Piper Jordan

As the health care landscape continues to shift and change in the US, companies are increasingly turning to voluntary benefits to support the health care and financial security needs of their employees. These benefits can offer increased coverage for the employee with no direct costs to the employer.

Piper Jordan has met this growing need with a team of experienced benefit analysts who have helped employers control costs without sacraficing benefit quality. Below are a few of the benefits commonly requested:

Medical
There's been a shift in recent years to a services-driven economy, creating a need to recruit and retain more hourly and temporary employees. But shift work, interrupted services and turnover make it challenging to provide health benefits to these employees. Offering limited benefits to hourly workers can reduce turnover, improve employee satisfaction and help meet the needs of people who might otherwise not be able to get health insurance.

Dental
It's more than just a pretty face: good health starts with your teeth and gums. If you think going to the dentist isn't really important, think again. Your dental health impacts the rest of your body in serious ways. Research shows that gum disease, an infection of your gums, puts you at risk for conditions such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and pregnancy complications. And because gum disease is usually painless in the early stages, you may not even know that you have it. That's why going to the dentist is just as important as getting a check-up at the doctor's office.

Vision
More and more people over the age of 20 need some form of vision correction because of heavy computer usage, eye diseases and other serious conditions that affect health such as diabetes and high blood pressure. If you're an employer concerned about your employee's eye health or have an employee who wears glasses, you may want to consider adding vision coverage to your franchise's health plan.

Life
Life insurance is a key to good financial protection and planning. It is part of a program to build security for the employee and family members. Coverage not only safeguards someone's money but also protects the family for the unexpected. Life insurance can come in the form of Term Life, Whole Life, and Universal Life plans; each offering a different approach, depending on the needs of your employees.

Disability
When we think of our most important assets, it's easy to forget that income may be the one that needs protection most. If an employee were to become disabled tomorrow and couldn't work for two or three months, would they have enough savings to cover your living expenses during that time? If not, you may want to consider short-term disability insurance for your employees. Short-term disability coverage can replace part of your employees' income so they can focus on recovery instead of worrying about their ability to pay the bills.

Critical Illness
The average life expectancy of people born in the United States has increased to 77.6 years. Although this is good news, the fact remains that as people live longer, there is a greater chance for incurring a serious illness. Further increasing these chances are the current lifestyles most people lead today (stress, alcohol and tobacco use, lack of exercise, etc.).

Group Voluntary Critical Illness coverage can help your employees and their families be financially prepared should they be diagnosed with a critical illness. This type of coverage provides benefits to help supplement existing medical insurance, and helps pay for non-medical expenses not usually covered. It is never too early to start thinking about the future.

Accident
A fatal injury occurs every 5 minutes and a disabling injury occurs every second. Unintentional injury deaths in the U.S. were up 2% in 2004 from the previous year. However, wage losses, medical expenses, property damage, employer costs, fire losses and other expenses related to fatal and nonfatal unintentional injuries cost Americans $574.8 billion in 2004.

Accidents are not planned and can happen at any moment. Having the right coverage that fits your employees' needs the moment an accident occurs is important. A group accident policy can help your employees be financially prepared in the event of an accidental injury or death.

Legal
Did you know that every year 1 in 2 families will require the services of an attorney? In many instances, legal issues are precipitated by other personal and professional challenges in one's life. Mounting debt, tax season, identity theft, stress on the job, or a personal crisis may be the catalyst for legal assistance. A legal plan can help with items as small as a phone consultation, to issues as large as a major court case.

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