Health Care Benefits

Companies with health care benefits offer assistance with medical costs. Depending on the company’s policy for health care benefits, employees can pay a fee to opt into the health care plan, while the company pays the bulk of the premium, or the company may pay for all health care related costs.

Employers often provide employees with some sort of group medical insurance, with the level of coverage depending on the status of the employee. Part-time employees often receive fewer benefits than a full-time employee.

With group medical insurance, there are a variety of health care plans that employees have access to. Most companies offer managed-care health coverage through HMOs and preferred provider organizations, PPOs.

An employee benefits package includes all the benefits provided by an employer. Employers are required by law (federal and state) to provide some types of employee benefits like unemployment, workers compensation and disability.

Other benefits are provided by companies because they feel socially responsible to their employees and opt to offer them more than is required by law. Depending on the company, these benefits may include health insurance, dental insurance, vision care, life insurance, paid vacation leave, personal leave, sick leave, child care, fitness, a retirement plan, and other optional benefits offered to employees and their families.

Review Your Employee Benefits Package

Whether you are job searching, deciding on a job offer, or happily employed, it's important to review what benefit coverage is provided by the company and to decide whether the employee benefit package is one that fully meets your needs. It's also important to take full advantage of what the company provides to employees.