use traditional “centers of excellence” models, but often that means sending employees to the most renowned facilities available, usually hundreds of miles or more away. This path to specialty care is well traveled — quite literally. But organizations like Lantern are charting a new map to /episode/index/show/01fa643e-aa2d-4311-acad-6bda403b0452/id/40946845

The Art of Engagement: HR Strategies for Boosting Benefit Usage 12/02/2024
The Art of Engagement: HR Strategies for Boosting Benefit Usage HR professionals are always looking for new ways to get employees engaged with their benefits. It’s a notoriously difficult task, but it’s an important one. To encourage both benefit use and behavior change, HR needs to think less like benefits administrators and more like salespeople. Joining us to share practical tips on engaging employees as consumers is Gary Loveman, founder and CEO of Well. /episode/index/show/01fa643e-aa2d-4311-acad-6bda403b0452/id/40946850

From Meals to Medicine: Redefining Food’s Role in Employee Health and Wellbeing 11/18/2024
From Meals to Medicine: Redefining Food’s Role in Employee Health and Wellbeing Employers have long used food to motivate, reward and connect employees. Consider ice cream socials, pizza parties and happy hours. But, with a growing awareness of how our food choices affect our health and our work, innovative employers are beginning to think of food in a new way. Some are even positioning food as medicine. Joining us to explore the most recent research on this topic and how food can be used to elevate our health and productivity is Dr. Richard Safeer, chief medical director of employee h /episode/index/show/01fa643e-aa2d-4311-acad-6bda403b0452/id/40946855

The Rise of ICHRAs: Exploring Alternatives to Group Plans 11/04/2024
The Rise of ICHRAs: Exploring Alternatives to Group Plans Historically, there have been few, if any, alternatives to employers offering and managing their employee group insurance benefits; Especially for specific segments of employer populations that lack eligibility to group plans like gig workers. But one avenue in particular is garnering increasing interest among small and large employers alike — ICHRAs. ICHRAs, or Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements, are relatively new to the market, so even many HR pros may be unfamiliar with what they ar /episode/index/show/01fa643e-aa2d-4311-acad-6bda403b0452/id/40946870

Building a Culture of Care: How To Offer More Meaningful Caregiver Support 10/21/2024
Building a Culture of Care: How To Offer More Meaningful Caregiver Support In recent years, many employers have created or updated generous parental leave packages for employees with growing families. It’s an undoubtedly helpful benefit and one that doubles as a powerful recruitment and retention tool. But it only scratches the surface of what today’s caregivers really need. Joining us to discuss how employers can offer more meaningful support to caregivers is Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, CEO of Wellthy. /episode/index/show/01fa643e-aa2d-4311-acad-6bda403b0452/id/40946875

Breaking Down Financial Barriers to Accessing Quality Care 10/07/2024
Breaking Down Financial Barriers to Accessing Quality Care With open enrollment just around the corner, many benefit leaders are breathing a sigh of relief that they are approaching the finish line after all the planning, hard work and many pivots over the course of the last year. Yet, with healthcare trend at its highest level in a decade, many of those same leaders are finding themselves in a tough position of having to explaining the higher cost increases passed along to employees against the backdrop of an affordability crisis. Here to help us break down this i /episode/index/show/01fa643e-aa2d-4311-acad-6bda403b0452/id/40946880

Cultivating a Neurodiverse Workforce 09/23/2024
Cultivating a Neurodiverse Workforce To build a workplace that’s inclusive of neurodivergent employees, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Rather, employers must build an agile culture that is welcoming, accommodating and empowering to each employee — regardless of the way their brains work. In this episode, we discuss what neurodiversity is and the practical strategies that create a culture that supports a neurodiverse workforce. Joining us in the discussion is Melanie Fountaine, co-founder and COO of Joshin, a modern support solutio /episode/index/show/01fa643e-aa2d-4311-acad-6bda403b0452/id/40946885

Cancer Care Today and How Employers Can Keep Up 09/09/2024
Cancer Care Today and How Employers Can Keep Up In this episode, we will talk about one of the foremost issues concerning employee health: cancer. We’re joined by Dr. Arif Kamal, chief patient officer of the American Cancer Society. Together, we will illuminate the current state of the cancer landscape, from the shifts in epidemiology to the advancements in prevention and care. We’ll also discuss the challenges employers face, explore the solutions to tackling those challenges, and conclude the episode with a glimpse into the future of cancer care. /episode/index/show/01fa643e-aa2d-4311-acad-6bda403b0452/id/40946890

Gut Check: Innovations Transforming Digestive Health & Employee Wellbeing 08/26/2024
Gut Check: Innovations Transforming Digestive Health & Employee Wellbeing In this episode of the Stretch, we’re going to talk about digestive health. It’s a topic that has long been under-discussed — as our guest, Cylinder CEO Bill Snyder, puts it, “It’s uncomfortable for people to talk about GI symptoms, so many don’t realize how common their symptoms are.” But these days, the issue is less taboo and more important as employers struggle to address a problem that affects 1 in 4 Americans. Together, we’ll break down the issues impacting the digestive health landsca /episode/index/show/01fa643e-aa2d-4311-acad-6bda403b0452/id/40946895

The Health Plan of Tomorrow 08/12/2024
The Health Plan of Tomorrow It is common to associate the term ‘virtual care’ with what was originally branded as ‘telehealth’ — a decades old alternative to in-person urgent care for simple issues — a minor sinus infection or a case of pink eye. In this episode, we’ll explore how, in reality, virtual care has evolved and expanded to a point where we’d say, over the next decade, it will be a foundational element to how care is delivered and how health plans and health plan designs will modernize. It will become increas /episode/index/show/01fa643e-aa2d-4311-acad-6bda403b0452/id/40946900

How Generative AI is Making Benefits More Accessible and Empowering 08/12/2024
How Generative AI is Making Benefits More Accessible and Empowering Artificial intelligence is a topic on many employers’ and HR leaders’ minds. Most are thinking about the technology in terms of how they can use it to improve talent acquisition or shore up learning and development. What’s less discussed is how some of the newest forms of AI — generative AI, in particular — can be used to improve employee benefits. In this episode, we’ll explore how the technology is poised to make benefits more useful, more accessible and more empowering. We’re joined in this /episode/index/show/01fa643e-aa2d-4311-acad-6bda403b0452/id/40946905

Beyond Reproductive Health: Employee Benefits for Women 08/12/2024
Beyond Reproductive Health: Employee Benefits for Women Workplace benefits regarding women’s health have typically centered around reproductive health. These benefits are highly valuable and extremely meaningful to women who are building their families. But women’s health encompasses much more. In this episode, we will redefine women’s health to consider an approach to benefits that includes the entire spectrum of women’s well-being. We’re joined by Shelly Lanning, co-founder and president of Visana Health. /episode/index/show/01fa643e-aa2d-4311-acad-6bda403b0452/id/40946910

The Stretch: Workforce health and benefits – expanded

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