How to Connect Restaurant Workers to Health Insurance

Going to the doctor when you feel unwell and accessing preventative care to keep yourself healthy is something that shouldn’t be out of reach for anyone. 

But in Toast’s 2019 success report, only 31% of surveyed respondents said they offered health insurance to their restaurant employees. The workers that power this industry deserve better. 

The 2021 Staffing Crisis

Across the country, many restaurant employees have left the industry, as they’re no longer willing to work for sub-par pay with no benefits, and even less so during an ongoing pandemic. 

As a result, restaurants are now having a hard time filling positions, and many are considering shaking up their business models by raising prices in order to provide meaningful benefits and stay competitive.

Read on to learn how you can take the important step in creating a better, sustainable work environment by offering restaurant employees a resource to connect them to health coverage.

How Restaurant Employees Can Find Health Insurance

Toast has recently partnered with a company called HealthSherpa* to make it easier for restaurant employees to find a health insurance plan for themselves and their families.

HealthSherpa and its Consumer Advocate team are well versed in the nuances of health care enrollment and can provide customized support, all through a user-friendly interface. HealthSherpa is a certified enrollment partner of Healthcare.gov and offers access to the plans and prices available on Healthcare.gov.

Reachable by phone, email, and online chat, HealthSherpa’s Consumer Advocate team is available year-round, to help answer any questions and provide guidance in choosing and/or enrolling in a health plan. Restaurant employees can visit Toast.HealthSherpa.com to learn more about the options available in their area or to speak to a member of Health Sherpa’s Consumer Advocate team. 

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, was enacted to ensure more people have access to affordable and comprehensive health coverage. One key part of the Affordable Care Act was the creation of the Health Insurance Marketplace, or Healthcare.gov. Through the Health Insurance Marketplace, anyone can compare and shop to find a health insurance plan, find out if they qualify for any subsidies to reduce their costs, and see if they are eligible for Medicaid (free or low-cost care through a joint partnership between the federal government and states).

How does it work?

For restaurant owners, offering traditional, employer-sponsored health insurance can be prohibitively expensive and can often be quite a financial hurdle to overcome. According to a 2021 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average annual costs for health insurance for small businesses were:

• $7,739 for single coverage, of which employers contributed $6,440, or 83%.
• $22,221 for family coverage, of which employers contributed $16,253 or 73%

The Health Insurance Marketplace is an alternative to employer-sponsored coverage, allowing restaurant employees to enroll directly into one of the offered health plans. That’s why Toast and HealthSherpa have teamed up to make the process of finding health insurance simple and user friendly. 

Restaurant employees can visit Toast.HealthSherpa.com to enroll in a health insurance plan that comes at no cost to the employer.

Benefits of Using HealthSherpa+Toast

The Health Insurance Marketplace can be overwhelming to navigate through alone. 

With HealthSherpa, people can simply enter their zip code, age (including those of other household members), and estimated household income to view the plans that are available and what they will cost, in minutes. HealthSherpa’s user-friendly experience is very simple and makes it easy to enroll in health insurance; the application process can take as little as 10 minutes.

Start Offering Access to Health Benefits Today*

Restaurant employees' health is the number one priority in creating a safe and healthy work environment. As an employer, here are the steps you can take to connect your employees to health insurance and ensure they have quality coverage:

1. Share relevant resources amongst restaurant employees such as flyers and emails.
2. Ensure employees are aware of the Marketplace Open Enrollment dates. You can visit this article here for more information regarding the important deadlines for each state.
3. Encourage employees to visit Toast.HealthSherpa.com to run a quote and review their options, or have them call (855) 458-1122 to speak to a member of the Consumer Advocate team.

*Health insurance services offered by HealthSherpa Insurance Agency.