Cost Containment & Plan Design

Double-digit inflation, cost shifting, aging, and changes in the workforce have all contributed to a fundamental change in the theory of insurance plan design. Controlling costs, as well as changing the demographics of the workforce and the principal wage earners, have greatly influenced how employers approach employee benefit plan design.

Employers have begun to face these issues by asking some pointed questions about their employee benefits plan:

• How much can employees afford to pay for healthcare and welfare benefits?
• Are we paying for employee benefits our employees do not value?
• Should we steer employees towards managed care programs to control healthcare costs?
• Is our employee benefits package competitive with other employers in our industry/region?

If you find yourself asking these questions, contact Partners Insurance. We can work with you to:

• Identify employee benefit plan objectives
• Evaluate and recommend employee plan designs
• Recommend cost control measures
• Evaluate ancillary employee benefit plans
• Alternate funding methods
• Section 125 Flexible Benefit plans

Marketing (New & Renewal)

Partners Insurance can also work with you to:

• Interview prospective insurance carriers
• Solicit bids from prospective insurance carriers
• Review and negotiate bids and/or renewal
• Review and negotiate contract provisions

Employee Communication & Plan Implementation

Communicating employee benefits plans is important to your employees. Partners Insurance will work with your human resources organization to implement your plan, as well as:

• Develop communication objectives
• Critique of all current employee communication materials, such as booklets, handbooks, certificates and other materials, as well as previous communication efforts
• Determine specific areas that need to be communicated more effectively
• Create an employee satisfaction survey after you implement your employee benefits plan, if necessary
• Create new employee communication materials, if necessary
• For health & welfare plans, create innovative enrollment materials and methods
• Design optional employee benefit statements to communicate a "total compensation" message to your employees
• Coordination and conducting employee meetings
• Attend and present at open enrollment meetings
• Printing and mailing of open enrollment materials

Plan Administration Administering employee benefit plans is complex and can be problematic. Tracking enrollment, monitoring flexible spending accounts, coordinating payroll and human resources information and meeting governmental reporting and disclosure requirements can be burdensome and time consuming. Partners Insurance can work with your human resources department to: Assist with employee plan administration Assist in design internal administrative and accounting procedures Monitor monthly claim reports & recommend cost control measures Review and evaluate CORBA administration and compliance Help develop and implement wellness plans Policyholder Service Prompt response to service requests Provide service assistance for employer and employees Full-time licensed account manager assigned to your account