HELP RECRUIT, RETAIN STAFF BY OFFERING HEALTH BENEFITS THROUGH THE ODA WELLNESS TRUST
The ODA Wellness Trust provides an affordable way for dentists to offer health benefits to their staff.
“Across the United States and in Ohio, many dentists are facing staffing shortages in their office or may be finding it challenging to hire new staff members,” said Dr. Tom Paumier, chair of the ODA Wellness Trust Board. “Offering a health benefits plan like the ODA Wellness Trust is a great way to attract new staff members and retain current staff.”
The ODA Wellness Trust is a private, dentist-owned, self-funded health benefits plan, developed by ODA member dentists for ODA member dentists and their staffs to provide high quality health benefits at affordable rates. The plan is available exclusively to ODA members, their families and their staff members.
“We wanted to offer health insurance for interested members of our team and the ODA plan options were flexible and at reasonable cost,” said Dr. Ewa Byczek, an orthodontist in Dublin. “Today’s employment market is tough and we hope that we offer more benefits than most to attract and retain staff.”
The group requirements of the ODA Wellness Trust were designed to be flexible and fit the needs of smaller dental offices. The ODA Wellness Trust is an employer plan, but no employer contribution is required and participation requirements are some of the most accommodating in the market.
“Our staff had been asking for quality health benefits for quite a while,” said Dr. Rohit Nezhad, a general dentist in Springfield. “As a small business, it is always a priority to take care of the ‘work family.’ This year we were able to offer health insurance and help cover a portion of the premium as a thank you to the staff.”
Even if an employer chooses not to contribute to their employee’s monthly premium, the employer and the employee can still save money because the ODA Wellness Trust plan can be purchased through a payroll deduction and paid with pre-tax dollars. The employee gets a tax break on the monthly costs of at least 15%, and the employer saves the social security matching tax too.
The ODA Wellness Trust is a not-for-profit health benefit plan created by ODA members for ODA members. By joining together with ODA members throughout Ohio, the ODA Wellness Trust gains collective buying power, which allows dentists and employees access to similar pricing and coverage large employers receive. As more members participate, the risk is spread among participants resulting in more stability in rates.
Nezhad said the ODA Wellness Trust is a wonderful benefit of his membership in the ODA and has been very helpful to keep his small business competitive with larger entities.
“The ODA Wellness Trust plan was the most affordable plan I could find,” Nezhad said. “It had plenty of options for our staff whose age ranges from 24-57. The ease of application and support from the ODA was also very helpful.”
The ODA Wellness Trust offers deductible options ranging from $250 to $6,500, allowing an option for all different benefit needs. A majority of the ODA Wellness Trust plans are ranked as “gold” level, meaning that more of the cost sharing belongs to the plan than with other lower valued plans, which place more of the cost share on the member.
The ODA Wellness Trust has partnered with Medical Mutual of Ohio to access its broad health care provider network. Medical Mutual’s SuperMed PPO Network is a statewide network that includes nearly every health care provider in Ohio and 99% of the hospitals.
ODA Services Corp. employees are available to answer questions about the ODA Wellness Trust and help dentists decide which plan is right for their office. They are licensed insurance agents who are salary-based and do not make a commission on sales, so they always have ODA members’ best interests at heart. They provide attentive, responsive customer service and are available to assist participants with any questions or office updates.
Byczek said the ODA Wellness Trust is a benefit of her membership in the ODA because it offers the option of providing a convenient benefit for her team.
“Our office has grown considerably over the last couple of years – and I hope that offering health insurance has helped create a more stable staff,” Byczek said.
For more information about the ODA Wellness Trust, visit www.odawt.org or call an ODA Wellness Trust representative at (800) 282-1526 or email insurance@oda.org.
