It’s option period all over the US. A time when a majority of companies are presenting the Benefits Packages to their employees for them to choose which options they want and don’t want. After payroll, benefits are the second most expensive cost to hit the bottom line. Today, many people choose where to work based on how good the benefits package is compared to other employers. A great benefits package can not only help attract the best employees, but it can help you keep the best employees. Hiring a new employee is very expensive after all.
So when you build a benefits package make sure you are working with a broker that isn’t just presenting you the cheapest plans with the lowest premiums. In most cases that means your employees will pay much more out of pocket and that will not make them happy. It’s much better to find plans that provide better value and lower costs at the time of service. Just remember, premiums are pre-tax, the money you spend at the doctor’s office is not.
Next, make sure you are offering benefits that can help your employees when they need it but also can work to help prevent more expensive health issues. This is why Annual Eye Exams are so important for everyone in your company. Annual eye exams can detect over 18 different chronic diseases and illnesses before the body has any symptoms. Prevention is the key to keeping employees healthier and keeping healthcare cost down year after year.
The problem is that most brokers sell traditional Vision Plans that include; 1. Eye Exam, 2. Frames/Contact Lenses and 3. Lenses. Why is this a problem, because almost have of any organization doesn’t wear glasses or contacts, so they don’t sign up for a vision plan, which means they don’t get an annual eye exam that can catch chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, hypertension, etc. In an independent study, it was shown that a company can save 27% of their overall healthcare costs simply by offering all employees an annual eye exam.
Think about it in these terms, if we will pay over $400 for a mammogram to catch breast cancer early and over $1000 for a colonoscopy to catch colon cancer early, then why wouldn’t a company spend less than $60 to catch 18 different diseases and illnesses early. Mostly because it’s never been offered that way! Big vision insurance companies care more about getting the lens business. That’s right, most giant insurance companies own the labs that make the lenses, so sure they’ll offer lower premiums because they will make their money on the lenses and the frames at the doctor’s office because the doctor has no choice but to use their lab!
So ask your broker to find you a vision plan that allows you to offer an eye exam to all your employees then offer a materials only vision plan to everyone that wears glasses and contacts. When they come back and tell you they can’t, tell them to call Vision Care Direct of Oklahoma, we can!
