Individual

You don't have to handle it alone! We have a qualified staff of insurance professionals that can help you make the right decisions for your company. And our service doesn't stop there! Throughout your plan year, our staff is here to assist you in any way possible. We are able to answer questions about your plans, help with terminations and additions to the plan, and more!

Getting Started

Employee benefits are an excellent way to attract and retain employees. Often times, benefits help sway a candidate's decision to work for you-or your competitor. Before you implement an employee benefits program, it's a great idea to sit down and determine how much you are willing to spend. Prioritize the types of coverage that you would like to provide your employees.

Often, employee benefits are called the "Hidden Paycheck." Most employees don't realize the amount of money that employers contribute on their behalf. For this reason, a lot of employers are moving to health savings accounts and high deductible health plans. When people are responsible for purchasing benefits with their own money, they are more efficient and economical. They are more likely to see a doctor for a cold, than pay the cost of an expensive emergency room visit. The idea behind the "consumerism" movement is that it will lead to lower premiums and fewer medical cost increases in the future. With the way that health care costs are increasing, this could be one way for businesses to save money.

Employer-Sponsor Insurance Guidelines

Employer-sponsored plans must be offered to all employees or to a particular class of employees. Premiums can be deducted through a Section 125 plan (Cafeteria Plan). This can save employees 20-25% on their premiums. Click here for more info on 125 Plans

A certain level of participation in the plan is needed in order to be approved for coverage. Usually, this number is at least 75% of eligible employees. Those who are covered under another plan usually do not count against the company's participation.

All carriers require the employer to pay at least 50% of employee only premium. However, employers can contribute more than 50%, but it must be done on a non -discriminatory basis. Ex. Managers vs. Non-Managers. Many employers pay as much as 100% of employee premium.

Employers select their own waiting period policy. This is the amount of time a new employee must wait before becoming eligible to enroll in the plan. Many carriers will allow you to set up multiple waiting periods. Ex. Managers are eligible on the list of the month.

Premiums are based on employee age, gender, medical history, number of people covered, geographic location, and type of benefits.

Employees cannot be rejected as long as they are full-time and in an eligible class of employees.

Employees must be full time in order to be eligible. The employer can determine what is full-time as long as it meets the minimum requirements of the carrier.

Types of Benefits

        * Health                        * Disability (Long Term or Short Term)

        * Dental                        * Life

        * Vision                        * Cancer/Serious Illness Protection

Health Insurance

Picking the Right Plan

High deductible, no deductible or somewhere in between? It's a tough decision for many employers to find the right plan for their employees.

Rich benefit plans with no deductible are limited in availability. The most common plans have a flexible range of deductible and co-insurance levels that allow you to dial the plan that fits into your budget.

Some employers are choosing to set up individual plans for their employees. The premiums are often less expensive and employees can choose different types of plans. The down side is that each employee is medically underwriter and unhealthy employees may not be able to get coverage.

There is no exact science to choosing the right plan. The most important thing is to work with your agent of find a plan that meets the employees needs and the company's budget.

Carriers offer benefit designs to meet almost any budget. If you want to offer your employees a plan with no deductible and low-co-pays, there are plans available. If you prefer to offer a plan with a higher deductible and coinsurance, there are plans to meet your needs as well.

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO): An HMO often has non-deductible and the benefits are mainly co-payments for services provided. Benefits are limited to services rendered by a network provider.

Point-Of-Service (POS): This is one of the most common plans available. Some plans have no deductible, but more often plans do have a range of deductible and co-insurance options. Members can see any provider but will have significantly reduced benefits by going out of the network.

Preferred Provider Organization (PPO): PPO plans usually offer the greatest range of provider availability. PPO plans come in a range of deductibles and co-insurance levels. Members are encouraged to use network "preferred" providers.

Qualified High Deductible Health Plans: These plans are the health plan portion of the Health Savings Account. The plans have a high deductible and provide no benefits until the deductible is met. Doctor visits, prescriptions, inpatient services, tests and all qualified medical expenses are applied to the deductible. On most plans, once the deductible is met, the carrier pays 100%. However, other co-insurance percentages are available to further reduce the premiums. Members use money from their health savings account to pay for medical expenses pre-tax until their deductible is met or they reach the federal limit.