What to Offer Employees When Health Insurance Is Too Expensive

If you own a construction, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, or other trade business, you probably already know the problem: employees need access to healthcare, but traditional health insurance can feel completely out of reach.

You want to take care of your crew. You want to offer something meaningful. But when premiums, deductibles, participation requirements, and employer contributions get too expensive, many small business owners feel stuck.

The truth is, you are not alone.

Employer-sponsored health insurance continues to rise in cost. In 2025, the average annual premium for employer-sponsored coverage was $9,325 for single coverage and $26,993 for family coverage, according to KFF’s Employer Health Benefits Survey. Workers contributed an average of $6,850 toward family coverage alone.

For many small trade companies, those numbers simply do not work.

And when employees are choosing between paying bills, feeding their families, and going to the doctor, healthcare often gets pushed to the bottom of the list.

That is why business owners need to start thinking differently.

The Problem Is Not That Owners Do Not Care

Most small business owners are not avoiding benefits because they do not care about their employees. In fact, it is usually the opposite.

Many owners deeply care about their teams. These are the people showing up before sunrise, working in extreme heat, crawling through attics, climbing ladders, fixing urgent problems, and helping keep the business running.

The issue is that traditional health insurance was not built with every small business in mind.

For a company with 5, 10, 20, or even 50 employees, group insurance can become complicated quickly. Some employees may not enroll because the paycheck deduction is too high. Others may already be covered through a spouse. Some may be part-time, seasonal, or 1099 contractors. And if only a few people enroll, the plan may not feel worth the cost or administrative burden.

That leaves many business owners asking: “What can I offer if I cannot afford traditional health insurance?”

The answer is: more than you may think.

Start With the Real Need: Access to Care

When business owners think about healthcare benefits, they often immediately think about insurance.

But employees do not wake up thinking, “I need an insurance product.”

They think: “My kid is sick.” “My back hurts.” “I need a prescription.” “I cannot afford urgent care.” “I do not have time to sit in a waiting room.” “I need someone to help me figure out where to go.”

That is the real problem to solve.

If traditional insurance is too expensive, the next best step is to offer employees practical access to healthcare services they can actually use.

This may include telemedicine, virtual urgent care, prescription savings, behavioral health support, dermatology access, lab savings, imaging savings, medical bill negotiation, and healthcare navigation or concierge support.

These services do not replace major medical insurance, and they should not be presented that way. But they can give employees a starting point for care — especially for everyday needs that often get ignored until they become bigger and more expensive problems.

Why “Something” Can Be Better Than Nothing

Some employers hesitate to offer a healthcare alternative because they worry it is not enough.

That is understandable. But here is the honest question: Is it better for employees to have no support at all?

For many small businesses, the realistic choice may not be between a rich insurance plan and a healthcare access program. The real choice may be between offering nothing or offering something employees can use when they need help.

That “something” can matter.

If an employee can talk to a provider virtually instead of missing half a day of work, that matters.

If a parent can get help for a child’s basic illness without paying urgent care prices, that matters.

If a worker can access behavioral health support during a stressful season, that matters.

If someone can ask for help understanding a bill or finding a better price for imaging, that matters.

No, this is not the same as comprehensive health insurance. But for employees who cannot afford traditional coverage or do not have access to it, practical healthcare access can still provide real value.

Think About the Employees Who Decline Coverage

One of the biggest gaps for small businesses is the employee who declines group health insurance because it is too expensive.

That employee may technically have been “offered” coverage, but if they cannot afford the premium or deductible, they may still function as if they are uninsured.

This happens often in industries where employees are hourly, have families to support, or are already stretched financially.

From the employer’s perspective, this creates a difficult situation. You may be offering insurance, but a portion of your workforce still does not have practical access to care.

That is where a virtual healthcare or healthcare access bundle can help fill the gap.

It gives employers a way to support employees who decline insurance, employees waiting for coverage to begin, part-time employees, seasonal employees, 1099 contractors, families who need basic healthcare access, and crews who need fast, convenient care options.

Again, the goal is not to pretend this is insurance. The goal is to provide a responsible, affordable layer of healthcare access.

This Matters for Retention, Too

The construction and trades industries are still facing labor pressure. Associated Builders and Contractors projected that the construction industry needed to attract 439,000 net new workers in 2025 to meet demand.

That means good workers have options.

A small business may not always be able to compete with a large company’s full benefits package. But that does not mean you cannot compete at all.

Employees notice when an employer is trying.

A practical healthcare benefit says: “We care about you.” “We know healthcare is expensive.” “We want you to have access to help.” “We are trying to offer something useful, even if traditional insurance is not realistic.”

For many workers, that can make a difference.

Benefits do not always have to be the most expensive option to be meaningful. They need to be understandable, accessible, and useful.

What Should Small Employers Look For?

If you are considering a healthcare option outside of traditional insurance, look for something simple.

A good solution should be easy to explain, affordable for the business, affordable for employees if employee-paid, available to families, simple to enroll in, useful for everyday healthcare needs, clear that it is not insurance, and supported by real people who can answer questions.

Avoid anything that feels confusing, overpromised, or hard to use.

Your employees should not need a 30-page packet to understand the benefit. If the average field worker cannot understand it quickly, they probably will not use it.

A Practical Option for Trade Businesses

For construction and trade companies, virtual healthcare access can be a practical place to start.

Your employees are busy. They may be on job sites, in trucks, working long hours, or trying to avoid missing paid time. Many do not want to sit in an urgent care waiting room for something that could potentially be handled faster.

Virtual care can help with everyday needs like common illnesses, minor concerns, prescription support when appropriate, and basic care guidance. Additional services such as dermatology, behavioral health, prescription savings, labs, imaging support, and healthcare concierge services can add even more value.

This type of benefit can be especially helpful for companies that cannot afford group health insurance, have low participation in their group plan, employ hourly workers, work with 1099 contractors, want to offer something simple and affordable, or need a benefit employees can actually use.

The Bottom Line

If health insurance is too expensive, doing nothing is not the only option.

Small business owners can still support employees by offering responsible access to healthcare services that are affordable, simple, and practical.

Traditional insurance may not be realistic for every company. But helping employees get care, ask questions, save time, and avoid unnecessary healthcare confusion is still possible.

At Legacy Healthcare Solutions, we help businesses offer healthcare access that is simple, affordable, and useful.

It is responsible access to healthcare. Not insurance.

If you own a construction, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, or trade business and want to offer your team something meaningful, we would be happy to help you explore what that could look like.