When it comes to employee benefits, are you a small business owner seeking to provide your employess with real value they can appreciate, while also actually staying in business and not breaking the bank? There may be a solution!

When surveyed, employees consistently identify health benefits as the most important - which makes sense, of course. Health concerns can get expensive quickly, as we all know.

Low-cost perks like flexible schedules and remote working options can also have a positive impact on employee satisfaction - sometimes more-so than costly benefits.  But health benefits continue to rank at the top.

The cost of traditional health benefits packages can be prohibitive.  As a small business owner, you're competing with larger companies that can offer seemingly lavish perks and comprehensive coverage. However, what you might not realize is that benefits satisfaction often has less to do with the amount spent, and more to do with how well the benefits address employees' actual needs. Eighty-six percent of employees who report satisfaction with their benefits, also report satisfaction with their jobs overall!

Many small business owners are surprised to learn that the Affordable Care Act doesn't actually require businesses with fewer than 50 full-time employees to provide health insurance. This gives smaller companies flexibility in how they approach health benefits, which typically represent the largest portion of benefits spending.

A new program is making it really easy for families to use telemedicine for just $39.99 per month for their entire family (That's not per person; it's per family which includes you, your spouse and up to 6 children aged 25 or under).

Want to discuss your symptoms with a medical professional at two in the morning? Not a problem. Need a prescription called-in or re-filled quickly, without having to waste half of your day waiting in a doctor's office? It can be done.

This convenience helps both your employees and you, since minor issues can be resolved over the phone without employees needing time off for long visits and waiting around in a doctor's office.

Some people are using this telemedicine service as an adjunct to their health insurance. But, while it is not insurance, some who can't afford their own insurance have also found it to be like a saving grace, sparing them tons of time and money whenever they have minor health issues and questions for themselves or their children.

It might sound too good to be true. How do they do it? Well... many people will pay $39.99 and not realize how valuable the service is or, for whatever reason, they just won't use it. But because of this phenomenon, you can take advantage of a valuable resource. This kind of value doesn't come around all the time.

Consider surveying your employees about benefits satisfaction before making major changes. The feedback you receive can reveal which benefits are most valued and identify gaps in your current offerings.

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*NOTE: You do not have to be or have a business in order to join. If not a business, just enter "1" for the number of employees and "n/a" for business name. You will still be able to add your immediate family members (spouse and 6 children under 25).