Employer-Sponsored Insurance Benefits
Benefits That Work for Your People — and Your Business
A strong benefits program can help you compete for talent, support your employees and manage business risk. But it also has to be financially sustainable and practical to administer.
Axcess Financial Group helps employers evaluate, design and maintain employee benefits around the realities of their workforce, budget and long-term goals. From medical plan funding to employee education and ongoing support, we bring the pieces together into one coordinated strategy.
A Benefits Partner That Understands the Business Side
Benefits decisions cannot be separated from cash flow, workforce planning, compliance, recruiting or administration.
Axcess Financial Group combines insurance consulting with a broader financial perspective. We help leadership teams understand the tradeoffs behind each decision and build a program that is competitive for employees and sustainable for the company.
One partner. A coordinated strategy. Benefits customized for your team.
Our work is built around four priorities
Clarity
Understand what you are buying, how it is funded and where the financial exposure sits.
Customization
Build around your workforce and business objectives rather than defaulting to a generic package.
Communication
Help employees understand the value of their benefits and where to go for assistance.
Continuity
Review plan performance and business needs throughout the year — not only at renewal.
We Help You Compare the Whole Financial Picture
Our analysis can include:
- Expected annual plan cost
- Maximum employer exposure
- Stop-loss premiums and contract terms
- Network and prescription-drug arrangements
- Administrative and consulting expenses
- Employer and employee contributions
- Claims reporting and transparency
- Renewal methodology
- Internal HR and payroll requirements
Favorable claims experience may produce savings under certain self-funded or level-funded arrangements, but the treatment of unused claims funding or surplus is contract-specific and should not be assumed.
More Than a Quote at Renewal
A benefits advisor should do more than present new rates once a year. Your benefits program affects finance, HR, payroll, recruiting and every employee who relies on the coverage.
Strategy and Market Analysis
We help you define objectives, evaluate funding strategies and compare plan options based on total value — not simply premium.
Employee Education
Employees are more likely to value a benefit when they understand how it works. Clear enrollment communication and ongoing education can help employees make more informed decisions and use their coverage appropriately.
Implementation and Enrollment
We help coordinate the movement from plan selection to employee enrollment, working through carrier requirements, eligibility information and implementation details.
Ongoing Service
Benefits questions do not end after open enrollment. We provide an ongoing point of contact for plan questions, carrier communication, claims concerns and preparation for the next renewal.
Give Employees the First Step in Healthcare
Even with good insurance, navigating the healthcare system can be confusing and overwhelming. People may not know whether they need urgent care, a primary-care visit, a specialist, a prescription refill or help resolving a medical bill.
Through AMAZE Health, enrolled members can connect with a virtual medical team and patient advocates for services that include:
- Primary and urgent care
- Mental health support
- Prescription assistance
- Chronic-condition management
- Insurance questions and medical-billing support
- A 24/7 resource available through the AMAZE app
- We ensure continuity of care for your entire family
By giving employees one place to start, AMAZE Health can complement a broader benefits strategy and provide practical support when employees are uncertain about what to do next.
Program terms, service availability and eligibility requirements apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are we legally required to offer health insurance?
Under the federal Affordable Care Act’s employer shared-responsibility rules, an employer that averaged fewer than 50 full-time employees, including full-time-equivalent employees, during the previous calendar year generally is not considered an Applicable Large Employer for the current year. As a result, it is generally not subject to the ACA’s employer shared-responsibility provisions.
Employers at or above that threshold have additional coverage and reporting considerations. Ownership relationships between businesses, employee hours and other factors can affect the calculation, so employer size should be reviewed carefully rather than estimated.
Can we give employees tax-free money to purchase their own health plans?
An Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement, or ICHRA, allows an employer to reimburse employees tax-free for eligible medical expenses, including qualifying individual health-insurance premiums, up to an amount established by the employer.
Employees generally must maintain qualifying individual health coverage to receive reimbursements. ICHRAs also have plan-document, notice, employee-class and affordability considerations. They should be established as a formal benefit arrangement rather than treated as unrestricted cash added to an employee’s paycheck.
Could our business qualify for a health insurance tax credit?
Possibly. The federal Small Business Health Care Tax Credit can equal up to 50% of eligible premiums paid by a qualifying small business, or up to 35% for a qualifying tax-exempt employer. The credit is generally available for no more than two consecutive taxable years.
Eligibility depends on several requirements, including the employer’s number of full-time-equivalent employees, average wages, contribution toward employee-only coverage and participation through SHOP or an applicable exception. The credit is therefore not an automatic reimbursement of half of every small employer’s health-insurance cost.
Is self-funding automatically less expensive than a fully insured plan?
No. Self-funding can create savings and greater plan flexibility for the right employer, but it also shifts more claims risk and responsibility to the business.
A proper analysis should model expected claims, maximum exposure, stop-loss coverage, administrative expenses, network arrangements, prescription costs, cash flow and contract terms. A lower initial payment does not necessarily mean a lower total cost.
How can we offer competitive benefits without overspending?
Start by identifying what matters most to your workforce and where each benefit fits within your total compensation strategy.
Medical insurance may be the foundation, but employer contributions, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, supplemental benefits, virtual care, paid time off, scheduling flexibility and employee communication can all influence how employees value the overall package.
The objective is not to offer every available product. It is to build a benefits program employees understand and the business can continue to support.
What information do you need to begin a benefits review?
For an existing plan, useful information typically includes your current carrier bill, renewal information, Summary of Benefits and Coverage, employer contribution structure and an employee census.
For a new benefits program, we can begin with your headcount, employee locations, desired eligibility rules, coverage priorities and preliminary budget. Axcess’s existing questionnaire requests this type of employer, workforce and coverage information.
Start With a Better Benefits Conversation
Whether you are reviewing an existing plan, considering a different funding arrangement or offering employee benefits for the first time, the process should begin with a clear understanding of your business.
Bring us your current plan, renewal, employee census or simply the problems you are trying to solve. We will help you evaluate the available options and identify a practical path forward.
Call Axcess Financial Group at 505-872-4900 or complete the benefits questionnaire to begin.