BEACON Insurance hosted a seminar on Thursday September 26th to introduce its ‘B2B’ (Business to Business) Plan to small business owners. This seminar was held at the Harbor Club in Rodney Bay. Joralia S. Louis, Branch Manager of Beacon Insurance Saint Lucia, stated that the B2B Plan, which is a group medical plan, was specially developed for small businesses which would not qualify for bigger corporate plans. The small group health plan caters for groups from the size of three to thirty-five.
Gilbertha Stoddard, Assistant Branch Manager of Beacon Insurance, was also present at the seminar. During her presentation Gilbertha emphasised that it was in the best interest of employers to ensure that employees were happy on the assertion that happy employees lead to happy shareholders. In quoting Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin Atlantic, she said, “Clients do not come first… employees come first; and if you take care of your employees they will take care of your clients.” She highlighted that the best way for employers to achieve this was by taking an interest in the health of their employees and their respective families.
She affirmed that Beacon’s Employee Benefits Program, which caters to a wide variety of businesses, can give employers the cutting edge in attracting desired talents to their companies. She stated that Beacon was targeting small businesses because they play a major part in contributing to the health and welfare of their employees, and that the group health insurance will protect employees from the high cost of healthcare and will encourage them to be more health conscious on account that the cost of their medical has been spread among an entire group.
Gilbertha reported that stroke was the leading cause of death in Saint Lucia, followed by ischemic heart disease and diabetes. She stressed that the cost of dealing with any of these medical conditions could be astronomical for some people. She emphasised that medical services from private institutions would be unaffordable for many who do not have the assistance of medical insurance. Some of the medical conditions covered by Beacon Insurance include Alzheimer’s disease, brain tumours, kidney failure and major organ transplants.
Gilbertha stated that employers lose millions of dollars in revenue as a result of the consequence of sick employees. She remarked that people are becoming more seriously ill due to the fact that they avoid the high costs which are associated with preventative healthcare. She said, “Having medical insurance and making use of the preventative aspect of it, such as dental screening, vision care and doctors’ visits, catches conditions before they can become even more expensive. Regular trips to the dentist for example, will catch a cavity before it becomes an expensive problem.”
The business owners who were in attendance at the Beacon Insurance B2B Seminar were provided with a detailed presentation that highlighted the guidelines for selecting the appropriate healthcare insurance option for their companies. She said that plans can be tailored to meet the specific needs of employers depending on the nature of their business. Macheatha Peter, an employee of Beacon Insurance, in the Vote of Thanks, said to attendees of the seminar, “Your health is an investment, not an expense.”
