Consulting Services

We are skilled in building and restructuring benefit designs and financial models to create programs that stabilize organizations in the long term and bring meaningful benefits to participating members. We identify your plan objectives and apply our expertise to your plan design while matching administrative capacity with market resources.

To ensure your plan remains relevant in current circumstances and improves in the long term, we periodically review and evaluate its progress through analysis and tools such as data reporting and rate projections. Our team is reliable and responsive, and will provide active supervision and management of your plan.

With our strong understanding of underwriting and rate modeling, we design and choose the plans that align with your objectives and philosophy and enable you to have greater control over your healthcare plan.

With our relevant knowledge and experience, we can identify and communicate your desires to the markets which can best support your objectives and design. We then interpret and analyze results from vendors, present the reports and offer recommendations. Our reports include considerations for existing options as well as new ideas regarding products and approaches when appropriate. We also assure the competitiveness, service standards and financial integrity of all vendors and insurers.

We begin by reviewing our Compliance Checklist and identifying the specific requirements of the laws that will apply to a particular client. Then we determine with you which items need attention, who will be responsible for which tasks and which forms must be filed with which agency. We pay careful attention to filing deadlines to avoid late filing penalties.

A sampling of the compliance services with which we routinely assist our clients include:

• ERISA (as applicable): Form 5500 filings, Summary Annual reports, Summary of Material Modifications, review of Summary Plan Descriptions and plan booklets to assure compliance with current law.
• COBRA: Review of your systems to assure that all communication is current, notifications are being sent within the required timeframe and all processes are effectively documented.
• Affordable Care Act (ACA): Assist in the development of the overall strategy for your plan under ACA; assistance with determining Applicable Employer Status; amending your plan as needed to meet the benefit and eligibility requirements; development of proper Measurement, Administrative and Stability Periods to support the strategy; planning with you on the build out of the reporting obligations under Sections 6055 and 6056, and helping you communicate these changes to your employees.
• HIPAA: Review of your current HIPPA policy to assure that you have the most current Business Associate agreements with all applicable partners, as well as HIPAA training for appropriate staff.
• Medicare Part D: From how to determine if your plan(s) are creditable or non-creditable, to the process in which you provide your Medicare Part D members the disclosure notice to filing your plan with CMS, we are here every step of the process.

After the initial design and implementation of your benefits program, we ensure you are supported in the complex administration necessary for maintaining the program. We assist you directly through our firm as well as facilitating the use of carriers and other specialized vendor technology. Administrative support services include: auditing of plan documents to ensure compliance with federal and state laws; support in daily operations including billing, eligibility and claims questions; newsletters with updates on market trends, federal and state regulations, and a web portal rich with information on compliance for ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA, ADA, Section 125, etc.

As part of creating a streamlined and effective benefits plan we are thorough in our communication strategies with the employee. Each strategy is uniquely built for each client and our services include:

• Enrollment guides
• Benefit websites and web portal for 24/7 access to personalized information
• Live or virtual employee meetings
• Wellness program development
• Education in the utilization of benefits

In addition, we partner with communications specialists, website designers, and others to guarantee you have access to the expertise you want, including programs for open enrollment, new employee orientation, and internet and intranet systems.

Over the years we have developed a network of strong, long term relationships with many industry partners whom support our work with clients.

We maintain close working relationships with law firms that specialize exclusively in ERISA law, as well as international actuarial consulting firms should the need for those services arise. Clients are also assisted in evaluating executive benefits in the areas of life insurance, disability insurance, long term care insurance, and other unique solutions with the support of other partnered firms.

We partner with administrative firms that provide a broad spectrum of COBRA compliance assistance services. We also work with vendor technology firms that offer tools for online enrollment, HR resources, various health and wellness programs and more.

In addition, as part of the Brown & Brown family we routinely utilize the national network of benefit advisors to share regional trends around benefits and costs.

Anytime we utilize these outside partners on your behalf, their services are based on their reasonable and customary rates. Ultimately our goal is to match your specific needs with the partner best suited to address those needs as quickly, efficiently and economically as possible.