From the iPhone to HDTV, our culture has maintained an undeniable love affair with upgrades – even during tough economic times.
But our most recent national slump has also reminded us to look beyond bells and whistles, and identify real value behind the purchases we make. The fact is, we can’t deny that certain premium products and services really do get us more for our money, and can sometimes even save us money in the long run.
When it comes to health-related insurance for employees, and, specifically, vision benefits, employers should really take a closer look at the plan they’ve chosen for their workers. While medical premiums are on the rise, premium vision benefits have maintained a comparably low price ($70-120 annually per employee), and come packed with incredible potential to improve your bottom line.
So, you ask, what makes a premium vision plan better than a basic plan, and how can it help keep money in your pocket?
1. Comprehensive eye exams: a window to overall health
Unlike a basic screening or exam, a premium plan includes a comprehensive exam with pupil dilation, which allows eye doctors to look deep into the eyes to detect early signs of debilitating eye diseases, and even diseases like diabetes and hypertension. By having these conditions flagged early on, employees can often successfully adapt their lifestyles to keep these problems from progressing – before they start to drag on their and their employers’ purse strings. Check out this video library to learn more about the importance of regular eye care: http://tinyurl.com/28jfvkj.
2. Annual exams = early detection
How often the plan allows employees to get one of these exams matters, too. While your average, basic vision plan might seem like a great deal, it often only covers an exam every two years, as opposed to annually. An employee’s vision can change quickly, and an annual exam and updated lens prescription can correct it properly – therefore boosting productivity on and off the job, by up to 20 percent!
Regular eye care is especially important for subgroups at high risk for eye-related issues – such as diabetics and older workers – so some premium plans even cover more frequent eye exams for these employees to help ensure that serious problems can be identified and treated quickly.
3. Lens enhancements to improve, protect vision
Just because employees are seeing 20/20 doesn’t mean they’re seeing as well as they could be, or keeping their eyes healthy. Premium vision plans typically include some type of coverage on sight-enhancing lens products to help protect the eyes and help employees see more comfortably. For instance, photochromic lenses adapt in changing light to both block damaging UV rays, and minimize glare to cut down eyestrain and headaches. Anti-reflective (AR) coatings cut down on distracting reflections. And certain lens materials are much more impact resistant, to help prevent eye trauma.
4. Branded products consumers recognize
Many of today’s premium vision plans also fully cover or provide discounts on branded lens options that employees recognize, such as photochromic Transitions® lenses, and also give employees more options in the designer frame brands they know and want. Research shows that 6 out of 10 employees would be more likely to enroll in or use their vision benefit if it included premium products like these.
5. More ways to see your best
Another important distinction: a premium plan will sometimes include discounts on additional eyewear beyond an annual pair of eyeglasses – helping to make sure their eyes have the most up-to-date prescription in special purpose eyewear they may need for work or recreation. And for those employees who don’t want to or can’t wear eyeglasses because of their line of work, most of today’s premium vision plans also offer discounts on procedures to correct their vision permanently.
Calculate the Savings!
If these examples aren’t enough to convince you of the value behind a premium vision plan, pay a visit to the Healthy Sight Calculator (HealthySightWorkingForYou.org/calculator), a new and complimentary tool from Transitions Optical that allows you to break down the medical cost and productivity savings possible by offering your specific workforce a premium plan. This tool provides a customized, quantitative and qualitative evaluation of all the ways vision care and vision wear can impact your bottom line. Be sure to check out this recent CDHC Solutions article from an HR manager who tried it herself: http://tinyurl.com/2g6rlsu.
The Secret to Payoff
At this point, you can hopefully see why a premium vision plan makes so much sense for today’s employees. But, just as you wouldn’t get much out of a premium television subscription if you’re never home to watch it, a premium vision benefit can only truly pay off if employees know it’s there, and understand why it’s so important to use it.
Brokers like me can do their part to make sure employers have as much information as possible, to help them understand their vision plan potential. But employers also need to take that extra step to communicate the importance of eye wellness to their employees.
Be sure to check out some of the employee-friendly resources available to help open your workforce’s eyes to the value behind a premium vision plan. Many sites, like www.TheVisionCouncil.org and www.PreventBlindness.org, have consumer-friendly information about the importance of eye health, and some resources, like www.HealthySightWorkingForYou.org, even have ready-to-use newsletters and customizable educational materials to reach employees during annual enrollment or year around.
So don’t select your vision benefit blindly, or turn a blind eye toward the plan you already have. Take a closer look at that premium option (first make sure your vision prescription is up-to-speed) and discover why this “upgrade” should arguably become your standard choice.