Strategic tool for employers

Many employers offer group health insurance to their employees. A nice gesture from good employment practices that provides group discounts on the employee’s supplemental and dental insurance. What more could you want you would say. In practice, the only thing is that employees often do not opt for the employer’s group health insurance at the end of the year. And that’s a missed opportunity.

Indeed, for you as an employer, group health insurance is an indispensable strategic tool. For example, you can use group health insurance to:

1. Understand the risk factors within your organization

For example, health insurers offer analysis and advice on healthcare consumption at the organizational level. This allows you to take targeted measures to promote the health of your employees. A prerequisite for this insight is that as many employees as possible participate in group health insurance.

2. Control the cost of absenteeism

For example, by employing preventive health care and thereby reducing absenteeism.

3. Promote the health of your staff

By structurally communicating the importance of employee health and establishing a dialogue with employees about potential risk factors. Group health insurance often offers health apps and lifestyle courses that provide support to promote employee health.

4. Prevent double care costs thanks to a streamlined approach, this leads to cost savings.

Consider a preventive examination that you want to use for all employees. For those employees who participate in group health insurance and have coverage for this in their supplemental insurance, you can claim (part of) the cost (sometimes after the employee’s permission).

5. Shape the overall health policy within your company.

Take stock with your employees on which areas of health are most in need of support. For example, is this about addressing stress, mental balance, nutrition, exercise or other issues. Start with one focus area and make the objective small and measurable. In addition, ensure that there are ambassadors for the focus area within the organization and involve them in ongoing development.

Success factors for high participation rates in your group health insurance plan

So just offering group health insurance to your employees won’t get you there.

It is important that you actively communicate the added value of group health insurance to your employees on a structural basis. By doing so, you demonstrate, as a good employer, that you attach importance to the health of your employees and you create an environment in which it is accessible to discuss health and employability.

If you want to make an additional contribution in addition, you can, for example, opt for an employer contribution on the collective health insurance or offer an employer package with (additional) reimbursement for physical therapy and/or psychology for the employee. Experience shows that this ensures significantly higher participation rates in group health insurance.

We would be happy to tell you more about the options available to get the most out of your group health insurance and add value for both your employee and your organization!

Contact René van Uitert or one of our other Corporate Wellness specialists at corporatewellness@krollerboom.nl.