Making the Most of Your Employee Benefits

You have great employee benefits! Make sure you are using them to their fullest potential.

1.  Secure your Insurance ID Card and make sure you are paying your monthly premiums

When you completed your open enrollment, your insurance company should have sent you (and your dependents) a new healthcare ID card in the mail. This card is your key to reaping the benefits of having health insurance when you visit your doctor for care. You likely opted to pay for your monthly insurance premium (which pays for your health insurance) on a monthly or bi-weekly basis through payroll deductions.

2.  Healthcare Advocacy

Know who to contact with your questions. Ensure upcoming services you may need are covered, and help yourself prepare for what your costs will be. If your company works with a Benefits Broker, there may be a healthcare advocacy program available to you as an employee to help you understand and navigate your benefits. Ask your HR team about healthcare advocacy.

3.  In-Network Provider Contracts

One of the benefits of working with an insurance provider is the added financial security of their network. Insurance providers negotiate rates with health care providers to provide services to their clients at a lower rate than their typical “retail value”. Select a health care provider in your network who you are comfortable with and who you feel meets your unique health needs. Talk to your healthcare provider about recommended health screenings that may be covered under your insurance. Remember, you will likely pay more if you choose to see a provider who is out-of-network. Read more on choosing a primary care provider >

4.  Telehealth

Telehealth saves you not only time, but also money. Talk with your health care provider about their telehealth offerings. Telehealth is convenient, affordable and effective for most common ailments you would normally schedule an appointment and make the trip to your doctor’s office for. Learn more about telehealth.

5.  Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)

employee assistance programs offer resources for ALL employees to achieve a healthier work/life balance.  Typically offered at no cost to employees as a perk included in company-sponsored benefit plans, EAPs’ completely confidential expert services could cover; financial stressors, legal problems, marital struggles, adoption assistance, sleep disturbance, retirement planning, virtual doctor visits (telehealth), depression, anxiety, workplace performance issues, trauma recovery, life coaching, and much more. Today, nearly all employee assistance programs offer telephonic or video-based counseling sessions.

6.  Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)

A Health Savings Account, or HSA, is a savings account where you can deposit money on a pre-tax basis to pay for qualified medical expenses. The list of qualified Medical Expenses is huge, and you may be surprised by what you can pay for using money from your HSA. While anyone can open a health savings account, you may only contribute money to your HSA if your Medical Plan is a High-deductible health plan or an HSA qualified plan.

7.  Get your free stuff

A number of preventive care measures are covered at 100% under your insurance plan.

·  Your annual well visit

·  Blood pressure screenings

·  Cholesterol screenings

·  Depression screenings

·  Hepatitis B & C Screenings

·  Immunizations

These preventive care measures are your best bet to ensure you are healthy, and stay healthy.

8.  Shop around for and fill your prescriptions

Your insurance can be a big player in cutting the cost of your medications. Get them filled, and be sure your prescriptions have prior-authorization if necessary to receive the help your insurance company provides in paying for your medication. Ask in advance how much your prescription costs and if there is a more affordable option. There may be more affordable options outside of insurance assistance such as GoodRx, Amazon Pharmacy or the Walmart $4 drug list.