Employee health care and how to pay for it
By Patricia Nugent
Attracting, retaining and nurturing the best employees is at the heart of any small business success.
But with rising costs to provide medical coverage for employees, businesses that cannot afford to offer benefits are losing their competitive edge when those key employees leave.
BowTie Medical has created alternatives to solve the problem that were never available in the past.
“Say the average family of four pays $1,500 per month with a deductible of $10,000,” explains COO Rob Winings. “Add copays to that and a family could have more than $30,000 in out-of-pocket expense before their insurance kicks in. That’s no longer reasonable.”
He says instead of paying $1,500 per month with little value to the employee, BowTie offers options ranging from $200-$650 dollars per person per month that provide significant health benefits to the employee.
“As soon as we started offering direct primary care, it became clear what a niche this fills for local businesses to cover their employees, from restaurants to day care centers, preschools, salons, landscaping firms and small retail,” says Rob.
Case Study
When Barb Vermilye saw the story about BowTie in last month’s Mimi Magazine, it was like it had been written for her.
She and her husband Brian own Appliance Installation Group, AIG, in Medina. The high-end appliance installation and cabinetry modification company has been in business for eight years and has 10 employees.
“We were on the verge of losing one of our best employees, who was about to lose the coverage that his wife carried when she wanted to leave her job to stay home with their new baby,” Barb recalls.
“We were frustrated with the healthcare industry. We felt like we were throwing our money away on premiums without any benefits. What BowTie offered was exactly what we were searching for, the ability to offer better coverage and receive better care.”
She says she made an appointment with Rob and he answered her many, many questions about the plans.
“It just seemed too good to be true, and I was skeptical,” she says. “But after sitting down and reviewing the coverage, it was like a breath of fresh air.”
She reports that less than one-third of the companies in her industry are able to offer coverage to their employees, so this is an integral advantage for them in attracting the best employees.
But as important as saving enough money to be able to offer coverage to their full-time employees is, so is the positive side of the equation: Providing a better level of care.
“Our employees are like family to us, and being able to offer proactive wellness approaches such as health coaching is wonderful,” she says.
One of the most exciting elements of BowTie’s model, is not just the low price, but the focus on getting healthier through coaching, traditional medicine and homeopathy. Barb says that finally having a plan to get her husband, Brian, off blood pressure medication is “incredibly exciting” since no other doctor’s office ever offered that before.
“Having everyone operating at their healthiest and happiest is a game-changer for our business,” she says. “The BowTie philosophy of care is the perfect mix of traditional and holistic medicine.”
Benefits for Individual Members, Too
Based on the same model of value-based health care offered to employers and employees, BowTie Medical also offers a primary care membership program for individual and family members to improve people’s health while saving them money.
The patient-centric program includes family medicine, nutritional and lifestyle advice, a 24/7 telemedicine service, health coaching, lab work, in-office procedures and homeopathy to help them stay on target with their health goals.
Provided by Joan Brower, a homeopathic practitioner, and Dr. Kelli Buckner, DO, homeopathy does not rely solely on over-the-counter or prescription medications to treat disease, but instead focuses on natural remedies that are dosed just once. The goal, they say, is to stimulate a reaction from within the body itself.
A variety of ailments can be treated, from allergies, arthritis and sinusitis to migraines, anxiety and depression, as well as digestive issues and skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis.
BowTie Medical is located at 7500 Town Centre Drive, Suite 200, in Broadview Heights. All visits are included in the monthly fee, and a member’s insurance will not be billed. For more information, call 440-252-1986, or visit BowTieMedical.com.