Employer-sponsored Health Insurance Is Vital For Part-timers

By Don Bethune

Health insurance is vital because it helps protect valuable employees from suffering due to unexpected medical emergencies. Health insurance also allows employees to get quality health care conveniently, which helps keep them healthy, productive, and working, since their health is taken care of and they don't have to worry about paying for a doctor.

Employers offer their workers health insurance on a voluntary basis whereby the employees can opt to enrol or forfeit it, or they may offer it as a fringe benefit. Employer sponsored health insurance is much cheaper than an individual cover plus it also provides a wider range of benefits.

In order for employers to offer their workers health insurance there are a couple of factors to be put into consideration they are; size of the firm, the type of industry, age and company structure not forgetting employee demand for health benefits. Firms that have union employees are highly likely to offer them health insurance.

Often, employers who decide to offer employees health insurance benefits will place some conditions on the benefits. One such instance includes a waiting period before they can sign up for their health benefits. The employer may also impose the condition that the employee work for a minimum number of hours per week in order to receive the insurance. Another common stipulation requires that an employee pay a part of the fees involved in the insurance premium.

Employer-sponsored health insurance stands as one of the most inexpensive ways of acquiring medical care coverage. Sadly, part-time workers with low income are often left without health insurance, unable to pay the high employee premiums involved in such insurance. Due to the high cost of medical insurance, it is easier for larger organizations to offer their employees health benefits than it is for small ones.

The requirements can very regarding the amount of money the company employees are expected to pay for their health insurance plan, and the percentage of the premium they have to pay greatly affects the number of employees who are able to take advantage of the plan. The more money required from the employee to participate in the plan, the less likely they are to take advantage of the company medical plan. Also, another down side is that married employees often may not enroll in a plan if they are already covered for medical insurance by their spouse's plan.

There has been in recent years a decline in the availability of employer sponsored health insurance for retirees. Many young people aged below 24 and who are not under their parents policy are also not insured. They are mostly low wage earners and can therefore not access this type of cover.

In order to protect yourself and your family from unforseen medical emergencies, health insurance coverage is very important to have, whether you're just a part-time worker, a busy full-time worker, or a stay-at-home spouse. Those who are able to acquire access to inexpensive employer-sponsored plans should definitely take advantage of the less-expensive health coverage that is offered as a benefit by their employer. Workers who do not have access to an affordable employer-sponsored health plan should make an effort to seek out an inexpensive alternative that they can afford, as it is a vital choice in order to protect their health. - 20607

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