Health care is undergoing a radical change as the implementation of the Affordable Care Act transforms access to insurance coverage, while the cost of health care continues to grow. One study estimates that about 90% of workers at S&P 500 companies who currently receive insurance through their workplaces will enter government exchanges by 2020, according to S&P Capital IQ. That could end up saving the biggest U.S. companies nearly $700 billion between 2016 and 2025, the S&P researchers found.
The move parallels that of retirement plans over the last several decades and could signal a sea-change: Workers could one day manage their own health insurance like they do their 401(k) plans, with only a defined contribution from their employer.
Against this backdrop, it’s all the more surprising to find major corporations that are still willing (and able) to cover 100% of their employee’s healthcare premiums. Some companies like Nugget Market have fought hard to maintain the benefit, while others, like Ultimate Software, feel that it ends up helping the bottom line. All 11 of the companies agree that taking care of their employees is central to running a good business.
Kimley-Horn and Associates
What the company offers: Covers 100% of an employee's healthcare premium and 90% of his or her dependents' premiums. Employees have the option to upgrade their plan for partial premium coverage. Includes dental, vision, prescription drug subsidy and access to mental health care.
Domestic partner coverage? Yes, for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples.
Part-time eligibility?: The company covers 92% of a part-time employee's healthcare premium when he or she works at least 30 hours a week.
What the company has to say about the benefit:
"We like to communicate to our employees that this is a great place to spend a career," said Barry Barber, the executive vice president of human resources at Kimley-Horn. "It's just one more example of why this is a great place to be, and we believe shows employees that we we're a company that's really looking out for them and their families."
See the other perks at Kimley-Horn on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
Arthrex
What the company offers: Covers 100% of an employee's healthcare premium and 50% of his or her dependents' premiums. Includes dental, vision, prescription drug subsidy and access to mental health care.
Domestic partner coverage? No.
Part-time eligibility?: The company covers part-time employees' premiums when they work at least 29 hours a week.
Special perks: Arthrex has an on-site medical clinic with a staff of 12 that's free for all employees and their dependents. Includes a small pharmacy. The clinic operates as both a primary and urgent care outlet.
What the company has to say about the benefit:
"It's something we've always done. It goes along with our culture and family atmosphere here," said Lindsay Horne, who manages Arthrex's compensation and benefits. "Our mission is helping surgeons treat their patients better, likewise we want to help treat our employees better. We see that as a spinoff of our mission."
See the other perks at Arthrex on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
Ultimate Software
What the company offers: Covers 100% of an employee's healthcare premium and 100% of his or her dependents' premiums. Includes dental, vision, prescription drug subsidy and access to mental health care.
Domestic partner coverage? Yes, for same-sex couples only.
Part-time eligibility?: No.
What the company has to say about the benefit:
"Our CEO did this from the beginning. There were several times along the way after we became a public company that he was questioned on the policy, but he stuck by it," said Linda Miller, the executive of public relations for Ultimate Software. "It's a high ticket item for the company, but he has always strongly believed that it's the quality of the talent that you hire and their commitment that ultimately results in the quality of our products and services. He wants to take care of the employees, but he also knows it's a huge benefit to the company in how the employees feel."
See the other perks at Ultimate Software on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
Perkins Coie
What the company offers: Covers 100% of an employee's healthcare premium and 50% of his or her dependents' premiums. Includes dental, vision, prescription drug subsidy and access to mental health care.
Domestic partner coverage? Yes, for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples.
Part-time eligibility?: The company covers 80% of part-time employees' premiums when they work at least 19 hours a week.
Special perks: Coverage includes fertility treatments.
What the company has to say about the benefit: "It's part of our overall strategy. Our culture and our people are significantly important to us," said Darrin Emerick, chief personnel officer for Perkins Coie. "While the partners and attorneys generally make higher salaries, we want to treat everyone fairly. By providing low-cost healthcare, we're able to equate fairness with our benefit programs. Everyone should feel they have the ability to afford their healthcare."
See the other perks at Perkins Coie on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
FactSet Research Systems
What the company offers: Covers 100% of an employee's healthcare premium and 100% of his or her dependents' premiums. Includes dental, vision, prescription drug subsidy and access to mental health care.
Domestic partner coverage? Yes, for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples.
Part-time eligibility?: The company covers 100% of part-time employees' premiums when they work at least 30 hours a week.
Special perks: Coverage includes fertility treatments.
What the company has to say about the benefit: "FactSet realizes it needs to support employees not only in the work environment but also at home and in the communities where they live," said Jennifer Passeck, a lead recruiting specialist for FactSet. "When employees feel they're part of a team that cares for them and values them as individuals, it creates an appreciation for what's offered and a desire to make their team proud."
See the other perks at FactSet on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
Zappos.com
What the company offers: Covers 100% of an employee's healthcare premium and 71% of his or her dependents' premiums. Includes dental, vision, prescription drug subsidy and access to mental health care.
Domestic partner coverage? Yes, for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples.
Part-time eligibility?: No.
Special perks: Coverage includes fertility treatments and access to a doctor anytime via phone or Skype.
What the company has to say about the benefit: "One of Zappos’ driving principles ties back to our first core value – delivering WOW through service. In order to make our customers happy, we first have to make sure that our employees are happy," said Bhawna Provenzano, senior manager of benefits and wellness at Zappos. "The decision to offer full comprehensive coverage to our employees stems from that principle and has been that way for a very long time."
See the other perks at Zappos on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
Activision Blizzard
What the company offers: Covers 100% of an employee's healthcare premium and 80% of his or her dependents' premiums. Includes dental, vision, prescription drug subsidy and access to mental health care.
Domestic partner coverage? Yes, for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples.
Part-time eligibility?: The company covers 100% of part-time employees' premiums when they work at least 30 hours a week.
Special perks: Coverage includes fertility treatments.
What the company has to say about the benefit: "Our core value of 'creativity: find the best way' applies to everything we do, and that includes truly innovating benefits plan designs to accommodate all segments of our population, such as our no-cost plan," said Mary Osako, senior vice president of global communications for Activision. "We’re always looking for new ways to offer tailored and high-tech benefits that adapt to our employees’ needs."
See the other perks at Activision Blizzard on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
NuStar Energy
What the company offers: Covers 100% of an employee's healthcare premium and 100% of his or her dependents' premiums. Includes dental, vision, prescription drug subsidy and access to mental health care.
Domestic partner coverage? Yes, for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples.
Part-time eligibility?: The company covers 100% of part-time employees' premiums when they work at least 20 hours a week.
Special perks: Company headquarters has an in-house clinic. Free wellness assessments at the clinic and for employees in the field.
What the company has to say about the benefit: "We always say our employees are our No. 1 asset, and this shows that. We really invest in them and provide the best healthcare coverage and wellness benefits," said Mary Rose Brown, chief administrative officer for NuStar Energy. "If you take care the employee, that employee will take care of the business and the unit holders. We've found that to be true in low turnover, lower overtime and lower healthcare costs."
See the other perks at NuStar on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
Nugget Market
What the company offers: Covers 100% of an employee's healthcare premium and 82% of his or her dependents' premiums. Includes dental, vision, prescription drug subsidy and access to mental health care.
Domestic partner coverage? Yes, for same-sex couples only.
Part-time eligibility?: The company covers 100% of part-time employees' premiums when they work at least 22 hours a week.
What the company has to say about the benefit: "It's not cheap, but it's important. We worked really hard to figure out how to continue on with this benefit when everyone around us was cutting back," said Mary Muller, director of human resources for Nugget Market. "We have a company goal of being a world class employer, and for us that means no takeaways. Our associates work hard for us because they know we care about them."
See the other perks at Nugget Market on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
What the company offers: Covers 100% of an employee's healthcare premium and 60% of his or her dependents' premiums. Includes dental, vision, prescription drug subsidy and access to mental health care.
Domestic partner coverage? Yes, for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples.
Part-time eligibility?: No.
Special perks: Coverage includes fertility treatments. The company also has a partnership with a near-by clinic that provides same-day or next-day access to a primary care physician for both employees and partners.
What the company has to say about the benefit: "We believe that great benefits are one differentiator that helps us attract and retain the best and brightest talent," said Laura Brady, director of compensation and benefits at Twitter. "Innovation can only happen at Twitter through the contribution of our employees; our benefits package is one important way that we demonstrate the value we place on those contributions."
See the other perks at Twitter on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
Boston Consulting Group
What the company offers: Covers 100% of an employee's healthcare premium and 100% of his or her dependents' premiums. Includes dental, vision, prescription drug subsidy and access to mental health care.
Domestic partner coverage? Yes, for same-sex couples only.
Part-time eligibility?: The company covers 100% of part-time employees' premiums when they work at least 20 hours a week.
Special perks: Coverage includes fertility treatments.
What the company has to say about the benefit: "We feel strongly that we want to take as much stress of our employees as we possibly can, and healthcare is one easy and obvious way to do that," said Susan Grimbilas, head of HR and operations for the Americas at Boston Consulting Group. "We think its really important for us to be supportive at points we would call moments of truth. Times when you have a baby or get sick or have a spouse that gets sick. The main thing is, this has been part of our core value of employees first."
See the other perks at BCG on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
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