Vision
Promoting Vision as the Good News Benefit in a Tough Economy
By Patrick Tibbs

Vision is something we sometimes take for granted, but, it affects just about everything we do. When we don’t see well, we don’t feel well and can’t perform our best. We might have trouble reading our computer screens or suffer from eyestrain and fatigue or headaches – and vice versa, when we don’t feel well, we also might not see well. That’s because eye and overall health are integrally connected. Many conditions that affect our bodies can also affect our eyes.

The economy is forcing employers to do more with less. Words like “belt tightening” are pretty common and most employers are looking to cut corners in order to maintain their budgets.
A reflexive reaction on the part of some employers might be to cut employee benefits. However, employers should be advised that cutting their vision benefit is not the answer.

In fact, vision is an important benefit to have, especially in light of the tough economy. Offering this benefit can be a nice way to counter all the negativity as plan sponsors trim costs in core employee programs. With vision, you can offer your HR customers an added benefit at little cost to them or their employees. The annual cost per employee spent on a premium vision benefit is, on average, only $60 to $96, compared to $4,256 for medical premiums. Yet for a small investment, your HR customers are getting a great value. That’s because today’s eye care and eyewear options can help them trim healthcare costs, increase employee productivity, and boost employee satisfaction.

I recently attended Transitions Academy, a well-established educational business-building event sponsored by Transitions Optical Inc., the maker of the #1 doctor-recommended photochromic eyeglass lens. The annual event draws in about 1,400 optical industry professionals from around the world and includes a managed vision care track. This program provides content on the value of vision care and vision wear through a vision benefit, for vision plan providers and their broker customers. This year, the track featured seminars by an ophthalmologist and a principal from Mercer, from which we learned about the disease management aspect of vision care and key trends affecting the vision benefit arena.

The presentation on disease management really got us thinking. While most of us recognize that the eye exam is valuable for ensuring employees are seeing their best and to catch eye disease early, I think many of us were in the dark about the ability of the eye exam to serve as a touch point to understand an employee’s overall health. We also didn’t realize that so many systemic diseases affect vision, so employees suffering from them need regular care by an eye doctor and the right vision wear to maximize and protect their sight, even more than the average employee.
Diabetes, for example, is the condition probably best known for needing a disease management program. Aside from affecting the body in a multitude of ways, diabetes can lead to the several eye diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy. It can also be detected through an eye exam. Taking into account that the disease cost the U.S $218 billion in 2007, and that half of people with diabetes aren’t aware of it, vision care can significantly cut down costs by providing early detection of diabetes and these eye-related complications. Additionally, UV-blocking eyewear can shield diabetic eyes from the sun, which can contribute to the development of or worsen several eye diseasesPlus, photochromic lenses and anti-reflective coatings can alleviate some of the light sensitivity issues that people with diabetes often experience by minimizing glareGiven these capabilities, a vision benefit holds tremendous value for employees with diabetes and those at risk.

As I learned, hypertension (high blood pressure) is another red-flag condition that, as some of your HR customers may not know, can also affect vision. High blood pressure itself – one of the top health concerns among employers – can lead to a myriad of problems for the body including heart attacks, it also leaves its mark on the economy each year at the tune of $280 billion in medical expenditures and lost economic output It can also cause bleeding in the eye, blurred vision and even blindness.

A separate condition, high pressure inside the eyes, can lead to glaucoma – a severely debilitating eye disease that can slowly rob employees of their sight until there is none left at all. Half of all people with glaucoma don’t even know they have it, making a compelling case for regular eye exams.

Glaucoma and several other eye diseases are age-related and growing at an alarming pace. The increasing number of older employees in the workplace will appreciate a vision benefit that can help them monitor their eye health and maximize their vision to keep up with the younger eyes at the office and keep related healthcare costs in check.

We can’t forget about basic, uncorrected vision either. Even slightly miscorrected vision can decrease employee productivity by up to 20%. Add discomfort from glare and extended computer use into the mix and employers may have a real presenteeism or even absenteeism issue on their hands. A vision benefit can help get employees the lenses and frames they need to help them see their best.

After taking in some of this information at Academy, I and several other benefit brokers from around the country, took part in a panel discussion to brainstorm strategies for promoting vision to our HR customers, so that we can help them understand the eye/overall health connection and how a vision benefit can help their bottom line. We came up with five key strategies that we feel can make a difference:
1. Anecdotal or success stories can really make an impact with your customers, by giving them a real-life example of how a vision benefit serves as a valuable addition to their benefits package. For example, one of the broker panelists shared a story about a seemingly healthy young woman who had an eye exam that revealed a brain aneurysm. This early detection likely saved her life. Sadly, we also hear stories of people who waited too long to get their eyes checked or even see a doctor and were overcome by cancer or another serious illness.

Look into companies that have successfully integrated a vision plan into their workplace. They may have seen an increase in productivity or a decrease in healthcare costs or they may report greater employee satisfaction with their benefits. Make sure you weave these testimonials into your sales calls with new and existing customers.

2. Using educational materials will show your clients that you have done your homework and are making their lives easier by providing them with resources that they can review on their own time and can even share with their employees directly. A few examples of tools that you may find helpful are eye health newsletters, an envelope stuffer, and an in-office poster that employers can share with their employees to get them thinking about making the most of their vision benefit. One resource I refer to quite frequently is the consensus paper from a recent medical advisor roundtable of the National Association of Vision Care Plans, called “Addressing the Need for Education on the Value of Vision Care Plans.” It makes a sound case for:
a) The fact that consumers care about their sight and want to learn more about how to protect it and
b) The urgent need to educate consumers – and HR professionals on the importance of regular eye care and quality vision wear in achieving overall health and wellness.
Brokers can also draw on resources from individual vision plan providers such as a sales sheet or other consumer materials. Do a little leg work and find out about your customer’s workforce demographics. If your client has many older workers or workers who have diabetes, for example, you can bring materials that speak to their specific needs.

3. Make vision part of the healthcare discussion. Take a little time to get to know the vision industry and you’ll find that the vision story fits quite nicely with your customers’ healthcare concerns. If they are worried about absenteeism or presenteeism due to chronic illnesses such as diabetes, explain how vision wear can help their diabetic workers see more comfortably on the job, and how eye exams can help to monitor eye health. Similarly, employees might be concerned about their children’s long-term health. Point out the importance of regular eye exams, and eyewear that protects kids’ eyes from the cumulative damaging effects of UV, or from trauma experienced from sportsDon’t forget to emphasize the low cost of adding vision coverage to a benefits package.

4. Make use of factoids. We work in an industry that loves numbers, and so do your HR customers. There are many statistics available on the personal and economic costs associated with both systemic and eye-related diseases, and the savings that a vision benefit can offerFor instance, employers can gain up to $7 for every $1 invested in a vision benefit, according to The Vision Council.

You can also find a wealth of information about today’s workplace demographics such as the number of people who suffer from a specific eye disease, or need vision correction. Non-profit organizations, such as Prevent Blindness America or the Diabetes Federation of America, have such information readily available.

Finally, you might consider conducting a needs analysis of each employee and bringing that information to enrollment meetings. It’s a little extra time investment that will really show your HR customers your dedication to their healthcare needs.

5. Consider partnering with a local eyecare professional or association to help bring that extra credibility to your sales call. With the angle of, “Well, don’t just take my word from it, listen to the expert,” bring an eyecare professional along to enrollment meetings for your key customers or seek their advice on the current trends in vision care and vision wear. This way, you can provide more educated insights about the products and services in demand that may be covered or discounted in the vision plan you are promoting.

Try partnering with a local branch of the Lion’s Club or one of the national eyecare associations. One of my fellow broker panelists – whose mother suffered vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration – is a member of the Texas chapter of Prevent Blindness America, allowing him to weave that personal connection into his promotion strategies.

Keep in mind that no single approach will work when discussing vision with your customers. It’s critical to tailor your strategies to meet the needs of your clients, and to take into account the greater picture of what’s happening in their markets and around the country. Following up with your clients – ideally a year-round effort – is just as essential, especially in tough economic times when employers’ needs may change more frequently.

We know consumers and employers care about vision, but elevating vision benefits to the level of medical benefits is a key challenge moving forwardWith a little elbow grease, the broker/producer industry can play an essential role in showing employers how a vision plan can bolster their bottom lines in times of both economic uncertainty and stability.
––––––––––
Patrick Tibbs is an agency manager at MMA Employee Benefit Services in Goshen, Indiana. He participated in a recent broker panel discussion about vision benefits at Transitions Academy. Transitions Optical, Inc. is a leading provider of photochromics to optical manufacturers worldwide. The Transitions Healthy Sight Working for You Vision Education Kit provides eye health newsletters, an envelope stuffer on glare and UV, and an in-office poster that employers can share with their employees to get them thinking about making the most of their vision benefit. The kit is available at www.HealthySightWorkingForYou.org, which also houses information on the advantages of a vision benefit that brokers can pull up and share during a sales call.