How to Start Shopping for Employee Health Insurance
Whether you are a small company trying to improve your employees’ current benefits or you’re shopping for insurance for the first time, there’s no better time to buy health insurance than now. Thanks to the passage of the healthcare bill through Congress, companies with up to 24 workers and an average wage of up to $50,000 are eligible for hefty tax credits if they sign up for employee health insurance.
Unfortunately, many small companies find shopping for health insurance to be a traumatic experience. When employees learn about the new plan, there is always complaining about switching doctors, the cost of the insurance and services that are excluded. While there will always be some dissatisfaction, you can make the process go much smoother by involving your employees from the beginning.
A quick, anonymous survey through a website like SurveyMonkey can help you gauge your employees’ interest in health insurance features. The more detailed your survey, the better idea you’ll have of what your plan should look like.
- How happy are you with your current health insurance situation?
- What features would you change in the current healthcare plan?
- Which healthcare features are most important to you?
- Are you more worried about regular or emergency costs?
- How important are prescription costs to you?
- Many services like optical care are excluded from some health insurance plans. Which services would you like to see in your plan?
- How much would you mind changing your current doctor if it meant a reduction in premiums?
After you narrow your selection down to a few options, have your designated insurance broker come to your office on company time to meet with employees. Health insurance can be confusing, and a meeting with an expert can answer many employee questions and relieve fears before your office gets overwhelmed with confused employees.
After you choose a health insurance plan, show your employees how much it is worth through COMpackage’s Total Compensation Statements.