When purchasing a health care plan, what tactics should a business utilize?
Conduct side-by-side comparisons of different health carriers and different health plans, comparing the aspects that are most important to you and your employees. Research the types of additional services that will be available to your employees as part of their insurance coverage. For example, many insurers provide 24-hour hot lines staffed by nurses. Some also provide free smoking cessation help that includes the distribution of the patch, or consulting services. Also, review the list of hospitals and service providers that are included in the insurance network to make sure your employees will choose in-network coverage more often than not. What other types of strategies may help to decrease costs? When establishing a benefits plan, employers can share costs with employees, which ultimately encourages a joint responsibility in controlling costs. Employers can consider paying for coverage for employees only, and not their dependents. Many times, dependents already have coverage throug
