4 Clever Ways to Help Employees Stretch Healthcare Dollars

Posted on: August 12, 2015 at 9:29 AM by New Benefits Blog

In today’s health care climate, employers are searching for new ways to help employees stretch their health care dollars. Self-insured employers in particular have every reason to encourage workers to tap into their HSA and HRA plans whenever possible.

In fact, HRAs and HSAs have grown increasingly common in recent years. While HRAs have held steady (8.6 % of employers offered the plans in 2013), HSAs are skyrocketing in popularity. In 2013, the number of employers offering HSAs jumped to 15.1%, and employee participation in HSAs rose to 8.8%[1].

So, how can employers help employees stretch their health care dollars, including those spent through their HRAs and HSAs? Here are four non-insured benefits designed to do just that.

  1. Vision Discounts:

In most cases, traditional vision insurance is nothing more than a prepayment plus an administration fee—and thanks to limitations, employees often incur out-of-pocket expenses on eye care and eyewear purchases. This is where vision discount programs like Coast to Coast Vision™ can help. These discount programs offer employees major savings on eye exams, glasses, contacts and even LASIK surgery after they have exhausted their insurance benefits.

  1. Dental Discounts:

With dental insurance plans, employees not only have to shell out monthly premiums, but they often have to pay out-of-pocket expenses on dental care as well. However, dental discount programs like Aetna Dental Access® can fill in the gaps by offering employees deep discounts at thousands of dental practice locations nationwide.

  1. Prescription Discounts:

Even if employees have health insurance, many of their medications are not covered under their plan—and some workers simply cannot afford to pay for these expensive prescriptions out-of-pocket. This is why a non-insurance prescription discount program can be incredibly valuable. The prescription discount program offered by New Benefits provides anywhere from 10 to 85% savings on prescription medications. To top it off, this prescription program extends the life of an HSA or HRA by lowering the cost of prescription drugs for employees.

  1. Telehealth:

Telehealth provides employees with 24/7 access to medical care. With this benefit, employees and their families can consult with a doctor about non-emergency medical issues over the phone or by video consult, and physicians can prescribe medication when necessary. When brokers partner with New Benefits to promote Telehealth, they can select a $0 consultation fee. This means employees do not have to pay a single cent to call a physician. This gives employees every incentive to call the doctor for minor illnesses instead of paying a primary care, urgent care or Emergency Room co-pay.

Want to learn more about the phenomenal cost savings non-insured benefits offer? Check out our infographic or contact us today!

Ways-to-stretch-HSAs

[1] According to a 2014 survey from United Benefit Advisors

--Marti Powles, COO

Copyright © 2015 by New Benefits, Ltd.  All rights reserved.