When Benefits Become Personal: Three Lessons from EBN Benefits at Work

Insights from MetLife and Private Health Management at EBN Benefits at Work 2026

A cancer diagnosis can introduce an overwhelming number of decisions for employees and their families. Beyond the immediate medical concerns, they may face complex treatment options, unfamiliar terminology, financial considerations, and questions about where to turn for guidance.

For employers, providing access to healthcare benefits is an important starting point. But what happens when employees need help connecting those benefits to the care and expertise that’s right for them?

At EBN’s Benefits at Work 2026, MetLife’s Chris Swanker, Senior Vice President of Group Benefits Products, and Tommy Axford, Chief Commercial Officer at Private Health Management (PHM), explored this question during their session, How Employers Are Rebuilding Cancer Support—from Screening to Survivorship.

The session also featured a member who shared her family’s experience following her husband’s cancer diagnosis, including how personalized clinical support helped them understand their options and prepare for important decisions.

Her story, alongside insights from MetLife and PHM, highlighted three key lessons on making employee benefits more meaningful and effective.

1. Access to healthcare doesn’t always mean access to the right care

Receiving care from a highly regarded healthcare institution can provide reassurance following a diagnosis. However, as PHM highlighted during the session, access to a leading hospital or specialist doesn’t always mean a patient is receiving the most appropriate care for their individual condition.

Cancer care is highly individualized. A patient’s diagnosis, medical history, and circumstances can influence which specialists, treatments, and clinical resources are most relevant.

As medical advancements continue to expand treatment possibilities, additional clinical expertise can help patients and their families evaluate recommendations, explore appropriate options, and make informed decisions.

“Members need independent guidance. They need someone who is in their corner helping them through all this chaos,” Axford said.

The takeaway for employers: Access is essential, but helping employees identify and reach the right expertise can be equally important.

2. Independent care orchestration can help close critical gaps

A cancer diagnosis brings more than medical decisions. For patients and families, it can mean coordinating specialists, tracking medical records, preparing for appointments, and trying to understand unfamiliar information – all while managing work and family responsibilities.

Even within highly regarded healthcare systems, much of that responsibility can fall on patients and their loved ones. During the discussion, PHM highlighted how its independent care orchestration model combines clinical guidance with hands-on coordination to help families manage the complexities of cancer care.

The member experience shared during the session brought that value to life. Following her husband’s cancer diagnosis, her PHM clinical lead helped explain medical terminology and identify questions the family might not have known to ask.

“She had scheduled calls and prepared us for every single meeting,” the member shared. “As a result, I didn’t miss any work because we were, in a way, very calmly going through this process and someone was guiding us every step of the way.”

Support also extended to family concerns, including how to talk with their children about the diagnosis. Having someone help coordinate the details and prepare them for what came next gave the family more space to focus on her husband’s care and their everyday lives.

The takeaway for employers: Ongoing care coordination can help bridge the gap between medical needs and everyday responsibilities, making it an important part of a comprehensive cancer support strategy.

3. Meaningful benefits work better together

Financial protection and clinical support address different needs following a cancer diagnosis. When connected, they can offer a more comprehensive experience for employees and their families.

During the session, MetLife and PHM discussed how this works in practice. Through MetLife’s critical illness offering, eligible members who have the cancer support benefit can receive financial protection while also gaining access to PHM’s personalized clinical guidance and care coordination.

The member’s experience illustrated that connection. After her husband’s diagnosis, she submitted a critical illness claim through MetLife. A MetLife Claim Advocate helped connect her family with PHM, where a dedicated clinical team provided research, guidance, and support as they evaluated his care.

For her family, having both forms of support working together provided reassurance as they navigated her husband’s diagnosis and the decisions that followed.

The takeaway for employers: It’s not only about the number of benefits available, but also how effectively those benefits connect employees with the support they need.

Moving from coverage to meaningful support

As employers evaluate strategies to support employees with serious health conditions, the conversation extends beyond healthcare access alone.

Identifying the right expertise, coordinating complex care, and connecting complementary benefits can all play a role in helping employees and their families make informed decisions during difficult circumstances.

The discussion at EBN Benefits at Work reinforced an important principle: Meaningful employee support isn’t simply about making resources available. It’s about helping people access and use those resources when they matter most.

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Speakers

Chris Swanker, FSA, MAAA, LLIF
Senior Vice President, MetLife

Chris Swanker, Senior Vice President, leads MetLife’s Group Supplemental Health Products, which include Dental, Accident, Critical Illness and Hospital Indemnity insurance offerings. His responsibilities include product strategy, network development, and delivery of the customer experience, as well as oversight for Group Benefits Contracts and Compliance. Throughout his more than 25-year career leading various group benefits businesses, Chris developed the strategies necessary to expand into adjacent markets, build new capabilities, and enter new lines of business. Chris received his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, is a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries (FSA), a member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA), and has achieved his LIMRA Life Institute Fellow (LLIF) through the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently a member of the National Board of Directors of the Dental Lifeline Network and is prior Board Member and Chairman of the Board for the National Association of Dental Plans (NADP)

Tommy Axford
FSA, MAAA, Chief Commercial Officer

Tommy Axford is the Chief Commercial Officer at Private Health Management (PHM). In his role, he ensures healthcare solutions that reach the market make a real difference to individuals, families, and companies we serve. Tommy has spent the past four years defining and executing PHM’s go to market strategy – connecting employers, health plans and channel partners with world-class complex care management services. Over his more than 25 years in the healthcare industry, he has worked with some of the largest employers in the United States developing healthcare solutions and strategies to meet the evolving needs of the clients he’s served. Tommy is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.