Making the Right Choice

For some industries, Last Mile Delivery in particular, finding qualified employees and/or keeping employees long term is a challenge. Companies typically offer benefits to entice new employees and reward loyal employees. A comprehensive benefit package consists of 401K plans, Flexible Hours, Paid time off, and of course Insurance. For drivers within the Last Mile Delivery industry health insurance is at the top of that list as as COVID 19 has hit drivers hard. In response to this rapidly growing industry and its need for health insurance, Healthcare Discount Plans, Indemnity Plans and Cost Sharing companies have arrived on the scene. They are pushing their products as an affordable alternative to traditional group health insurance. The offerings are tempting: preset pricing, seemingly affordable rates, and beautiful illustrations describing the benefits. For the already overloaded Last Mile Delivery business owner, could this turnkey option be the silver bullet to the Health Insurance conundrum?

Not. So. Fast.

While these options have their place in an overall benefit strategy, you must understand that it IS NOT HEALTH INSURANCE. During the time of COVID 19, employees are looking to their employers for a commitment to health and safety. These offerings look good, but do not always function in the way your employees might think. Because it is offered through you as the employer, your employees may often mistake this as major medical insurance. Even though the employee should know what they are buying, more often than not they pay their premiums, read little about the product, and expect to be "COVERED." Did you know many of these plans do not cover Pre-Existing Conditions in the first 12 months? These plans lack the same protections insurance does because they are not subject to ACA. For day to day check ups and minor medical issues, these plans can function well. However, when a major medical procedure is needed, your employees will find the benefits confusing, difficult, and rarely what they expected.

On the other hand, offering a true health insurance plan will show your employees that your company is invested in their well-being. The key word there is "invested," because let's face it implementing group health insurance is a serious endeavor. It takes time, focus, and capital. This is not an investment to be tackled alone. A good agent makes all the difference in the world. Allow your agent to shoulder most of the burden for you. An agent that understands your company, budget, and workforce will be able to find affordable health insurance before resorting to the less desired alternative options. You may even be surprised at how affordable Health Insurance is, if you get an agent willing to invest the effort and time to find you a solution.

Interested in health insurance for your business? Visit Grove & Davis Last Mile to download a census form or schedule a meeting.