Hidden Access Gaps in Corporate Health Benefits

Even Strong Benefits Plans Can Miss the Mark 

Corporate health benefits are often built with good intentions — robust medical plans, EAPs, wellness apps, and preventative screenings. But even with comprehensive coverage on paper, many employees still struggle to access the care they need. 

From rural workers without a nearby clinic to hourly employees who can't take time off, access gaps exist in nearly every workforce. And when care is hard to reach, it’s often never reached at all. 

In today’s labor market, where recruitment and retention hinge on employee well-being, it's time to take a closer look at how your benefits stack up, not just in value, but in accessibility. 

Hidden Barriers That Block Access to Care 

Access to care goes far beyond insurance coverage. Even when benefits are technically available, certain employees face practical and persistent roadblocks: 

• Scheduling Conflicts: Hourly workers, night-shift employees, and parents juggling multiple jobs often can’t make it to 9–5 appointments. 

• Location Barriers: Rural employees may live miles from the nearest clinic or mental health provider. 

• Language and Cultural Gaps: For employees whose first language isn’t English, navigating benefits can be confusing and intimidating. 

• Digital Navigation Issues: Some portals are clunky, require complicated login procedures, or rely on multiple apps. For time-strapped workers, that’s enough to abandon a care journey altogether. 

These are the workers who quietly fall through the cracks  and often represent a significant portion of the workforce. 

Why Embedded or “One Size Fits All” Plans Don’t Solve It 

Embedded solutions and EAPs often include access to urgent care or mental health services, but that doesn’t mean employees are using them. 

In fact, a growing number of employers are realizing that these embedded solutions often fail to deliver: 

• Low Utilization: Many employees don’t even know what's included in their plans — or how to access it. 

• Poor UX and Awareness: When services are buried behind login walls or buried in dense onboarding PDFs, utilization drops. 

• Reactive vs. Proactive: These solutions often rely on employees to seek out care, rather than offering meaningful outreach or navigation support. 

This leads to a dangerous cycle: Employees skip care, health issues worsen, and employers pay the price in absenteeism, turnover, and high-cost claims. 

Virtual Care Can Bridge the Gap — But Only if It’s Built Right 

Integrated, $0 virtual care is a powerful solution when it’s designed with real access in mind. 

At First Stop Health, we remove the most common barriers to care by delivering: 

• $0 Visits: No co-pays, bills, or cost confusion. 

• 24/7 Availability: Care is there when employees need it, not just during business hours. 

• Mobile-first Access: Simple, app navigation — no portals or plan logins required. 

• Whole-Person Services: Urgent, primary, and mental health care all in one place. 

And it works. One of our clients in the auto industry with 250+ active members reported 83% combined utilization and $29,550 in healthcare savings by removing access barriers and meeting workers where they are. 

Real Voices, Real Impact 

“The doctor listened, asked my medical history and symptoms I was having. He helped by prescribing an antibiotic to clear up my throat infection. This was so helpful, not only did it, save me the cost of the urgent care visit, it also saved the time” 

— Member, Accommodation Client  

When employees feel empowered to get care, benefits become truly valuable. 

It's Time to Prioritize Access Equity 

As employers look ahead to a new year of benefits planning, the question isn’t just “What are we offering?” — it’s “Who can actually use it?” 

If your corporate health benefits don’t reach hourly, rural, or multilingual employees, you’re leaving value on the table and people without care. 

Learn how First Stop Health improves access for overlooked workers  

• Virtual Primary Care 
• Virtual Mental Health 
• Virtual Wellness Specialist Care 
• Virtual Urgent Care