The Forgotten Workforce: The 20–50% We're Not Talking About

Every employer has them. The employees who show up every day, keep operations running, and yet when it comes to benefits, are almost invisible.

They're the part-timers, the hourly workers, the people who waive major medical because they can't afford the payroll deduction. In most groups, this forgotten workforce represents 20–50% of all employees.

As brokers, it's worth asking a simple question: what are we doing for the employees who aren't enrolled in anything?

Take a real example.

A regional manufacturing company in Texas has 260 employees. During open enrollment, 120 enroll in the major medical plan. The other 140 waive coverage.

Why? Because $180 per paycheck, even coverage that meets ACA affordability standards, feels out of reach for someone earning $17 an hour.

Nearly half the workforce goes uninsured. No preventive care, no connection to the company's benefit program.

From a compliance standpoint, those employees still matter. From a human standpoint, they matter even more.

Most brokers don't intentionally overlook these employees. The industry has conditioned us to focus on the enrolled. Here's what that costs:

Employers can face ACA §4980H(a) penalties if they aren't offering coverage to at least 95% of full-time employees.

Employees who waive often feel excluded, which shows up in turnover and morale.

Brokers miss organic growth already sitting inside their existing book of business.

When we look at employer groups with high waiver rates, we usually find the same two things. They're close to a compliance issue they don't know about yet, and they have employees who would engage with benefits if the price actually fit their budget.

That's where MEC comes in.

Minimum Essential Coverage plans were never meant to replace major medical. They were meant to round out a benefits strategy.

MEC satisfies the employer's obligation under the ACA's "A" penalty, making sure every full-time employee is offered something affordable. More than that, it gives access to preventive care, telemedicine, and basic health services to the employees who've historically been priced out.

For employers, it's compliance protection. For employees, it's inclusion. For brokers, it's a growth opportunity that doesn't require a single new client.

It also remains one of the most underused options in the industry.

What This Looks Like in Practice

A staffing company with 800 employees added an Evolved Benefits MEC plan after realizing 380 of their workers had no coverage at all.

Those 380 employees now have preventive care and telemedicine coverage. The employer has ACA protection. The broker grew revenue without prospecting for anyone new.

That's what happens when you look at the whole workforce instead of just the enrolled portion.

Heading Into Q2

The brokers doing well right now are asking better questions. Who's not enrolled? Why? What would it take to change that?

They're educating their clients on compliance exposure and real affordability, and they're offering options like MEC that meet employees where they actually are financially.

At Evolved Benefits, this is how we work every day. We help brokers protect their clients from penalties, reach more of their employees, and grow their agencies without overcomplicating it.

So take another look at your groups. Pull the waiver lists. Ask your clients that one question again:

"What are we doing for the employees who aren't enrolled in anything?"

You might be surprised what you find.