Three Ideas to Have a Healthy Workforce without an Expensive Health Plan

You are familiar with some of the health insurance hot topics in the media. From Health Care Reform to wellness programs to Medicare Part D supplements, there are a wide variety of ways to provide relevant health insurance information to your employees.

Don’t offer an insurance option to employees?

–  Do the homework for them. Provide a list of local or affordable insurance companies and a breakout of their plan options. If premiums vary based on individual heath factors, attempt to negotiate an employee discount with the insurance company.

–  Provide the bare minimum. Once or twice per year, offer free or reasonably priced biometric screenings so employees can learn their cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose levels.

–  Provide an incentive for employees to take a private plan or be insured through their spouse. Make it meaningful. A $5,000 annual reward is $5,000 you’re not spending in medical claims. (Clearly I’m exaggerating the amount, but I hope you get the idea.)

Don’t have access to a fancy wellness program?

–  Encourage employees to get healthy either as a group, in teams, individually, or privately. For those employees who would like the support of their colleagues, provide a place for employees to log their results.

–  A la carte options such as: a 10 minute power walk, eating a combination of fruits or vegetables totaling 5 different colors, 5 glasses of water, limiting snacks or coffee, or encouraging a healthy breakfast. Get creative.

–  Partner with other small businesses to make it a company competition.

Have a resource center for Medicare.

–  There’s no mystery that Medicare is confusing to most Americans. Keep it simple.

• Part A: Complete enrollment about 2 months before your 65^th birthday. You are eligible the first of the month of your birth month. For example if your birthday is February 3, you are eligible February.
• Part B: If you are enrolled on an employer plan that will carry you beyond your 65^th birthday, then you do not need to enroll in Part B until you leave your employer whether it be termination or retirement. There should be no penalty if you can verify no gap in coverage.
• Part C: Doesn’t exist
• Part D: Prescription drug coverage. There are a variety of supplements that vary based on supplemental plan and the specific prescriptions the individual has prescriptions for. Shop around.

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