Perks or Benefits

We are a group of clinics. We would like to offer our employees some health care services as a benefit. Much like the charcoal plant gives a free bag of charcoal a week or the restaurant lets the employees eat free.

1)If we bill the employee's insurance, can we write off the balance? This would include deductibles and any co-payments.

2)Another way we have talked about is to write off the office visit and charge our cost on labs and supplies and not bill the insurance.

Could we be sited for not treating each employee equally by giving them different benefits because we might have a sickly employee and a healthly employee.

If 1 & 2 above can't be done, does anyone have a suggestion?

A-TEAM

Comments

  • 6 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • If you do the same for everybody, where's the inequality? It's no different from the employer who offers free insurance to the employee and pays the claims of the employee who is sick and has no claims to pay for the employee who is never sick. Or, offers to pay for prescription safety glasses for those who need them, but has no need to provide them for those who have no sight loss. Or do you see something I don't?
  • Adding to Don's logic - my company pays tuition to accredited institutions for degree programs. Not everyone takes advantage of this benefit; the fact that I do while most of my co-workers do not does not make the benefit unfair or unequal.
  • JFP: Some of the perks we have for our employes are:

    BECAUSE YOU ARE A MEMBER OF OUR COMPANY WE OFFER
    1) Membership to the SAM's CLUB, which gives you access to many benefit opportunies, like dental care.
    2) Membership with a direct deposit system with a associated CREDIT UNION, WHICH INCLUDES A lIFE INSURANCE.
    3) A direct link to our medical plan, which allows the employee to turn in to the company their receipts for medical expenses which do not exceed the $300.00 deductable for payment at 50 cents on the dollar. This helps the employee because the ee does not simply loose the total amount accumulated toward the annual deductable. It helps our 3rd party administrator, because every one holds their receipts and turns them into the company verses the plan administrator. It helps the company because we don't get charged for the time spent by the administrator doing "data input" on receipts that would otherwise not get the employee or family member over the required deductable amount. It helps every member of the plan because these cost would be a part of the accumulated total on which the Insurance carrier and the company will compute the premium cost for out years. Example: #299.00 receipts turned into the claims administrator would be processed with no return of these monies. However, if the employee turns in the $299.00 in receipts to our payroll person we will create a accounts payable check for $150.00 payable to the ee. That means it cost us $150.00 for an otherwise expense of $299.00 if it goes to the Insurance carrier. This happens after the first of the new year.
    4) Because you are a member of our company you can join the local theme park at much reduced rates.

    Hope this helps with some ideas!

    PORK


  • Maybe Rockie can weigh in on this. I used to be in the healthcare field about 4 years ago. I recall that if professional courtesy was going to be given (free/reduced fee)you could not bill the insurance. I would look at your contract (not the employer-insurance contract but the provider-insurance contract) with your insurance provider before you start doing #1. The theory was that they could get PC folks to come in all the time and just bill the insurance and thus increase the revenue.

    I do not see any other issues.
  • My sister is a nurse at a hospital (in NC)and I'm pretty sure they already do what you have in mind. She doesn't have to pay any health insurance/benefits.
  • You cannot bill an employee's insurance and write off the rest; you must write off the entire amount. We are an imaging center and any service we provide for our employees is free. It's also free for their spouse and children.
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