BASE^® Blog

Halloween is just around the corner and who doesn’t love to get a little scared?  But for health care, it seems to be Halloween every day!  With the rising cost of health care, a lot of businesses are afraid of what will happen to their health plans and if it’s possible to continue to provide them to their employees. 

As health care costs continue to rise, more people are skipping their doctor visits altogether.  It doesn’t seem to be the fear of going to the doctor, but the fear of what comes after - the medical bill.  According to a recent national poll, over the past 12 months, 44% of Americans said they didn’t go to the doctor when they were sick or injured because of financial concerns.  Meanwhile, 40% said they skipped a recommended medical test or treatment.

“One of the most important consequences of skipping medical care or delaying care ultimately impacts the quality of care, impacts the outcome,” Cleveland Clinic president and CEO Tom Mihaljevic.  “Ultimately visits or delay of visits to the physician ultimately leads to the increased cost of care.” (How health care costs are making consumers more afraid of medical bills than an actual illness, Trent Gilles, CNBC).  

So what can a business do?

Call and talk to a BASE® Sales Representative about implementing a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) into the business.  An HRA is an employer-funded account that reimburses employees for out-of-pocket medical expenses and individual health insurance premiums.  Employers can help take a little bit of the scare out of having to offer a higher deductible plan to employees.  BASE® knows that HRAs have been around for a while, but that their importance is now greater than ever.

BASE® has three HRAs to fit all types of businesses – self-employed, businesses with a group health plan, and companies who do not offer group health plans, but want to offer a benefits package.  HRAs are widely beneficial to all companies of all sizes, as they lower employer and employee costs.  Each HRA does something a little different, but all plans will help reduce the financial impact of health care expenses, help contain the overall cost of their benefit plan, and all reimbursements are 100% deductible as a business expense.

It’s called HEALTH CARE, not HEALTH SCARE!  So don’t let the rising cost of health care scare a business into not providing their employees the convenience of containing health care costs.  Call BASE® at 1-888-386-9680 or visit www.BASEonline.com TODAY!

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Here at BASE® we are celebrating Customer Service Week! All year long, we pride ourselves on providing the best customer service because our clients deserve it. Anytime during business hours when you call BASE®, we have a live representative waiting to answer any and all questions regarding our products and services. We are here to provide tax saving options for employers and their trusted advisors, and want to be an extension of expertise and value.

During Customer Service Week we took time out to recognize the importance of customer service excellence. Emily L., one of our Service Specialists, shares her favorite part about working with clients on a daily basis and what makes BASE® customer service great. “I like working with our clients, because they know they can COUNT on us to listen to them, answer their questions and have the best interest of their business in mind. Our genuine kindness and compassion for our clients, the patience and knowledge that we provide to our clients, and the value and integrity that we maintain as a company is what makes us different,” she says.

Our clients also notice our customer service. Rob. M, a BASE® Business Partner since 2006, shares his experience. “I have a twelve year relationship with BASE® and they have always done a great job of taking care of my customers. Simply put, BASE® is a quality company, with quality service and quality products.”  

BASE® also wants to provide easy-to-understand plans. We know that business owners are busy and want to make our administrative services as easy-to-use as possible! Jerry K., a BASE® HRA Client since 2000, shares how effortless working with BASE® can be. “I have always felt the staff was excellent and is always there to answer any questions with effective answers.  The plan is straight forward, easy-to-use, and tracking medical expenses is worth the minimal extra effort when the result is a sizable savings.”

These past five days, we not only recognized the importance of customer service, but we celebrated our achievements during Customer Service Week. Part of our core values is to provide the highest degree of service, and to do our best all year round. Call BASE® to see how we can serve you today!

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HUDDLE UP!  It is the best time of the year – the season of football and Open Enrollment!  With Open Enrollment, BASE® offers our current clients a TIME OUT to look at their business package and see what more can be done to save money.  It is also a great time for new clients to assess their current benefits and add new money saving benefits to their current benefits package.

Our HOME TEAM of Sales Representatives at BASE® will keep a business going with FORWARD PROGRESS, saving the business time, thousands of dollars in tax savings, and keep them in compliance.  They will provide the GAME PLAN on the business’ specific plan and keep employers from getting an UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT penalty!  Football may only be a 15 yard penalty on the field, but not being in compliance with the IRS or DOL could put employers at risk of penalties starting at $110 per-day per-employee or more depending on the severity of the infraction!

Dealing with employee benefits doesn’t need to be rough.  So whether a current client or brand new, BASE® has a great LINE-UP of Sales Representatives that can help clients reach their GOAL and find what products will be the best (PLAY) OPTION for the business.  

Employer’s health care costs are expected to rise 6.5% this year according to PwC Health Research Institute, but with a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) or 125 Cafeteria Plan in place, employers can help PASS on savings to their employees, that will in turn save the employer and employees thousands of dollars in health care costs.

So whether a business is self-employed, has a group health plan, or is looking to enhance their current benefits package, there is a custom option available to TACKLE a business’ benefit needs.  Don’t FUMBLE in the RED ZONE or get a DELAY OF GAME – or, in this case, lose out on valuable tax savings!  Call BASE® at 1-888-386-9680 and let’s KICK OFF Open Enrollment together!

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