(Spoiler: It’s About Way More Than Just Copays)
Let’s cut to the chase. Choosing medical and dental benefits for your team isn’t just about picking the plan with the lowest copay or cheapest premium. Yeah, that’s the shiny stuff employees ask about right away, but if that’s the only box you’re checking, you’re setting yourself, and your team, up for a whole lot of “Who decided this was a good idea?” moments down the road.
It isn’t just a game of numbers. Benefits are about making real decisions that impact your employees’ health and happiness, as well as whether they want to stick around and contribute their best to your company.
So if you’re the one calling the shots on benefits this year, let’s make sure you don’t just check the box. Let’s make sure you nail it.
A Low Copay Means Nothing If No One Uses the Plan
You know what’s worse than a plan with a high premium? A “cheap” plan that nobody can actually use.
That $20 copay looks great on paper until your employees realize the nearest doctor who accepts their insurance is a 50-minute drive away and booked solid until October. Good luck getting someone to use that benefit when they need care fast.
If there’s no one to actually take that $20 copay and provide care, the co-pay might as well be astronomically high, because the outcome is the same: your people don’t get the care they need. Here’s the reality: access beats cost every time.
Ask yourself:
- Can my team find providers within a reasonable distance?
- Are there actual doctors in-network, or is it a list of three overworked clinics from 1998, who aren’t taking new patients?
- Can they book appointments without a six-week wait?
- BONUS: Can they get a telehealth appointment if they’re sick and stuck at home?
If your plan sounds great but doesn’t actually work, your people will resent it—and maybe you, too.
So do your homework. Dig into the provider list. Look at real zip codes. Pretend you’re a parent trying to get your kid in for a same-week pediatric appointment. If that feels impossible, the plan’s not good enough. Look at primary care, dental clinics, specialists, urgent care locations, and telehealth access. Choose a plan that gives your employees both options and convenience because the easier it is to use, the more value your team will get from it.
We know this sounds like a lot of work, especially when you have a business to run. That’s why it makes sense to enlist help. An independent employee benefits consultant is a partner who can help you gather and evaluate your options. Think of them like an accountant: you don’t need to memorize tax code or stay up to date on new IRS regulations because your accountant does it for you. And your benefits broker does much of the plan research for you, too.
Preventive Care Is Not Optional
Emergency care is like the fire extinguisher on the wall. It’s nice to have, but you never want to use it. Preventive care? That’s like your smoke alarm. They keep the disaster from happening in the first place.
You want benefits that reward your employees for staying on top of their health; not punish them with red tape or fine print.
For starters, dental plans should cover 100% of preventative stuff. That’s cleanings, exams, and X-rays. No questions asked. Medical plans should include no-cost annual wellness visits. Basic vision services or discounts through partner networks? That’s the cherry on top.
Why does this matter? Because when employees stay healthy, they stay productive. They miss fewer days. They cost less in the long run. And, here’s a wild idea, they’re happier to work for you.
You’re not just offering benefits, you’re showing that you care about their long-term health. And people remember that kind of thing.
They’ll Judge You By Your Benefits
Let’s get real: your benefits package is a walking, talking billboard for how much you actually value your employees.
Are you sending the message, “We care about your health and want to make life easier”?
Or is it more like, “Here’s some insurance. Don’t ask questions and be grateful you get anything at all.”?
People talk. They compare. And if your plan feels slapped together, confusing, or skimpy, your team will notice. So will your competitors when they start poaching your talent with better offers.
On the flip side, when you build a plan that makes sense, works well, and feels tailored to their needs, employees feel seen. They feel respected. They stay loyal.
Great medical and dental benefits for employees attract talent. That’s not HR fluff. That’s just facts.
A Dental Plan Should Cover More Than Cleanings
You wouldn’t buy a car that only drives downhill. So, why would you pick a dental plan that only works when nothing’s wrong? These cheap dental plans are about as useless.
Too many companies slap on the cheapest dental add-on they can find, choosing something that covers a cleaning or two and nothing else. But what happens when someone needs a crown, a root canal, or (heaven forbid) braces for their kid? Suddenly that “included” benefit feels more like a cruel joke.
A real dental plan should skip the ridiculous six-month waiting periods that limit employee access to care. And because most people don’t have perfect teeth, it needs to cover big-ticket items like crowns and orthodontics at a reasonable percentage.
Who wants dental coverage if it doesn’t include the provider they have been seeing for the past 10 years? Coverage for quality dentists they actually want to visit is a must-have.
Dental care isn’t some luxury add-on. It’s healthcare. Period. Don’t shortchange your team with a useless plan that sounds good in HR meetings but fails hard in real life.
Your Broker Works for You
If your broker sends you the same three options every year with a new color on the front page graphic and says, “Pick one,” you’ve got a problem.
A good broker does more than drop off a few PDFs. They dig into your actual employee usage, explain trade-offs without sounding like a walking insurance manual, and help you make smart, forward-thinking decisions.
Look for someone who:
- Brings you new ideas—not just recycled plans
- Breaks down what really matters (like network access and preventive care)
- Helps you explain options to your team in plain English
- Actually listens to what your people are saying about their current experience
Don’t accept passive. Demand proactive. Your people deserve better, and so do you.
Be the Boss Who Gets It
If your benefits strategy stops at premiums and copays, you’re doing it wrong. Benefits are about building a workplace where people want to stay, grow, and thrive. You’ve got the power to make health benefits something your team brags about—not complains about.
So don’t play it safe. Don’t go for what’s “easy” or “cheap.” Go for what’s smart. Build a plan that makes life easier, not harder—one that works in the real world, not just on spreadsheets. One that keeps your team healthy, motivated, and glad they chose to work with you.
Need help designing something better? The Benefit Doctor helps companies stop settling and start winning. Let’s build a benefits package that works as hard as your team does.