Healthcare benefits have been a source of debate and headaches across kitchen tables and conference tables alike in recent years. As the cost of traditional healthcare benefits continue to rise, many employers are realizing their businesses are simply not set up to offer what may have once been considered a “standard benefits package.”
Considering this, some small businesses in recent years have begun offering less substantial benefits than they once could, or even reduced their workforce in order to afford adequate insurance for employees.
If this sounds familiar to you, you’re certainly not alone.
In fact, there is a silver lining for small businesses impacted by changes in the benefits landscape. The situation has brought to light the desire for valuable alternatives to traditional benefits packages that can meet employee needs while remaining affordable and scalable for small businesses that wish to grow.
As an example of an alternative employee benefit you can offer your employees, consider a dental discount program.
How Dental Insurance Alternatives Work
"In a nutshell, a dental discount program is not insurance, so it’s not governed under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or any other insurance legislation. "
In a nutshell, a dental discount program is not insurance, so it’s not governed under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or any other insurance legislation. Rather, it’s an inexpensive savings program through which members gain access to a national network of participating providers who offer 20%-50% off the normal retail cost of general and advanced dental services.
A dental discount plan like the one offered by Dental Solutions includes the member as well as everyone else in their household for one low price monthly or annual price.
While this program is available directly to the public, it can be easily included as part of an employee benefit package without any added restrictions, complications, or administration fees. A dental discount plan allows you to offer a valuable money-saving benefit that can help ensure the good oral health of an employee and their household.
As an alternative to insurance, it includes convenient features:
- No rejected applications
- No restrictions on usage
- No annual or lifetime maximums
- No high deductibles
- No high copayments
- No complicated billing/reimbursement arrangements
Instead, it couldn’t be simpler. The dental discounts can be either be:
- Employer sponsored, where the employer covers the cost of the program for the employees.
- Employee opt-in, where the employee is given the option to participate in the program or not.
If you’d like to explore offering a valuable dental discount program as part of an alternative employee benefits package for your small business, contact us at Dental Solutions today. Also, learn more about how dental discount programs are making oral health more accessible and affordable for the large population of uninsured employees by reading our Complete Guide to Dental Savings for Uninsured Employees.
