Employee Benefits That Work for Your Business
A strong benefits package can help businesses attract and retain employees while giving their people access to valuable health and financial protection.
From group health insurance, level-funded plans, and ICHRA to dental, vision, life, disability, and voluntary benefits, we help employers understand their options and build a benefits strategy that fits their workforce and budget.
We can help businesses with 2 employees to over 1,000
Why Employee Benefits Matter
For many employees, benefits are an important part of their overall compensation. A well-designed benefits strategy can help businesses compete for talent, improve employee retention, and give employees and their families access to valuable health and financial protection.
But providing employee benefits no longer means simply choosing a traditional group health insurance plan. Depending on the business and its workforce, employers may consider traditional fully insured group health coverage, level-funded plans, or an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA), along with dental, vision, life, disability, and voluntary benefits.
We work with major health insurance carriers to help employers evaluate their options, including businesses with employees in multiple states.
The goal is to build a benefits package that works for both the business and its employees.
Group Benefits Options for Your Employees
Every workforce is different. We help employers compare benefit options and put together a package that can combine core health coverage with additional benefits employees value.
Traditional Group Health Insurance
Employer-sponsored medical coverage through major health insurance carriers, with plan options designed around the needs, budget, and location of your workforce.
Level-Funded Health Plans
An alternative to traditional fully insured coverage that may offer eligible employers greater cost transparency and the opportunity to benefit from favorable claims experience.
ICHRA
An Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) allows employers to provide a defined reimbursement benefit that employees can use toward eligible individual health insurance coverage, offering another way to structure employee health benefits.
Dental & Vision
Dental and vision coverage can complement medical insurance and provide employees and their families with benefits they are likely to use regularly.
Life, Disability & Ancillary Benefits
Group life, short- and long-term disability, AD&D, and other ancillary benefits can help protect employees and their families from financial risks beyond medical expenses.
Voluntary & Supplemental Benefits
Accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and other voluntary benefits can give employees additional financial protection while allowing employers to expand their benefits package without significantly increasing employer costs.
Different Ways to Provide Employee Health Benefits
Employers today have more choices than simply selecting a traditional group health insurance plan. Depending on the size, location, demographics, and needs of the workforce, different approaches may provide advantages for both the business and its employees.
Traditional Group Health
With a traditional fully insured group health plan, the employer selects coverage from an insurance carrier and pays a set monthly premium. The insurance carrier assumes the claims risk and provides access to its network of doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers.
This approach can work well for employers who value predictable monthly premiums, established provider networks, and a familiar benefits structure for their employees.
Level-Funded
Level-funded plans combine elements of traditional fully insured coverage with features of self-funded health plans. Employers generally pay a predictable monthly amount that covers estimated claims, administrative costs, and stop-loss insurance designed to help protect the business from unexpectedly high claims.
For the right employer, a level-funded plan may provide greater visibility into healthcare costs and the potential to benefit from favorable claims experience. These plans aren’t right for every business, which is why understanding the plan design, risks, and potential advantages is important.
ICHRA
An Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) gives employers another way to provide health benefits. Instead of offering one traditional group health plan, the employer provides a defined tax-advantaged reimbursement allowance that eligible employees can use toward qualifying individual health insurance premiums and, depending on the plan design, other eligible medical expenses.
ICHRA can provide employers with greater control over their benefits budget while giving employees more choice in selecting individual coverage that fits their needs. It can also be particularly useful for businesses with employees in different geographic areas or for employers that want to offer different benefit structures to permitted employee classes.
Building a Benefits Strategy Around Your Workforce
Choosing employee benefits isn’t just about comparing premiums. The size and location of your workforce, employee demographics, participation, employer contribution, provider networks, benefit priorities, and budget can all affect which options make sense for your business.
We help employers look at the complete picture—medical coverage, ancillary benefits, voluntary benefits, and different funding strategies—so the benefits program can be designed around the needs of both the business and its employees.
Benefits Solutions for Businesses of All Sizes
Whether you have a small business with just a few employees, a growing company with locations in multiple states, or a workforce of more than 1,000, the benefits strategy should reflect how your business actually operates.
We work with major health insurance carriers and benefits providers to help employers compare available options. For businesses with employees in multiple states, we can evaluate solutions that take geographic coverage, provider networks, employee locations, and benefit consistency into consideration.
From local businesses to multi-state employers, we can help you explore benefit solutions designed around your workforce.
Benefits Beyond Medical Insurance
A strong employee benefits program can include much more than medical insurance. Dental, vision, life insurance, disability coverage, and supplemental benefits can help employees protect their health, income, and families while making an employer’s overall benefits package more competitive.
Depending on the needs of the workforce, employers may consider group life insurance, short- and long-term disability, AD&D, accident insurance, critical illness coverage, hospital indemnity, dental, vision, and other ancillary or voluntary benefits.
Some benefits may be employer-paid, employee-paid on a voluntary basis, or structured with contributions from both. We help employers evaluate how these benefits can fit together with their core health benefits and overall budget.
Helping Employers Make Sense of Their Options
Employee benefits can become complicated quickly. Plan designs, premiums, employer contributions, provider networks, participation requirements, and different funding approaches can make it difficult to compare one option with another.
We help employers understand the differences, compare available options, and look at how each choice may affect both the business and its employees. The goal isn’t simply to find a plan—it’s to help build a benefits strategy that makes sense for your organization.
You run your business. We’ll help you understand the benefits.
Group Benefits FAQ
Every business and workforce is different, and employers often have questions about how group benefits work, what options are available, and what they may cost. Here are answers to some of the questions we hear most often from employers considering employee benefits.
How many employees does a business need to offer group benefits?
Group benefit eligibility depends on the type of coverage, insurance carrier, and applicable rules. Some group health plans may be available to businesses with as few as two eligible employees. We work with businesses ranging from small employers to organizations with more than 1,000 employees and can help determine which options may be available.
What is the difference between traditional group health insurance and a level-funded plan?
Traditional group health insurance generally uses a fixed monthly premium, with the insurance carrier assuming the claims risk. A level-funded plan combines features of fully insured and self-funded coverage, with the employer typically paying a set monthly amount toward expected claims, administrative costs, and stop-loss protection. Depending on the employer and claims experience, level-funded plans may offer greater cost transparency and potential savings.
What is an ICHRA and how does it work?
An Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) allows an employer to provide eligible employees with a tax-advantaged allowance that can be used to reimburse qualifying individual health insurance premiums and, depending on the plan design, other eligible medical expenses. Instead of offering one traditional group health plan, employees can choose individual coverage that meets their needs, subject to ICHRA eligibility and plan rules.
Can group benefits cover employees in multiple states?
Yes. Businesses with employees in multiple states can often provide benefits across their workforce, but plan availability, provider networks, and coverage options can vary by location. We help employers evaluate options from major carriers and benefits providers with their employees’ locations and access to care in mind.
Can employers offer dental, vision, life, and other benefits along with health insurance?
Yes. Employers can build a broader benefits program that may include dental, vision, group life insurance, disability coverage, accident insurance, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and other ancillary or voluntary benefits. Depending on the benefit, the employer may pay the cost, employees may pay voluntarily, or the cost may be shared.
Do employees have to pay for group benefits?
Not necessarily. How benefits are paid for depends on the type of coverage and how the employer chooses to structure the benefits program. Some benefits may be fully employer-paid, some may have costs shared between the employer and employees, and others may be offered voluntarily with employees paying the premium. We can help employers compare different contribution strategies and understand how they may affect both the business and its employees.
Are voluntary benefits expensive for employers to offer?
Not necessarily. Many voluntary benefits can be offered with little or no direct premium cost to the employer because employees choose whether to participate and may pay the premiums themselves. Employers can also choose to contribute toward certain benefits. This can give businesses another way to expand their benefits program while maintaining control over their overall benefits budget.
How much do group benefits cost a business?
The cost of group benefits depends on several factors, including the type of coverage, number of employees, employee demographics, location, plan design, employer contribution, and the benefits selected. Rather than looking at cost alone, we help employers compare options and understand what they are getting for their benefits dollars.
How do I know which group benefits are right for my business?
There isn’t one benefits strategy that works for every business. The right approach depends on your workforce, budget, locations, employee needs, and business goals. We help employers compare traditional group health insurance, level-funded plans, ICHRA, ancillary coverage, and voluntary benefits so they can better understand their options and make an informed decision.
Ready to Explore Benefits for Your Business?
Whether you’re offering employee benefits for the first time, reviewing your current plan, or looking for alternatives such as level-funded coverage or ICHRA, we can help you understand the options available to your business.
Let’s talk about your workforce, your goals, and the benefits strategy that may work best for your organization.
Helpful Group Benefits Resources
These resources can provide additional information about employee health coverage, workplace benefits, and employer responsibilities.
U.S. Department of Labor — Employee Benefits Security Administration
The Employee Benefits Security Administration provides information about employer-sponsored health and retirement plans, employee benefit protections, and the responsibilities involved in administering workplace benefit plans.
Visit the Employee Benefits Security Administration →
HealthCare.gov — Individual Coverage HRA (ICHRA)
Learn more about how an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement works, including how employers can offer an ICHRA and how employees can use it toward qualifying individual health insurance coverage.
Learn More About ICHRA at HealthCare.gov →
Health Benefits Advisor for Employers
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Health Benefits Advisor helps employers understand federal laws and requirements that may apply to employer-sponsored group health plans.
U.S. Department of Labor — Health Benefits Advisor for Employers