American employers chart ambitious course for future of employer-provided benefits

February 12, 2025
NR 2025-1

For additional information:
Jason Hammersla
jhammersla@abcstaff.org/202-422-4652

‘DESTINATION 2030’ to guide Council through future policy debates

WASHINGTON, DC – “Employer-provided health, retirement and paid leave plans are vital to the well-being of many millions of Americans and their families,” American Benefits Council President Katy Johnson said today. “We are proud to present a detailed strategic plan to protect, preserve and strengthen these critical workplace benefits over the next five years — and more immediately in the context of the tax and budget debates in the coming weeks.”

DESTINATION 2030: A Roadmap for the Future of Employee Benefits is based on a set of longstanding, core values — including the importance of preserving the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the tax incentives supporting employer plan sponsorship. DESTINATION 2030 defines and explains:

• The five fundamental challenges facing employer plan sponsors today,
• Twenty overarching public policy goals to overcome those challenges and
• No less than 79 specific recommendations policymakers can follow to achieve those goals.

“This strategic plan was developed and overseen by the dedicated benefits professionals in the Council’s Policy Board of Directors, including an expert strategic plan task force led by the longtime, decorated employee benefits consultant Tami Simon,” Johnson said. “The Council’s staff is deeply indebted to Tami and the other Council members who provided their insight and direction, which will be invaluable as we advocate on their behalf with lawmakers.”

“DESTINATION 2030 is the product of many hours of discussion and debate over several years, among representatives of America’s biggest and most successful companies,” Simon said. “The common theme of all those discussions — and of the goals and recommendations embodied by this strategic plan — is the desire to improve the holistic well-being of employees, retirees and their families. This ‘roadmap’ leads the way to a stronger economy, a stronger society and a stronger country.”

The Council is sharing DESTINATION 2030 with legislative and executive branch officials and will use the strategic plan as a framework for setting its advocacy agenda, as well as for evaluating new proposals as they arise. Among the revelations in the plan is a calculation of the incomparable value of employee benefit tax incentives:

“The Council has been a champion for employers, a trusted and credible source of expertise for policymakers, and the guardian of the employer-sponsored system since 1967,” Johnson said. “The ideals and ideas in DESTINATION 2030 underscore the importance of preserving and strengthening employer-sponsored benefits for the millions of working families who rely on them.”

For more information on the Council's strategic plan, or to arrange an interview with Council staff, please contact Jason Hammersla, vice president, communications, at (202) 422-4652 or jhammersla@abcstaff.org.

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