Author: Debra Farmer, Vice President

In recent years, mental wellness slowly became a more a prominent issue in the healthcare space, which made employers and employees prioritize the availability of mental health resources in benefits packages.  The onset of COVID-19 in 2020 came with a lot of emotional hardship for many people and fully brought the need for additional mental health resources to the forefront of conversations on wellbeing.

This is why many employers are now evaluating their Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Most life or disability plans will include a free but limited EAP benefit, which is considered an embedded EAP plan.  However, does the embedded EAP benefit include the level of support, resources, and face to face visits needed to accommodate the current needs of your workforce?

There are standalone vendors that will provide an EAP benefit to employees with no limit on the number of visits they provide. These plans may also offer more bells and whistles than a standard embedded plan. Typically, the cost of an EAP plan with an increase in face-to-face visits or even unlimited visits is minimal. It might also be worth speaking to your embedded EAP provider to see if their contract would allow for enhancements to your existing plan so that the EAP benefits you offer to your employees are as robust as they should be for their needs.

Burnham’s team of experts can help you assess the difference in cost and the varying levels of benefits offered through a standalone EAP compared to embedded. Your employees and their family members will strongly value and appreciate increased access to a plan with bolstered services and support. While the price differential for improving you EAP benefit is likely to be minimal, the returns you’ll see in the wellbeing of your employees is priceless.

The summer may be a good time to do a evaluate EAP options in the market before the renewal cycle begins, which might also be an opportunity to fine tune a plan you’ve had for years. Don’t wait until it’s too late, and contact us today if you have any questions on how we can help.

For Additional Assistance
Reach out to your Burnham team for any questions or email us at inquiries@burnhambenefits.com.