Dear brokers: You're ignoring a huge segment of non-benefited employees during open enrollment and, in the process, you're leaving thousands of revenue dollars for yourself on the table. Direct primary care has become a key enrollment strategy to fill the non-benefited gap. If you're new to this conversation, the good news is that direct primary care is an easy sell. Employees need it to fill their gaps in coverage, and employers are surprised at how affordable it is.

The rise of the gig economy, coinciding with increased regulations for full-time employees, means nearly every U.S. industry employs a substantial amount of part-time and contract workers. Brokers have historically overlooked these employees because they don't qualify for traditional employer health insurance coverage.

According to an analysis of U.S. Bureau and Labor Statistics by career website Zippia, about half of construction workers are uninsured, as well as more than 30 percent of restaurant workers. Drivers, nurses and retail workers often fall into this "others" area, as do dozens of other occupations. Consider that, out of the employers you're serving, you're now ignoring 30 percent, 40 percent, even 50 percent of their workforces' needs.

What if, during this enrollment season, you consider this vast segment of employees on the fringes? What if you offered ways for employers to bring them into the fold with low-cost benefits that keep them happy and healthy? Direct primary care is making it happen, but education is still needed regarding this emerging trend and how brokers can leverage it to enroll non-benefited employees, in particular.

First, understand what it is

Direct primary care isn't insurance. Instead, it's a health care membership that can be offered as a standalone benefit or used to supplement high-deductible health plans and catastrophic plans by providing affordable, fixed-cost access to day-to-day services like primary care, telehealth and prescriptions.

As insurance rates increase (they're expected to climb another 5 percent next year, according to the Nation Business Group on Health), employers are being forced to move to plans with higher deductibles. Direct primary care can bridge employee expenses to meet these high deductibles. Now here's the magic: With its low cost and low barrier to entry, those same direct primary care plans can be offered to part-time and other non-benefited employees.

Then, discover who needs it

Restaurant workers, drivers, nurses and retail workers have already been mentioned as occupations with high levels of non-benefited employees. Ask the right questions, and you'll find that most employers have similar groups of non-benefited employees who would embrace a direct primary care offering. Only, you might need to dig a little deeper to find them.

Compare an employer's total number of workers with the number of workers you're currently covering (or are considering covering). What about the "others"? Why aren't they offered health benefits? You might find the actual employee population you can serve with that employer is double the original amount you thought it was.

Remember to think creatively. What about unions? Many have collective bargaining agreements that require benefits even though some members may work part-time or hold down several jobs. Direct primary care can be offered to these members, giving them a valuable and transferable benefit that they can utilize for their day-to-day care.

Next, educate those employers

Employers may have a vague idea that direct primary care exists, but they don't understand why they should take advantage of it. Many assume it's too expensive or that there's no value in introducing new benefits to employees who've never received them before.

Those assumptions can be highly detrimental to business.

Consider the many studies on employee recruitment, retention, and workplace wellness. Talented part-time and other non-benefited employees are highly valuable and can be lured away by better perks just as easily as full-time employees. There is also a real and measurable business value that results from encouraging employee utilization of preventative and easy-to-access medical care, so illnesses and injuries don't derail an otherwise uninsured workforce.

Employers with a significant number of non-benefited employees need to understand that there's actual business value to offering gap coverage like direct primary care. The opportunity to do so is ever-expanding as insurance premiums and deductibles increase, and as fewer individuals choose to participate in the health insurance marketplace.

Finally, don't overcomplicate it

Traditional health insurance is anything but transparent and easy to understand. The White House even acknowledges that and is taking a stab at spearheading change with a recent executive order to improve price and quality transparency in American health care. Direct primary care tackles this issue head-on by being so straightforward it can be disarming for brokers and employers alike.

Qualifying for direct primary care offerings can be as simple as having at least 10 enrollees, and the cost can be as low as $45 per employee per month. By design, these plans eliminate claims, pre-existing conditions, and other complications. The reason they work isn't because of smoke and mirrors (as one could argue has been the key to success for the big insurance companies), but because they can fulfill a critical need for non-benefited individuals, those who employ them, and even the health care providers who provide the services. It can be as simple as that.

There's not a loser in the direct primary care world. The employer can attract and retain great talent without a huge expense, employees get something tangible that helps them stay healthy at a fixed cost, and brokers have a gap coverage product that can start paying off right away to help fund open enrollment. That's why direct primary care is becoming the thing to watch this open enrollment season. However, just like anything new to the scene, those who take the time to understand the concept and learn how to leverage it will have the leg up.

Andy Bonner is the CEO and co-founder of Healthcare2U, a nationwide, integrated direct primary care organization.

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DPC brings non-benefited employees into the fold

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