// Overview of Employee Benefit Services

Your Benefit Partner
Saving You Time & Money

When you work with Custom Benefits, you are working with a Registered Employee Benefit Consultant (REBC) who has gone through a rigorous training process to gain in-depth knowledge of group insurance and employee benefits, ranging from health insurance to retirement plans, and more. With healthcare and health insurance costs sky rocketing, we use a variety of tools help employers compile the best possible benefits package to attract and retain employees and increase employee retention, while stabilizing costs.

As an REBC, we’ll also help you run your benefit programs too.

Increase employee health and financial wellness

Coverage that goes beyond the health plan

// Types of Coverage

Benefit Programs

We can help you bundle your benefits in a variety of employer or employee-paid combinations to fit your needs and keep them affordable for all.

Fully Funded Group Health Plans
A Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)

An HMO group health plan requires employees to appoint a primary care physician who directs treatment utilizing service providers affiliated with the HMO. HMOs offer access to a comprehensive package of health care for a low monthly premium. A small co-payment is often required for services, depending upon the type provided.

Preferred Provider Organization

PPO group health plans offer a vast network of quality healthcare providers and facilities. Employees save the most money on healthcare if they use providers within the network, as some services may be only partially covered or not even covered at all when outside providers are used. Also, many services may not be covered if deductibles are not first met, however, the plan includes important wellness and preventative services provided outside of the deductible with a small co-pay.

Point of Service Plans (POS)

POS plans combine features of HMOs and PPOs. Most POS plans require members to choose a primary care physician from within the POS network, but allow them to use out-of-network specialists with a referral from a primary care physician. Co-payments will be higher for out-of-network services.

Wellness Benefits

Most insurers include wellness benefits in their comprehensive coverage, designed to improve lives and keep members healthy. At no extra cost, your group health plan will generally include services like

  • Preventative medical screenings and services, such as flu shots
  • Free or discounted gym memberships
  • Nutrition and diet advice
  • Disease management
  • Telehealth
  • Substance abuse programs
  • Mental health services
  • And more
Self Funded Plans
Self-Funded Health Plans

When employers self-fund their own group health plan, they will benefit from a significant savings in the overall cost of their benefit programs. For example, savings may be in premiums, increased cash flow and certain tax advantages. Additionally, employers have more control over the benefits that the plan offers. Typically, self-funding was not available to small employers in the past. However, today self-insured group health plans are considered to be good options for both small and large employers.

How it works. A self-funded group health plan requires the employer to become the insurer. Most often, employers will partner with a PPO to provide services for the plan. Then, a third party administrator (a TPA) is engaged to handle claims and processing. Self-insured employers run the risk of large catastrophic claims. As a result, they need to purchase stop-loss insurance to protect themselves in such an event. Even with the additional expense of stop-loss insurance, employers save a significant amount of money on premiums and other advantages.

Partially Funded (Level Funded) Group Health Plans
Partially-Funded (Level-Funded) Plans

Partially-Funded Plans (aka Level-Funded) are a variation of a Self-Funding and allows small employers to take advantage of all the cost saving and benefit design features of a fully self-insured plan, however, they share the risk with one of our top national carriers. The premiums for shared funding plans are generally much lower than fully insured plans. An employer may save even more by implementing wellness programs into the benefit strategy.

How it works. An employer will select any of the fully insured plans that the carrier offers. Then rates will be determined by the group’s claim history. Next, stop-loss insurance is added to protect against catastrophic claims. Since the carrier will handle the administration of the plan, there is no need to hire a separate vendor to handle claims and processing.

Group Dental & Vision
Group Dental Plans

Employees always appreciate dental coverage as part of the basic benefit package. Studies have shown that regular dental exams help employees to stay healthier and more productive in the work place. Additionally, you can detect serious underlying conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, through regular dental exams. In fact, the National Association of Dental Plans and the Centers for Disease Control have performed studies that show that employees with dental insurance have better attitudes and are less likely to suffer from depression, a common condition in today’s fast-paced world.

Dental insurance offers a variety of diagnostic, preventative care and corrective services. This includes cleanings, exams, x-rays, fillings, root canals, orthodontia for children, and emergency care while traveling.

Group Vision Plans

Similar to dental policies, vision plans are inexpensive and save employees money on routine eye care. Examples of care include exams, eyeglass frames and lenses, contacts, and even discounts on procedures like LASIK. Additionally, monitoring your eye health with regular exams helps to prevent serious eye diseases like glaucoma and cataracts. In addition, regular eye exams help to detect early stages of diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Group Life Insurance
Group Life Insurance

A good life insurance policy provides for an employee’s final expenses, taxes, mortgage and more. Additionally, it may even pay for their children’s education. Also, employees are more productive when they feel secure that their loved ones will be taken care of, in the event of illness or an untimely death. Smart employers consider life insurance a key part of the benefit package, and a valuable tool in attracting top talent.

Permanent Life Insurance

This type of life insurance builds cash value which is sometimes used as collateral for loans, if needed. However, most employers only offer basic term life insurance (see below), but also offer permanent life insurance on a voluntary basis. Even so, employees appreciate the opportunity to widen their safety net.

Term Life Insurance

This type of life insurance does not build cash value. However, it will pay a set amount to the named beneficiary upon the death of insured within the stated term. Additionally, some policies may also make payments upon terminal or critical illness.

Group Disability Insurance
Group Disability Plans

National surveys have shown that Short Term Disability and Long Term Disability remain of high importance for most employees. Thus, savvy employers attract and retain top talent by offering both STD and LTD insurance as part of the employer paid benefit package or as a voluntary (worksite) benefit.

Short Term Disability

During the time an employee is unable to work due to a qualifying disability (illness or injury), STD generally allows for income payments to the employee to begin after about a two-week waiting period and will continue to pay the employee until he/she recovers or maxes out the benefits–usually anywhere between one month to two years, depending on the policy.

Long Term Disability

During the time an employee is unable to work due to a qualifying disability (illness or injury), LTD generally allows for income payments to the employee to begin after about a 90-day waiting period. However, it could be much longer depending on the policy. The policy will pay the employee far longer than STD–for a few years, up to age 65, or even for life.

Group Medicare Supplement
Group Medicare Supplements

We help retirees and other eligible employees tackle the challenges of ever increasing premiums and health care costs by purchasing a quality Medicare Supplement. While there are many options, the best coverage is a plan that leaves you with the least expenses, and has the lowest premium.

How Medicare Supplements Work:
Medicare Supplement Insurance policies complement your Original Medicare Parts A and B. They cover some, if not all, of the expenses that Part A and B do not cover, like co-pays, deductibles and other charges.

There are many different types of Medicare Supplement policies available, however they are regulated so the benefits for these various policies (known as Plan A through N), are all the same regardless of the carrier. However, premiums can vary greatly among carriers.