As a business owner, you want to give your employees the best possible benefits package. But sometimes, comprehensive healthcare can feel out of reach. After all, premiums continue to rise while deductibles and copays leave workers with ever-increasing out-of-pocket costs. In fact, the Society for Human Resource Management predicts that it will only cost higher as 2023 enters the picture.
But remember that giving your employees comprehensive healthcare is possible without breaking the bank. Here are four tips to help you do just that.
1. Evaluate Your Options
The first step is to evaluate your options. There are a variety of health insurance plans on the market, and it’s crucial to find one that meets your needs and budget. Take some time to research your options and compare different plans before making a decision.
For example, you may want to consider a high-deductible health plan. These plans have lower premiums, which can save you money each month. But they also have higher deductibles, which means your employees will have to pay more out of pocket before their insurance kicks in.
If you’re looking for a middle ground, you may want to consider a health savings account (HSA) plan. These plans combine a high-deductible health plan with a savings account that employees can use to cover their out-of-pocket costs.
You should also look at the network of providers that each plan covers. A narrow network may have lower premiums, but it could also mean that your employees have to travel further for care or that they’ll have a smaller selection of doctors to choose from.
2. Know Your Employees’ Needs
Before you can choose the right plan for your business, you need to know what your employees need from their healthcare coverage. Do they have families? Do they have chronic health conditions? What type of care do they typically use? Answering these questions will help you choose a plan that meets their needs.
If you have employees with families, you may want to choose a plan with lower deductibles and out-of-pocket costs. Or, if you have employees with chronic health conditions, you may want to choose a plan that covers more of their costs.
You should also consider whether your employees will likely use preventive or other types of care. Some plans cover preventive care, such as screenings and vaccinations, at no cost to the employee. Other plans may offer lower copays or coinsurance for certain types of care, such as primary care visits or prescription drugs.
Once you know what your employees need, you can start to compare plans and find one that meets their needs and your budget.
3. Offer Additional Benefits
In addition to health insurance, there are other benefits you can offer that can help offset the cost of healthcare. You can launch a program in your company that aims to assist employees with specific health conditions.
For example, employees with oral health problems can sign up for company-sponsored tooth implants. This way, your employees would notice the company’s care for their well-being, and the business would not lose profit from trying to solve all health problems at once.
Other benefits you can offer include wellness programs, on-site health clinics, and telemedicine services. These programs can help employees stay healthy and catch health problems early, which can save your company money in the long run.
You can also offer other types of insurance, such as vision or dental insurance. Some employers also offer long-term care insurance, which can help employees cover the costs of nursing home care or in-home care.
Offering these benefits can help you attract and retain talented employees. And, if your employees are healthy and productive, it can save your company money in the long run.
4. Choose the Right Provider
When you’re ready to start shopping for health insurance, choosing a reputable and reliable provider is important. There are a variety of health insurance providers on the market, so take some time to research your options before making a decision.
You should look for a reliable provider with a good reputation in the industry. You can check with the Better Business Bureau or other consumer organizations to see if any complaints have been filed against the provider.
This may seem unnecessary, but many employers choose a health insurance provider based on price alone. This can be a mistake, as you may end up with a plan that doesn’t meet your employees’ needs or that has poor customer service.
Providing comprehensive healthcare coverage for your employees doesn’t have to break the bank. By evaluating your options, knowing your employees’ needs, offering extra benefits, and shopping around for the best rates and providers, you can provide quality coverage without going over the budget.
