In today’s benefits landscape, one size no longer fits all. As employers and brokers look ahead to 2026 and beyond, two key trends are accelerating:
- Personalization of benefits — delivering coverage tailored to individual employee profiles.
- On-demand and agile benefits — flexible, supplemental offerings that plug gaps, adapt quickly, and integrate with an employer’s overall strategy.
By leaning into these trends, employers gain a competitive edge; by partnering with SelmanCo’s TRICARE Supplement solution, brokers and employers can turn that edge into action.
Personalization: A New Standard in Benefit Design
Today’s workforce is diverse—not only in demographics but in benefit eligibility and needs. For example, employers may have employees who are military-retired, Reservists, National Guard, or veterans whose primary medical coverage is through TRICARE. Many traditional major-medical plans don’t thoughtfully address that population’s distinct position.
With personalization:
- Employers can identify employees who are TRICARE-eligible (often “invisible” in traditional open-enrollment reviews).
- Benefit design shifts from “everyone gets the same major-medical plan” to “what supplemental coverages complete the picture for this specific group?”
- Employees feel valued because the employer recognizes their service profile and offers tailored support—not a generic one-size plan.
SelmanCo’s TRICARE Supplement provides a strong example of personalization in practice: they wrap around the primary government plan, covering cost-shares, co-payments, prescriptions and excess charges that TRICARE leaves behind. Offering this benefit lets employers show recognition of service-connected status and support a valued employee population.
(See our TRICARE Supplement overview)
On-Demand & Agile Benefits: Speed, Flexibility, and Real-World Value
Benefits are no longer static offerings; they must adapt to evolving talent needs, workforce composition shifts, cost pressures and employer budget constraints. “Agile” benefits have these characteristics:
- Targeted populations (for example: active-duty spouses, military retirees, Guard/Reserve members) rather than blanket coverage.
- Simple implementation and voluntary structure, so the employer is not over-committed and can pivot as needed.
- Ease of administration—because for agile benefits to work, enrollments, billing, eligibility feeds and communication must operate with minimal friction.
- Clear value proposition: the employee sees “this is for me”, the employer sees “this is smart design”.
Here’s how SelmanCo supports an agile benefit:
- The employer-facing TRICARE Supplement program is designed to be offered as a voluntary benefit — turn-key marketing; easy administration.
- SelmanCo manages the key administrative functions: eligibility verification, premium billing, claims processing, communication materials.
- Because it’s a supplement to TRICARE, the program accommodates a defined subset of the workforce rather than requiring a full, universal rollout. That specificity allows employers to pilot or scale as needed.
In short: when benefit design demands agility, this supplement approach fits well.
Why Employers and Brokers Should Move on This Now
- Hidden population, real impact: SelmanCo has observed that nearly 10 million Americans are TRICARE-eligible, and many employers don’t realize how many of these individuals they hire. That creates an opportunity to deliver targeted value to a sizable but often unseen population.
- Cost control and value messaging: By offering a defined, voluntary supplement, employers can shift some financial risk and administrative burden, while still delivering meaningful value to a segment of employees who may otherwise feel underserved.
- Talent advantage: For employers recruiting or retaining ex-military talent, Guard/Reserve members, or employees in high-military-population areas (e.g., aerospace, manufacturing near bases), the ability to communicate a benefit tailored to that cohort can differentiate you.
- Efficient administration: With SelmanCo handling backend operations, the burden on HR, benefits teams and brokers is minimized. That means faster implementation, fewer headaches and greater focus on strategic deployment rather than logistics.
How Brokers Can Frame the Benefit to Employer Groups
When pitching this to employer groups, brokers can use a concise, employer-focused narrative:
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- Start with eligibility awareness: Ask the employer, “Do you know how many of your employees are TRICARE-eligible?” Point to practical clues: proximity to a military base, veteran-hiring initiatives, Guard/Reserve staffing, or presence in industries that commonly employ veterans.
- Diagnose the gap: Explain that TRICARE provides primary coverage but leaves co-pays, cost-shares and excess charges unaddressed—creating potential out-of-pocket exposure for employees. Frame the supplement as a solution that closes that gap.
- Position the supplement as a win-win:
- For employees: lower out-of-pocket costs, improved financial predictability, and a benefit that recognizes their service-connected status.
- For the employer: a voluntary offering that enhances the benefit portfolio, strengthens recruitment/retention messaging, and can be implemented without major plan redesign.
- Emphasize implementation ease: Tell the employer that SelmanCo will handle eligibility verification, enrollment support, premium billing and claims processing, plus provide communication materials to make rollout simple.
- Propose a low-risk next step: Recommend a quick population analysis to identify TRICARE eligible employees and design a voluntary offering for the next open-enrollment window.
Final Thought
The future of benefit design is increasingly about strategic fit and targeted value, not just “more benefits.” For employers and brokers looking to stand out, deliver meaningful value and manage cost, SelmanCo’s TRICARE Supplement programs offer a clear path. By recognizing the military-connected workforce and delivering a benefit tailored to them, you turn a coverage gap into a differentiator.
Ready to Unlock This Opportunity?
Contact SelmanCo today to begin customizing your voluntary benefit strategy for the next open enrollment. Visit https://www.selmanco.com/tricare-supplement-for-employers to request a proposal and to contact myself, Matthew Blanks, or Moses Ohale under the, “Meet the Client Management Team” tab.