We launched  a new partnership with Premera to start building a new set of health insurance plans designed specifically for the needs of the tech industry, a move away from a one-size-fits-all solution offered by other industry and professional associations. These plans incorporate technologies such as Teladoc and other mobile apps that tech workers want.

I’ve interviewed hundreds of small and mid-sized tech companies about their staff recruiting and retention challenges since joining the WTIA more than four years ago. Two core messages consistently get reinforced by employers:

1. Access to qualified technical talent is the sector’s number 1 pain point. After salaries and equity based compensation, a differentiated and comprehensive health insurance plan is the best “tool” we have to attract and retain qualified talent.
2. Why does our health insurance cost increase substantially every year, but the actual service we receive isn’t different?”

That’s why I’m very excited to announce that after two years of exploring solutions, we are now going to start delivering a Healthcare Plan that serves our industry.

It starts today. We have launched a new partnership with Premera Blue Cross  as the primary medical insurance provider for our WTIA Health Insurance Plan. We can now offer new services including Telemedicine, better doctor and pharmacy coverage at a reasonable cost, and a free onsite health assessment for employees.

That’s just the very beginning. We’ve know about your requests for integrating wearable technologies, an emphasis on preventive care, using mobile apps for selecting and communicating with care providers, using online reviews to evaluate medical facilities, and rational, logical pricing of procedures, etc.

The WTIA Employee Benefits team is building those new services and plans. This will allow small and medium-sized WTIA Member Companies to compete more effectively for the  best tech talent in the world.

We chose to work with Premera because of their commitment to designing custom insurance plans that meet the needs of tech employees. Premera isn’t just making promises – they have the experience of serving of leading tech employers like Microsoft, F5 Networks and Tableau. Watch the video to see why we chose Premera – and why they chose WTIA.

If you could design your dream Employee Benefits package, what would you want in it? Please tell me—send me an email today.