Corporate Synergies Uncovers Ways to Keep Your Low Income Employees and Their Families Covered

Corporate Synergies focuses on providing affordable health insurance for your company, but we also understand the importance of finding realistic solutions for your employees' spouses and dependents that are uninsured because they can't afford coverage or contributions.

Health insurance benefits are a large expense for any company, and often a bigger problem for employees who struggle to pay their own contribution level. Add to that the cost to cover a spouse and dependents, and it is easy to see why most go uninsured.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS AN EMPLOYER:

While the traditional solution was to offer high deductible low cost plans...PLEASE avoid this. Corporate Synergies offers the following sensible solutions and alternatives to assisting your employees that are uninsured get insured:

• Offer a low cost alternative for those employees with lower incomes
  Avoid offering a low cost benefit plan that has a high deductible or co-pay to make it affordable. Lower income individuals can’t afford to pay the deductibles and co-insurances on a non-budgeted basis. Instead, consider offering a limited mini med program. The program is very straightforward, inexpensive and provides immediate “first dollar” benefits for hospitalization, doctor visits, emergency care and medications, but it is important that it is capped.
  
  Although many articles have been written that say these are not very good policies, the alternative is that these employees would have no coverage at all. Usually these policies cover much of the employee’s ordinary costs. As long as the plan is communicated well and the employee understands the cap and what the plan does and does not cover, it can be a viable solution. The employee would still be liable for large claims or catastrophic costs but would be able to pay for more typical situations such as a pediatrician or emergency room visits. It is not an ideal solution but it does solve part of the problem.
  
• Educate employees on state programs for low-income individuals – CHIP or SCHIP programs (children health insurance programs)
  Many individuals who qualify for these programs do not sign up, usually because they are unaware of the programs. Although it is not an employer’s obligation to make low income employees aware of these programs and many states prohibit you from doing so, where permissible, it is good business for you to inform employees who otherwise would be unable to afford coverage for their families. In some cases, it makes sense to have employees go from your plan to the state program. This should be part of your discussion at renewal time.
  
  It’s not dissimilar to getting employees who are over 65 on Medicare. Although the federal government specifically prohibits you from encouraging or mandating people to get off your plan and move to the federal program that is not necessarily the case with the state programs. Everybody wants kids to be insured – you, the state and the federal government.

Click here for comprehensive information regarding the Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program including enrollment criteria and cost structure where applicable.

For your convenience, we have provided you with a listing of State Funded Programs. Click here to download a PDF of this listing.

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