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2020 Year in Review: The Year Everything Changed

How the pandemic transformed employer benefits—and what we learned.

3 min readBy Bnchmrk Team

We don't need to tell you that 2020 was unlike any year in memory. A global pandemic. Economic upheaval. A sudden shift to remote work. The world changed, and employee benefits changed with it.

Through it all, Bnchmrk kept building.

What We Shipped

All 50 states coverage — We hit a milestone we'd been working toward for years. Bnchmrk now has meaningful benchmarking data in every state plus DC. No matter where your clients are, you can find relevant peer comparisons.

State-level filtering — National averages only tell you so much. Now you can benchmark against employers in specific states or any combination of states. A Texas manufacturer can compare against other Texas manufacturers—not a national blend that doesn't reflect their market.

COVID-specific tracking — As employers made emergency changes to their benefits, we tracked it. Telehealth expansions. Mental health additions. COVID testing and treatment coverage. Our data captured the real-time shifts as they happened.

By the Numbers

  • All 50 states + DC with active coverage
  • Dataset grew to over 25,000 verified plans
  • Telehealth benchmarking data added
  • Platform uptime: 99.97%

What We Saw in the Data

The pandemic accelerated trends that were already underway:

Telehealth went mainstream. Before COVID, telehealth was a nice-to-have. By mid-year, it was table stakes. We saw telehealth coverage jump from ~60% to over 95% of plans in our dataset.

Mental health got attention. Employers added EAP enhancements, expanded mental health coverage, and reduced barriers to access. The stigma is fading, and benefits are reflecting that.

Flexibility became essential. FSA rollover provisions, extended enrollment windows, mid-year changes—employers found ways to give employees options when everything was uncertain.

Looking Ahead to 2021

The pandemic isn't over, but we're seeing signs of stabilization. Employers are starting to think about what "normal" looks like on the other side. Benefits will be a key part of that conversation.

We enter 2021 with the most comprehensive dataset we've ever had, tools that meet the moment, and a team that's energized to keep building.

Thank you for trusting Bnchmrk through the most turbulent year in recent memory.

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