“When employees get sick, businesses suffer.” Responsible business owners know that before anything else, they need to take care of their people first – such is the case in a perfect world.
However, for startups, small, and medium-sized enterprises that have taken a hit and are struggling to stay afloat amid a pandemic, doing the right thing for their employees while providing goods and services for their customers can be expensive, if impractical.
Marvin Agustin, a restaurateur, revealed his utmost concern during the pandemic is the safety of his staff, recognizing that his business will not survive if his employees are sick.
“The threat of COVID is serious. Isa sa mga unang unang dapat alagaan and pay attention to [is] the safety of everyone. We won’t be able to operate if people, your employees and your staff, would get sick, and also [it is] not safe for the customers,” he said.
Like many entrepreneurs, Agustin was also wary about the expenses in ensuring his employees’ safety, not until he was made aware of the SME healthcare plans of Maxicare, for which he is the brand ambassador.
“I’ll be honest, before this partnership with Maxicare, even for myself natatakot ako kasi parang extra gastos,” he related. “But you know, hearing and learning about Maxicare’s SME plans, they just made it convenient and affordable at hindi ka na magdadalawang isip na kumuha nito.”
“They made it within reach para magkaroon ka nito para sa sarili mo, para sa kumpanya mo, at para sa mga empleyado mo. You don’t need to worry about kung magkano gagastusin mo, o kung meron ka mang protection kapag nagkasakit ka,” he added.
Medical insurance provider Maxicare offers SME healthcare plans for entrepreneurs looking for affordable and quality healthcare they can provide to their employees.
Milky Gallegos, assistant vice president of consumer marketing at Maxicare, reassures small entrepreneurs that investing in HMOs for their employees is the smarter choice.
“Recently, we conducted a study among hundreds of employees across the country, and it turns out that SMEs – those who don’t invest in HMO – spend an average of P21,600 per employee per year on healthcare expenses. This is on top of payroll and expenses such as cash advance or pautang whenever an employee or an employee’s family member gets sick. It’s a significant amount!”
Gallegos continued, “Investing in Maxicare SME healthcare plans not only gives your employees access to quality healthcare, but also protects your business from unplanned expenses. It really is an investment for the employees and the business itself.”
Maxicare SME healthcare plans start as low as P4,600 to P6,000 per employee per year, depending on the size of the business.
The healthcare plans include: Maxicare Plus (for small businesses with 10-99 employees), Maxicare Starter Plan (for micro businesses with 3-9 employees), Maxicare Business Essential (most affordable with outpatient options), and Care Program or an Outpatient Care + Confinement Care HMO program (for companies with 3-99 employees).
The healthcare plans, according to Gallegos, also cover pandemic-related diseases.
Go to maxicare.com.ph or email customercare @maxicare.com.ph for more information.
