Ways You Can Teach Your Employees to Help Keep Rising Health Benefit Costs Down

Health insurance costs are continually on the rise, and as a small business owner, it’s important to understand how you can help close the gap on yearly increases. With a level-funded health benefit plan, it’s important that you and your employees focus on how the plan is being utilized. Costs can be much more easily controlled when concentrated effort is given to advising your employees how they can best utilize their health plan – saving both you and them down the road when the plan renews.

Use Urgent Care Rather than Emergency Rooms

Emergency room costs have skyrocketed over the past several years, leaving health insurance costs no other choice but to follow suit. As more people opt to head to the E.R., more costs go out towards these exponentially higher expenses.

Advise your employees to seek care at an Urgent or Immediate Care facility rather than heading to the E.R. If it’s during business hours, let them know it’s always better to just schedule an appointment with their primary care physician. It’s important to stress that when the plan costs rise, so can theirs.

Take Advantage of Telemedicine and be Treated by a Doctor Over the Phone

UAA offers a service through 1800MD for all our plan members. 1800MD is a comprehensive telemedicine service that allows plan members to receive a diagnosis and obtain a prescription over the phone from a licensed physician.

By utilizing this service, your health benefits plan saves even more and so do your employees. Telemedicine is FREE, and there’s no copay required, making this option far more affordable now and in the future when it comes time for your plan to renew.

Utilize Prescription Drug Savings

Adding additional savings on prescription drugs not only saves your employees when they’re filling their prescriptions, but it can also save your health benefits plan on a large scale. Our PPO plans come with prescription drug assistance through Welldyne, or if you choose a Reference-Based Reimbursement plan, you’ll be able to take advantage of Rx Valet. More information on those can be found here.

Learn more about the additional cost savings Reference-Based Reimbursement plans from UAA can provide your company.

As the owner of your company’s health benefits plan, you’re able to access real-time data 24/7 with TPA, Advanced Benefit Management Systems (ABMS). Through their online access, you’ll be able to see the areas your plan utilization is helping as well as hindering, offering you the ability to address any concerns right away rather than finding out at renewal when increases have become out of your control.

To find out how much you could save from a health benefits plan from UAA, give us a call today.