Question: What is the general value and return on investment?
1. COST
According to Superior Vision's Corbett, one of the first objections an employer will raise is the cost.
"However, if employers elect to offer it on a voluntary basis, it can be all employee-paid," he explains. "With our managed vision plan, for example, we are able to negotiate with lens manufacturers, frame companies, and providers to get discounts."
As such, in most cases, the benefit to the employee is that the return for benefits against premium is, at minimum, twice the value of the premium.
2. WHY ADD ANOTHER BENEFIT?
Another related objection employers may have is that, since they already offer so many other benefits, why add another one?
Sternberg offers a response: "With medical plan expenses increasing, employers are taking things away, and copays are increasing, so offering an inexpensive vision plan, whether funded or on a voluntary basis, is a way to give something back."
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3. JUSTIFY THE VALUE
A third strategy is to focus on the general need for coverage and the resulting popularity it should have among employees. "When talking with employers, it is very easy to justify the value of offering vision insurance," continues Sternberg. "Vision is the second most prevalent health problem in the U.S. There are about 120 million people who have some type of vision correction activity going on." And, he continues, over 50 percent of U.S. citizens wear prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses, and they need and want access to vision specialists.
4. LONG-TERM SAVINGS
A fourth strategy, and quite probably the most important, is to focus on the long-term savings that offering vision coverage will have for employers.
"Vision problems cost businesses billions of dollars, in terms of added health care costs, productivity losses, quality losses, and lost time," points out The Vision Council's Greene. "Employers, especially HR people, need to think about this."
NAVCP's Ingram agrees.
"There is still a lack of awareness among employers and individuals about the value of a vision exam," he notes. "When they think about this exam, they usually think only about refraction – glasses or contacts."
What they don't understand is that a comprehensive vision exam can provide early diagnosis of systemic diseases that are preventable and treatable in many cases. According to Ingram, these include diabetes, hypertension, and even some cancers.
"In fact, half of all people with diabetes don't know it, and a comprehensive eye exam can detect this early," he states. "So we need to get the message out that vision care should be part of the overall health care of employees."
This early detection, of course, can help employers, because it can reduce medical costs and increase productivity over the long term. According to Ingram, one study showed that, for every dollar an employer invests in vision insurance, they get $7 back in savings on overall health care costs.
5. PERSONAL STORY
A final sales strategy: If possible, share a personal story with employers. "One broker I know is able to share such a story with employers when he meets with them," NAVCP's Ingram states. "He has a family member who ended up having a serious disease diagnosed through an eye exam."
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