Tag: essential medical coverage

The Great Resignation?

The Great Resignation was a rumbling that began amid the pandemic and has grown exponentially. With millions of people resigning from their jobs and opting into the gig economy, where they can work from home, have more say over their worth, and be in control of their work-life balance. I sat with our co-founder Christian Stearns to discuss this phenomenon and what it means for business owners and employers.

Christian explained that he considers the great resignation a misnomer and that he feels this phenomenon should be called the Great Realignment, as it’s more than people just leaving their jobs. Its employees realizing and acting upon what they need to have a high quality of life. Amidst the pandemic, we as a society discovered we can measurably work from home, and in eliminating the time of a commute and the physical distance between the office and your family, it’s not surprising many do not want to go back to the old way of business, in the office, 9-5. Thus employees left in search of employers willing to provide them with the lifestyles they became accustomed to during the pandemic. 

Many of you experienced this first hand, so I asked Christian how we could take this sour realignment and make sweet lemonade. His response was for business owners and employers to take a step back, recognize the need to give to get, the need for flexibility and that employment is not the one-way street it may have once been. More than flexibility, employers need to provide value to their employees. In this new wave with a booming gig economy where many work multiple part-time gigs or freelance for many companies providing access to benefits can be the differentiator. 

As much as the move to the gig economy has given employees a new kind of freedom, in many ways, it has also created a massive vulnerability as part-time, and contract workers seldom qualify for benefits and insurance coverage. Filling this gap and covering this vulnerability can make all the difference when retaining talent, whether in the form of contract workers or even your full-time staff. The workforce is full of under-benefitted, and downright un benefited workers. The truth is that health workers lead to a healthy business, and we help make employees HealthEE. 

Where did HealthEE by HBG come from?

The world can’t turn without people. Not the people in the big offices high above the world or, in the case of the pandemic, hidden away in their home offices. Sure those people get the ball rolling, but it’s your delivery person, grocery clerk, nurses, and teachers who are on the ground making it all happen -despite how often they are under-appreciated and unprotected by the same world they are fueling. This underserved segment stepped into the spotlight due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The rest of the community finally recognized them as “essential.” We praised their efforts by clapping out of our windows, making signs, and raising them as heroes in the public eye. However, these grandiose gestures of support only go so far. Here at Healthy Business Group saw a gap, not just in the market but in our society, to protect and provide access to the underserved overworked, part time and gig workers of America. We saw how businesses around the country would have crumpled without their part-time employees, yet those same essential workers had the least access to insurance and benefits. The same people we crowned heroes, more often than not, could not afford to go to the doctor. How can that be? There must be a better way.  

Healthy Business Group went to work creating that better way. Crafting a space for everyone and anyone to have access to essential benefits and insurance coverage. That space took the form of the online store now known as HealthEE by HBG. Founded on the concept of Health for Everyone, Everywhere with the goal of being the Amazon of healthcare, HealthEE by HBG is your one stop shop, a marketplace of benefits at your fingertips. As a group of industry veterans, Healthy Business Group’s team has sought out the best value for your benefits from cost to services to flexibility. 

In order for HealthEE by HBG to truly be for everyone everywhere the Healthy Business Group team knew they needed a new kind of support team. This is where Ask Evan and his team come in. The Ask Evan team functions as dedicated advisors and educators to all. “I’m not trying to convince anyone to buy anything,” Evan, the head and namesake of the Ask Evan team told me, “I’m here to provide clarity and walk you through the options available.”We encourage and welcome you to schedule a call for free, no strings attached with an Ask Evan advisor to learn more about your own insurance needs and what options are available to you.

HealthEE by HBG has provided access to approximately 125,000 individuals in its first year of operation, but we aren’t stopping there. In the next year, we expect to provide half a million more people access to HealthEE by HBG by partnering with 50 organizations across the country. The HealthEE by HBG benefit store has changed healthcare for the better. 

Access to health (for) Everyone Everywhere

With one in ten people not having health insurance in the United States, I think it’s safe to say we have an access problem within the industry. But what does it mean to have real access to healthcare? It’s more than just being given a single option, take it or leave it. It’s more than being trapped for a year paying for coverage you don’t understand. 

Here at HealthEE by HBG, access means two things, education, and freedom. First, you should control your health and be free to choose how much coverage is right for you—space in selecting the range and longevity of the coverage. Only want benefits while you are between jobs, waiting to join your partner’s plan, or enduring a waiting period for a new job? Then, you can use HealthEE by HBG. More than just the power of choice, with our advisors on the Ask Evan team, you have access to guidance and education to understand better why you need what you need. We’ve taken something as guarded and confusing as healthcare and turned the conversation to ease and possibility. With Ask Evan in your corner, no question is too small. Your dedicated advisor will take you step by step through how the process works, yes, but also have a casual and honest conversation about your lifestyle and health needs. Once you understand what you need, you can enter our online marketplace and add your coverage to your cart. 

Having access is a power in itself. In our first year, HealthEE by HBG has provided this power to 125,000 members through association partnerships within real estate, logistics, teachers, healthcare, and a myriad of other industries. You can also wield the power of access by scheduling a call with our ask Evan team here or browsing the original online store that started it all here.

The Do’s & The Don’ts Of Benefits

Finding Insurance can be frustrating. With all the jargon and confusing requirements, consumers often end up with coverage they can’t even afford to use, but won’t realize until they are in the emergency room or leaving the doctors and peak at the bill. Worse, traditionally, insurance contracts are a year-long commitment. Locking you into your insurance for the entire year. Nothing is worse than an overpriced jail sentence leaving you scared to get sick. Whether you currently have the coverage you don’t love or are a recent addition to the roster after turning 26; we’ve broken down the do’s and don’ts when it comes to picking benefits:

Do- Ask Questions!

56% of people admit they’re completely lost when understanding their health insurance* Imagine you are purchasing a house or a car. You want those life pillar purchases to be well informed. So you hire an inspector or request a vehicle history report. When you buy insurance, whether, for a car or house or your health, you should use the same fine tooth comb in selecting your coverage because, like a car or a house, coverage is not one size fits all. You seek different needs in a home than your friends or peers and it is the same with your insurance. Not knowing where to start is OK. The confusion surrounding how insurance works sparked us to put Evan to work with a team. Ask Evan is not a salesperson. He is an educator the same way a home inspector isn’t trying to sell you a home but is there to help you know what lies between the walls. Ask Evan is available to help you read between the lines of the traditional industry jargon.

Don’t- Put off enrolling in life insurance. 

When we are healthy and young, it is easy to justify putting off life insurance. Especially with other pressing purchases to be made, but as we get older and our health becomes more and more at risk, the price of policies only gets higher. The life insurance policy you can get today will not be there when you’re five years older. 

Do- Protect all members of your family- AKA keep your furry friends healthy and happy. 

Nothing is better than coming home from a long day to an excited tail wagging. Our pets are dependable sources of love and cuddles (unless you’ve got a cat or a bird, but hey that’s on you), and we as their owners are their whole world. If there were a way for them to stay waiting for us at that door day in and day out forever, I know I’d be the first in line. Unfortunately, like us, pets get old or get hurt. When this happens, it’s not a question of if you want them better but whether you can afford the strain of treatment or surgery. Getting pet insurance is a proactive approach to your pet’s health. We can’t make them live forever, but we can give you a sense of security regarding their health protection. 

Don’t- Go without medical coverage.

No one is superhuman. Going without medical coverage is rolling the dice on your health. If the past few years have taught us anything, it should be that life can change in an absolute blink. To that point, life happens, and if you find yourself between jobs or on a new path, you can still get medical coverage. We have low-cost essential medical coverage available here.

Do- Shop for coverage using trusted sources like HealthEE by HBG. 

The HealthEE by HBG store is available to everyone, built by industry experts with decades of experience to provide access to coverage for all and education about that coverage. Whether you’re a freelancer, a part-time employee, or can’t make heads or tails of your employer-sponsored plan, HealthEE is a trusted resource for browsing and getting your questions answered. Our Ask Evan support team is full of real people, all with the goal of not selling you coverage but helping you understand your options and working through what will work best for your lifestyle. From cost to service to flexibility, our team has done the work, so you don’t have to.