Benefits of discount plans

Careington's discount plans include pre-negotiated health care discounts that can help fill in your employees' benefit gaps and enhance your recruiting and retention efforts. Plus, by encouraging your employees to take care of their health, you can dramatically improve their productivity in the workplace.

See how the following health care discounts can have a positive impact on your employees:

• Dental care: Nearly one-third of all adults in the United States have untreated tooth decay. One in seven adults aged 35 to 44 years has gum disease, and nearly a quarter of all adults have experienced some facial pain in the past six months.¹ Plus, researchers believe that diseases like type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and heart disease often manifest in the mouth - making dentists a key player in diagnosis.²

• Vision: Eye doctors can detect symptoms of serious diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and multiple sclerosis in their earliest stages - often before a patient is aware of any vision or health issues.³ Yet, only 44 percent of Americans without vision coverage had an eye exam within the last year, while 61 percent with coverage received an exam.⁴

• Prescriptions: Employees are burdened by mounting prescription costs. There was a five-fold increase in spending in the United States for prescription drugs from 1990 to 2005 - rising from $40.3 billion to $200.7 billion over the 15 year span.⁵

• Doctor and hospital visits: Employees spend a majority of their health care dollars on doctor and hospital visits. In fact, 38% of health care dollars go to physician services, 30% go to inpatient hospital services and 16% go to outpatient hospital services.⁶

• 24-hour nurse line: A nurse line can be instrumental in lowering employees' health care costs. Licensed, registered nurses can provide employees with appropriate self-care measures and advice on how to live a healthy lifestyle. In the United States, 1.7 million people die and 25 million more are disabled each year by chronic diseases caused or made worse by unhealthy lifestyles.⁷

Sources:

1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2) Academy of General Dentistry survey, February 2007; 3) CDHC Solutions, May/June 2007; 4) CDHC Solutions, May/June 2007; 5) Kaiser Family Foundation Prescription Drug Trends Fact Sheet; 6) Milliman Medical Index, 2007; 7) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention