| $240Annual TSB cost per employee | $300Avg. single urgent care visit | $1,500Average ER visit without insurance | 1,700%+ROI if one departure is prevented |
It is 11pm. The executive director of a 12-person nonprofit is reviewing the budget for next quarter. She has been thinking about adding a healthcare benefit for her team. She opens a spreadsheet, starts to type in the numbers, and then pauses. ‘Is this actually worth it?’ she wonders. ‘Will my team use it? Is this real healthcare or just a number to call?’
These are exactly the right questions. And they deserve honest, specific, data-backed answers. This report answers the $20 question directly.
What $20 Per Month Actually Buys — The Honest Comparison
| Healthcare Need | Without TSB Cost | With TSB Cost | Annual Savings Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urgent care visit for a minor illness | $150–$300 | $0 | $150–300 per incident; 2–3 incidents/year saves $300–900 |
| Mental health therapy (bi-weekly) | $100–200/session | $0 | $2,600–5,200 annually for ongoing support |
| Dermatology consultation | $150–350 + 35–45 day wait | $0 | $150–350 per consultation; result within 2 business days |
| Nutrition counseling with dietitian | $80–200/session | $0 | $960–2,400 per year for regular counseling |
| Expert second opinion on a diagnosis | $300–1,500+ | $0 | Included; often unavailable without TSB |
| ER visit for a telehealth-treatable condition | $1,500–3,500+ | $0 | Teladoc data: virtual care users average $1,500 lower annual claims |
70% of physician consultations involve conditions fully resolvable via telehealth. For the healthcare events your employees actually experience most often, telemedicine is not a supplement — it is the best available option.
— American Telemedicine Association
The Three ROI Scenarios — Real Numbers for Real Organizations
Scenario One: The 8-Person Advocacy Organization
Annual TSB investment: $1,920. Realistic health events per year across 8 employees: 12–16 instances treatable via telehealth. Average avoided cost per incident: $200. Total avoided employee costs: $2,400–$3,200. Employee ROI: 125–167%. If healthcare access retains one employee (replacement cost: $15,000–$25,000), total organizational ROI exceeds 900%.
Scenario Two: The 20-Person Social Service Nonprofit
Annual TSB investment: $4,800. Active utilizers at 35% rate: 7 employees. Conservative avoided costs per active utilizer: $400/year. Total cost avoidance: $2,800. If mental health access prevents 1 departure ($22,000 replacement): ROI exceeds 450%. Two departures prevented: ROI exceeds 1,000%.
Scenario Three: The 50-Person Community Foundation
Annual TSB investment: $12,000. At 40% utilization (20 active users), annual cost avoidance per user: $500. Total direct cost avoidance: $10,000. If TSB reduces departures from 9 to 7 per year at $22,000 average replacement cost: $44,000 in retention value. Total combined ROI: approximately 450%.
The Question Behind the Question
The real question the executive director is asking at 11pm is not ‘Is $20/month worth it?’ It is: ‘Can I justify spending money on my staff’s wellbeing when there are always more pressing uses for every dollar in our budget?’ The answer requires reframing the investment. A telemedicine subscription is not a wellness perk. It is a retention tool, a productivity protection mechanism, a mental health intervention, and a signal to your team that their wellbeing matters.
Third Sector Benefits — The Answer to the $20 Question
The answer is yes. Under $20 per month per person delivers six categories of Teladoc-powered virtual care — 24/7 general medical, unlimited mental health, dermatology within 2 business days, nutrition counseling, back care, and expert second opinions — for employees and their immediate families. That is real healthcare worth considerably more than it costs.
If you ran the numbers above and they made sense for your organization, here is your next step:
- Calculate your team’s annual subscription cost: number of employees × $20 × 12
- Estimate avoided costs: 2–3 urgent care visits per employee at $200 each
- Factor in mental health access value: $2,600–5,200 per employee per year
- Add turnover prevention value: one retained employee saves $15,000–25,000
Ready to run the numbers with us? Visit thirdsectorbenefits.com or contact Eric Snyder at eric@thirdsectorbenefits.com to book a free 20-minute ROI discovery call.
