Insurtech Leader Announces New Employer-Paid Insurance Plan Featuring Virtual Primary Health Care, Dental Coverage and Investing Platform Connectivity for Hospitality Sector Employees

DALLAS, Oct. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Insurance Applications Group, Inc. (IAG), a leading Insurtech company specializing in proprietary employee benefit products and administrative technologies for the hotel, restaurant, temporary employment, and other high-turnover industries today announced the launch of HospitalityCARE VPC (Virtual Primary Care), an employer-paid health care service and insurance bundle that couples PlushCare, the leading primary care telemedicine platform, with medical and dental insurance benefits for the hospitality industry. HospitalityCARE VPC is designed for companies seeking to recruit and retain new employees amid the current, unprecedented labor shortage.

"This August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported there were 10.5 million job openings in the US with 8.4 million unemployed workers. This unprecedented situation poses a significant recruiting challenge for businesses in the hotel and restaurant industries" said IAG Founder and CEO J. Marshall Dye. "The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average hospitality industry employee works 26.12 hours per week. With an employer cost of $25 per week, businesses can provide a powerful recruiting and retention tool for less than $1 per worker hour on average. Employers will now be able to provide high quality, tech-enabled health care along with access to financial tools that help employees build a healthier and more stable financial future, elevating the Employee Experience."

According to Willis Towers Watson's 2021 Employee Experience (EX) Survey, "…the pandemic created an Employee Experience stress test as employers deployed a range of actions, including restructuring, cutting pay and benefits, and adopting a flexible work model in response to the crisis. These actions took a significant toll on people and business with declines in productivity, engagement and well-being, among other things, at many organizations." As a result, their recent survey found 92% of organizations were "prioritizing Employee Experience enhancements over the next three years." 

"With a growing number of COVID variants increasing worker reluctance to go to a physical doctor's office, HospitalityCARE VPC's integration of virtual primary care leader PlushCare equips employers with a timely, much needed competitive advantage. The HospitalityCARE VPC program and app allow employers to deliver a highly-valued Employee Experience that will help hospitality organizations to recruit and retain their market's top talent in today's challenging hiring environment," stated Dye.

The HospitalityCARE VPC plan is comprised of the following services and insurance coverages:

Virtual Primary Care
PlushCare, now a part of Accolade, offers virtual primary care services in all 50 states, providing access to same-day visits with best-in-class doctors through HospitalityCARE VPC's mobile benefit application. Unlike legacy telemedicine services where members are randomly connected to any available contract doctor, PlushCare provides repeat access to the same, dedicated virtual primary care physician. PlushCare's physicians can treat a wide range of chronic conditions while providing the full primary care experience, including prescriptions, lab orders, and specialist referrals. 

At the member's discretion, their personal PlushCare physician can be granted access to the member's health records, providing an even higher level of consistent medical care. In addition to virtual primary care physicians, members will have 24/7 virtual connectivity to a care team of nurses and care coordinators that support them between doctors visits via unlimited text messaging. 

Virtual primary care visits and care team member communications are paid for by the plan's fully insured benefits.

Mental Health
"COVID has created an increase in mental health needs for our clients' associates across the country. A surprising statistic is that primary care providers prescribe 79% of antidepressant medications, and see 60% of people being treated for depression*. Virtual access to PlushCare primary care physicians for the treatment of depression and anxiety enhances the mental health benefits provided by HospitalityCARE VPC," Dye continued. 

HospitalityCARE VPC provides insured benefits for in-person doctor's office visits, as well as emergency room and urgent care visits. The plan also pays benefits for x-rays, lab work, prescription drugs and a lengthy list of out-patient and in-patient services.

Prescription Drugs
HospitalityCARE VPC includes insurance coverage for both generic and name brand prescription drugs.

Dental Insurance
HospitalityCARE VPC includes comprehensive dental insurance that provides coverage for a full range of dental procedures and treatments. 

Investing and Retirement 
One-click access to the highest rated investment apps to enable the employee to establish an account to receive a potential signing bonus or other financial incentives that may be offered by the employer. 

To learn more about HospitalityCARE VPC please visit www.hospitalitycare.com or call 855-712-4133.

About Insurance Applications Group, Inc.
Insurance Applications Group, Inc. (IAG) with headquarters in Dallas, TX and Greenville, SC is an insurance technology company specializing in innovative technology and proprietary product solutions for specific vertical markets including the Hospitality, Staffing, and Medical Services industries. IAG has developed a proprietary API and Multi-Tenant Architecture, providing benefit platform integration solutions for Recruiting and Onboarding Systems, Payroll Service Providers, HCM/HRIS Platforms, and HR Technology Aggregators. IAG provides ACA-compliant health plans and supplemental employee benefits to over 2,500 client companies across the US and enrolls over 750,000 employees in its benefit plans annually. 

Insurance Applications Group Inc. is a 10-time recipient of the National Association of Underwriters (NAHU) Soaring Eagle Award which recognizes health insurance companies and executives for achieving exceptional professional knowledge and demonstrating outstanding client service, IAG's leadership has received 7-time recognition as a Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) "Top of the Table" member which places them at the top of professionals in the life insurance and global financial services industry. IAG has made the Inc. 500/5000 list of fastest growing private companies 6 times.

For more information visit www.iagbenefits.com 

About PlushCare
PlushCare has been pioneering virtual primary care since 2014 with a model that drives value. They improve access to affordable primary care, improve prevention and chronic condition management, and reduce low-value care. Their top-rated physicians provide longitudinal care in collaboration with a multidisciplinary care team, enabling patients to build trusted relationships for ongoing virtual care. In June of 2021, PlushCare was acquired by Accolade (Nasdaq: ACCD), the company that works with employers to deliver healthcare and healthcare navigation services to their employees. According to CEO, Rajeev Singh, Accolade acquired PlushCare "because of their purpose-built technology stack designed for primary care, for their incredibly talented physicians and sky-high customer satisfaction ratings, and for their mission driven management team that built an incredible company from scratch" For more information visit www.PlushCare.com or www.Accolade.com.

*Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine

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SOURCE Insurance Applications Group, Inc.