BASE^® Blog

Halloween is just around the corner and who doesn’t love to get a little scared?  But for health care, it seems to be Halloween every day!  With the rising cost of health care, a lot of businesses are afraid of what will happen to their health plans and if it’s possible to continue to provide them to their employees. 

As health care costs continue to rise, more people are skipping their doctor visits altogether.  It doesn’t seem to be the fear of going to the doctor, but the fear of what comes after - the medical bill.  According to a recent national poll, over the past 12 months, 44% of Americans said they didn’t go to the doctor when they were sick or injured because of financial concerns.  Meanwhile, 40% said they skipped a recommended medical test or treatment.

“One of the most important consequences of skipping medical care or delaying care ultimately impacts the quality of care, impacts the outcome,” Cleveland Clinic president and CEO Tom Mihaljevic.  “Ultimately visits or delay of visits to the physician ultimately leads to the increased cost of care.” (How health care costs are making consumers more afraid of medical bills than an actual illness, Trent Gilles, CNBC).  

So what can a business do?

Call and talk to a BASE® Sales Representative about implementing a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) into the business.  An HRA is an employer-funded account that reimburses employees for out-of-pocket medical expenses and individual health insurance premiums.  Employers can help take a little bit of the scare out of having to offer a higher deductible plan to employees.  BASE® knows that HRAs have been around for a while, but that their importance is now greater than ever.

BASE® has three HRAs to fit all types of businesses – self-employed, businesses with a group health plan, and companies who do not offer group health plans, but want to offer a benefits package.  HRAs are widely beneficial to all companies of all sizes, as they lower employer and employee costs.  Each HRA does something a little different, but all plans will help reduce the financial impact of health care expenses, help contain the overall cost of their benefit plan, and all reimbursements are 100% deductible as a business expense.

It’s called HEALTH CARE, not HEALTH SCARE!  So don’t let the rising cost of health care scare a business into not providing their employees the convenience of containing health care costs.  Call BASE® at 1-888-386-9680 or visit www.BASEonline.com TODAY!

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn

HUDDLE UP!  It is the best time of the year – the season of football and Open Enrollment!  With Open Enrollment, BASE® offers our current clients a TIME OUT to look at their business package and see what more can be done to save money.  It is also a great time for new clients to assess their current benefits and add new money saving benefits to their current benefits package.

Our HOME TEAM of Sales Representatives at BASE® will keep a business going with FORWARD PROGRESS, saving the business time, thousands of dollars in tax savings, and keep them in compliance.  They will provide the GAME PLAN on the business’ specific plan and keep employers from getting an UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT penalty!  Football may only be a 15 yard penalty on the field, but not being in compliance with the IRS or DOL could put employers at risk of penalties starting at $110 per-day per-employee or more depending on the severity of the infraction!

Dealing with employee benefits doesn’t need to be rough.  So whether a current client or brand new, BASE® has a great LINE-UP of Sales Representatives that can help clients reach their GOAL and find what products will be the best (PLAY) OPTION for the business.  

Employer’s health care costs are expected to rise 6.5% this year according to PwC Health Research Institute, but with a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) or 125 Cafeteria Plan in place, employers can help PASS on savings to their employees, that will in turn save the employer and employees thousands of dollars in health care costs.

So whether a business is self-employed, has a group health plan, or is looking to enhance their current benefits package, there is a custom option available to TACKLE a business’ benefit needs.  Don’t FUMBLE in the RED ZONE or get a DELAY OF GAME – or, in this case, lose out on valuable tax savings!  Call BASE® at 1-888-386-9680 and let’s KICK OFF Open Enrollment together!

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn