Great Benefits Attract Great Employees.

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), businesses with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) must offer affordable health coverage that meets minimum essential coverage requirements. Businesses with fewer than 50 FTEs are not required to offer health insurance — but doing so gives you a significant competitive advantage in attracting and retaining employees.

Costs vary based on your location, number of employees, employee ages, plan type, and how much the employer contributes. As an independent agency, we compare options from 50+ carriers to find the most competitive rates — including fully insured plans, level-funded options (which may offer refunds if claims are low), and high-deductible plans with HSA compatibility.

With a fully insured plan, you pay a fixed premium to the insurance company and they cover all claims — simple and predictable. With a level-funded plan, you pay a fixed monthly amount that covers estimated claims, administrative costs, and stop-loss insurance. If claims come in lower than expected, you may receive a surplus refund. Level-funded plans offer cost savings potential while limiting your risk.

Yes, within certain guidelines. You can offer different benefit levels to different classes of employees based on job-based criteria — such as full-time vs. part-time, salaried vs. hourly, or management vs. non-management. You cannot discriminate based on health status, age, or other protected characteristics. We help you structure your benefits to comply with ACA and ERISA requirements.

Dental and vision insurance are the most requested supplemental benefits and are very affordable to add. Group life insurance and AD&D are commonly employer-paid. Short-term and long-term disability protect employees' income if they can't work. Voluntary benefits like accident insurance, critical illness, and hospital indemnity cost the employer nothing — employees pay the premiums through payroll deduction.

Open enrollment timing depends on your plan's effective date — it's typically a 30-day window before your plan year starts. Most employers set their plan year to begin January 1 (with open enrollment in November–December) or align it with their fiscal year. Outside of open enrollment, employees can enroll only during a qualifying life event — such as marriage, birth of a child, or loss of other coverage.