SKYGEN Releases 2027 Pulse Report, Fourth in Annual Research Series Shedding Light on Specialty Benefits Ecosystem

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis., – Oct 7, 2026 – Today, SKYGEN, a leader in dental and vision benefits management and administration, released its 2027 Pulse Report: Payer Perspectives, the fourth installment in its research series examining the priorities and experiences shaping dental and vision benefits. Based on a survey of 300 U.S. dental and vision payer professionals, the latest report explores strategies to overcome the most common operational challenges that can stand between payer priorities and execution, including administrative complexity, fragmented data and workflow issues. 

Across the findings, payers point to opportunities around integration, value-based approaches, network strategy and modernization to advance their competitive positioning.

“Payers have clear priorities for where they want to go, but turning those priorities into progress requires overcoming persistent operational challenges,” said John Schaak, chief innovation and growth officer at SKYGEN. “The opportunity is to better connect technology with business priorities and operational readiness, reducing friction for members and providers along the way. SKYGEN is uniquely positioned to help payers make those connections and turn their strategies into measurable progress.”

The report highlights three areas of opportunity for payers:
Strengthening Member Engagement 
Member engagement is a leading organizational focus for 62% of dental and 58% of vision payers, but the findings suggest better engagement may depend as much on the experience of using benefits as it does on reaching members. Confusion around benefits, complex plan structures, low awareness, difficult digital experiences and administrative friction, for instance, are all contributing factors to lower engagement.

These challenges can be particularly significant for difficult-to-reach populations and pose a moderate influence on how payers approach reaching them. 

The findings point to care coordination, simplified benefit designs and incentive programs as leading strategies for connecting these populations with their benefits, alongside digital engagement tools, provider outreach and community-based partnerships.

Improving Provider Experiences
Seventy-one percent of dental payers and 66% of vision payers rated their provider networks as stronger than those of their competitors, yet fully owned networks are not the dominant model. With shared, leased and layered network arrangements common across the industry, the findings raise an important question about where meaningful network differentiation comes from.

Provider experience may be part of the answer. Claims processing speed was indicated as the leading driver of provider satisfaction by almost half of both dental and vision payers, followed by administrative simplicity. Payers reported investing in faster claims processing, administrative improvements and reimbursement strategies designed to improve the provider experience.

Building More Competitive Offerings
Payers see opportunities to build more connected offerings, but operational readiness can stand in the way of execution. While medical, dental and vision integration is a moderate-to-high priority for 70% of payers, only 30% report fully integrated systems.

Data silos are the most frequently cited barrier, identified by 38% of dental payers and 43% of vision payers, followed by member privacy and data-sharing limitations. And while many payers align on the potential benefits, including better member experiences, administrative efficiency and reduced total cost of care, the report illustrates the need for technology, data, workflows, benefit designs and care models to work together to move integration strategies forward.

The 2027 Pulse Report: Payer Perspectives, developed in coordination with Hanover Research, adds the payer perspective to SKYGEN's broader Pulse research across the specialty benefits ecosystem. Together, the research provides a broader view of the experiences shaping dental and vision benefits and opportunities to drive meaningful progress for members, providers and partners. To download the full report, visit our website: 2027 Pulse Report: Payer Perspectives.

About SKYGEN 2027 Pulse Report: Payer Perspectives
SKYGEN developed this report in coordination with Hanover Research. The survey was designed to collect data on provider perceptions focusing on how providers and payers can better collaborate. The survey was conducted online, and respondents were recruited via a panel. The analysis includes a total of 300 respondents following data cleaning and quality control. Hanover Research performed statistical analysis with a 95% confidence level using z-tests, with a p-value of less than 0.05, and a margin of error of ±1% for the overall sample. To explore SKYGEN’s Pulse research, visit our Pulse Report Resource Hub.

About SKYGEN 
SKYGEN transforms dental and vision benefits management and administration with flexible technology and services that connect and change lives for the better. Through partnerships with payers, providers and government agencies, SKYGEN helps its customers navigate dental and vision benefits management and administration. With its portfolio of third-party administration (TPA), intelligent Software as a Service (SaaS) automation, marketplace connectivity, risk management solutions and above-and-beyond services like Enhanced Benefit Management (EBM), Provider Select Suite platforms, mobile apps and portals, SKYGEN serves nearly 50 million members across all 50 states, more than 40 government and commercial insurers and processes 3 million claims monthly. For more information, please visit www.skygenusa.com.