Are Health Benefits for Employees Really Worth It?
By Daniel Williams
Some people will turn up their nose at your home business because it does not provide benefits. Years ago these perks were used to keep loyal employees tied down instead of allowing them to roam too far from the punch clock and the timecard. These perks have in some instances come to be expected by many Americans.

Although in some circles because of high costs of health care benefits, small businesses are prevented from providing these to even their most valued employees. To put it quite simply, the numbers just don't add up. To have someone who is looking for employment with benefits come over to your home business, you need to be prepared to enlighten them, otherwise you may never get them on your team. Also, when you intend to pull an employee away from their current job that has benefits, you better have something to replace what they currently have.

Here are a few items that you must underscore for them. If they maintain a job that offers benefits, they can do the home business on a part-time basis. By doing so they won't lose their benefits and be left out in the cold, if adversity stikes them unexpectedly. Then you need to get out the calculator to figure out what percentage of their paycheck is going to pay for the benefits.

To tell you the truth, some employers are more generous than others in contributing to health benefits, for example. Then you must have a projected income over time for your prospects. Show them that working at low wages or under less than ideal working conditions is not always worth it. If realistic projections of income with your home business can out perform what the employer is going to pay with pay increases, you've won them over.

There is no disputing the fact that group rates are lower than individual rates for health insurance, but there are some very good alternatives that should be evaluated. If someone is over 50 years of age, the AARP has some health plans. They may not be as good as health insurance, but they are better than nothing.

If your home business is associated with the multi-billion dollar wellness industry, your prospects may receive benefits to health just by taking the wellness products. Although there may be no guarantee with this, if the products are good, the consumers may avoid having to go to the doctor or hospital, because they are, in fact, healthier as determined by independent objective means. They may even be able to reduce or stop prescribed medications.

If you decide to do this right, you have to do some comparisons between health programs, too. What do the different health insurance programs and health plans provide in terms of specific benefits? That is, what will they pay for and what will they not pay for? Do they allow coverage by any physician or hospital or only specific ones in their network? Do they have dental benefits? Do they have prescription benefits and which drugs are eligible for discounts? Are eyeglasses included as well as eye exams? Are there any incentives for joining a health club in order to reap the benefits of physical activity on a regular basis?

Finally, people automatically go to an expert for medical advice, to fix their car or to have their tax returns prepared. If they do that, they should also enlist the support of a financial consultant if they plan to start a home business. This person may have the secrets of how to save money or make more money.