{"id":285,"date":"2019-12-10T14:31:21","date_gmt":"2019-12-10T14:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ladintax.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/10\/companies-get-creative-with-health-care-offerings\/"},"modified":"2019-12-10T14:31:21","modified_gmt":"2019-12-10T14:31:21","slug":"companies-get-creative-with-health-care-offerings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ladintax.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/10\/companies-get-creative-with-health-care-offerings\/","title":{"rendered":"Companies Get Creative With Health Care Offerings"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The Health Insurance Marketplace open enrollment season has
\nbegun (Nov. 1 through Dec. 15) for people who do not have access to health
\ninsurance plans at work. For the 2020 plan year, 20 more insurers have entered
\nthe federal exchange market and the average premium dropped by 4% from last
\nyear\u2019s plans.1<\/sup><\/p>\n

Employers see strong health care benefits as a strong
\nincentive for recruiting purposes in today\u2019s competitive job market. Some are
\noffering a broader array of options, with less reliance on the high-deductible
\nhealth plans (HDHP) that have become a staple cost-savings measure in recent
\nyears. According to a large-employer survey by the National Business Group on
\nHealth, only a quarter of companies plan to make an HDHP their only offering, a
\n14 percentage point decline from two years ago.2<\/sup><\/p>\n

Despite this good news, health care continues to be a major
\nexpense for most Americans and is expected to continue until some of our bigger
\nproblems with the nation\u2019s health care system are addressed. Even people who
\nare eligible for Medicare find that out-of-pocket expenses add up. According to
\nFidelity, the average retiree spends about 15% of annual income on health care-related
\nexpenses.3<\/sup> It is important to consider how you will pay for possible
\nincreased health care expenses in retirement. Some insurance products such as
\nlife insurance and annuities provide various options you may want to consider. We\u2019d
\nbe happy to discuss your options based on your unique situation.<\/p>\n

In the ever-growing effort to battle health care expenses,
\nsome employers are developing alternative options. For example, Amazon,
\nBerkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase & Co. joined forces to create a
\nhealth care company (Haven) to serve their combined 1.2 million employees and
\nfamily members in the U.S. The company is not yet up and running, but its
\nobjective is to provide primary care access, more simple insurance benefits and
\naffordable prescription drugs.4<\/sup><\/p>\n

For people who are looking for affordable health care
\nservices regardless of insurance status, Walmart recently introduced its first standalone
\nprimary care clinic (Walmart Health), located in a suburb of Atlanta. While the
\nretail giant has opened in-store Care Clinics at other locations, this expanded
\noffice provides dental services, lab tests, X-rays, hearing, optical and mental
\nhealth counseling.5<\/sup> Better yet, the services are offered at fixed
\nprices, such as:6<\/sup><\/p>\n