ICHRA Admin: Who’s Actually the Best? A No-Nonsense Comparison for 2026

Ed MacConnell

Internal Note for Ed Hey Ed, Buckle up, because the ICHRA vendor landscape in 2026 is starting to look like a high-speed tech race, but with more compliance paperwork. Here’s the skinny on why I picked these specific players for the blog. If you’re dealing with a small shop (under 50 lives), PeopleKeep is still the automated king of “set it and forget it.” But if you’re hunting whales (200+ employees), SureCo and Remodel Health are the heavy hitters because they actually know how to talk to a CFO without making their head explode. The most important part for us? Broker friendliness. I’ve highlighted who actually respects our AOR status… Read More

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Tired of “Doctor Not Covered”? How to Escape the HMO/EPO Trap in 2026

Ed MacConnell

You know the feeling. You’ve spent hours researching plans, comparing premiums, and finally hitting "enroll." Then, three months later, you try to schedule an appointment with your trusted specialist only to hear those four soul-crushing words: "We don't take that." This isn't just a minor inconvenience; it is the single most common complaint in the individual health insurance market today. If you feel like your options are shrinking while your premiums keep rising, you aren’t imagining it. The health insurance landscape has shifted dramatically, leaving many individuals and small business owners trapped in restrictive networks that dictate where they can go and who they can see. At Total Benefit Solutions… Read More

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Level Funding: The Small Business “Cheat Code” for Better Health Benefits

Ed MacConnell

Category: Medicare If you own a small or medium-sized business, you know the annual "renewal dance" all too well. Every year, your health insurance carrier sends a letter that looks like a ransom note, demanding a 10%, 15%, or even 20% premium increase. You’re told it’s because of "market trends" or "rising healthcare costs," even if your employees didn’t even use their insurance much last year. It feels like you're throwing money into a black hole. In a traditional "fully insured" plan (the kind most small businesses have), the insurance company keeps every penny of your premium, whether your team is healthy or not. If you pay $100,000 in premiums… Read More

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Big News: We’ve Joined the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance (AAMSI)!

Ed MacConnell

If you’ve been hanging around Total Benefit Solutions Inc for more than five minutes, you know we don’t do things halfway. Whether we’re fighting a denied claim until the insurance company basically begs us to stop calling (we won’t) or navigating the labyrinth of federal regulations, we’re all in. That’s why I’m beyond excited to share some major news. I’ve officially joined the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance (AAMSI). You can even check out my shiny new profile right here. Now, I know what you’re thinking: "Ed, another acronym? Really?" But hang with me for a second, because this isn’t just a badge for my email signature. It’s a… Read More

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Member of American Association of Medicare #medicare Supplements #medicaresupplements

Why Everyone Is Talking About the New Medicare GLP-1 Bridge (And You Should Too)

Ed MacConnell

If you’ve turned on a television, scrolled through social media, or even just sat in a doctor’s waiting room lately, you’ve heard the names. Ozempic. Wegovy. Zepbound. These GLP-1 medications (Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) have basically become the “iPhone” of the medical world, everybody wants one, but the price tag can make your eyes water. For years, if you were on Medicare, the conversation usually ended with a polite but firm “No.” Federal law literally forbade Medicare from covering drugs specifically for weight loss. It was a frustrating “Catch-22” (a situation where you can’t win because of contradictory rules): you were encouraged to get healthy, but the most effective tools… Read More

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Member of American Association of Medicare #medicare Supplements #medicaresupplements

Medicare Secondary Payer Rules: 15 Things You Need to Know to Avoid Penalties

Ed MacConnell

Let’s be honest: talking about Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) rules is about as exciting as watching paint dry in a room full of accountants. But here’s the kicker, if you’re a small business owner, ignoring these rules is a great way to watch your hard-earned profits vanish into a black hole of federal fines. At Total Benefit Solutions Inc, we spend our days navigating the labyrinth of group health insurance for employers, and we’ve seen it all. We know that you’re just trying to provide affordable group health insurance without getting slapped by Uncle Sam. CMS (the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) has a very specific sense of humor,… Read More

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Total Benefit Solutions

The 3-Tier Strategy: How Keystone Proactive Plans Save Your Team Money

Ed MacConnell

Let’s be honest: most people look at their health insurance plan once a year during open enrollment, get a headache from the jargon, and then tuck the ID card into their wallet hoping they never have to use it. But as a business owner or HR manager, you don’t have that luxury. You’re watching premiums climb every single year, and you’re looking for a way to give your employees great coverage without draining the company's bank account. At Total Benefit Solutions, we’ve seen every plan under the sun. Right now, one of the most effective tools in our arsenal for small and mid-sized businesses in the Philadelphia area is the… Read More

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The Ultimate Guide to Ozempic Coverage: How to Fight Denials and Win Your Appeal

Ed MacConnell

If you feel like you’re in a constant wrestling match with your insurance company over Ozempic, you’re not alone. It’s April 2026, and while GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro have revolutionized healthcare, they’ve also created a massive administrative headache for patients and employers alike. At Total Benefit Solutions Inc., we see these "denial letters" every single day. Most people open them, feel defeated, and assume the fight is over. But here’s the truth: a "no" from an insurance company is often just the beginning of a negotiation. As independent advocates, we’ve learned that the secret to winning isn't just asking nicely, it’s about knowing the rules of the… Read More

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7 Mistakes Contractors Make with Group Health Benefits (And How to Fix Them)

Ed MacConnell

In the construction world, your reputation is built on the quality of your work and the reliability of your crew. As of April 13, 2026, the labor market for skilled trades remains incredibly tight. Finding a good foreman or a reliable HVAC technician is hard enough; keeping them is an entirely different challenge. One of the most powerful tools you have to retain talent is your benefits package. However, many contractors view health insurance as a "necessary evil": a line item on the P&L statement that only goes up every year. Because of this, we often see business owners in the construction industry make critical errors that cost them tens… Read More

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Delaware Paid Leave: What Small Businesses Need to Know in 2026

Ed MacConnell

If you’re a business owner in the First State, you’ve likely spent the last few months (or years) hearing whispers about the "Healthy Delaware Families Act." Well, the future is officially here. As of January 1, 2026, the Delaware Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program is fully operational, and benefits are being paid out to eligible employees across the state. At Total Benefit Solutions Inc, we’ve been fielding calls daily from small business owners who are somewhere between confused and concerned. I get it. Managing a business is hard enough without having to navigate new state mandates, payroll deductions, and employee leave requirements. But here’s the good news: This… Read More

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Why Minimum Value Plans are a Game Changer for Home Health Agencies

Ed MacConnell

For home health agencies (HHAs) across the United States, the business landscape has never been more challenging. Between shifting Medicare reimbursement models, a persistent shortage of skilled nursing talent, and the ever-present pressure of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates, many agency owners feel like they are being squeezed from every direction. At Total Benefit Solutions Inc, we spend a significant amount of time speaking with agency owners who are struggling to find a balance. They want to provide quality benefits to attract and retain caregivers, but they also need to maintain a bottom line that allows the agency to stay operational. The margins in home health are notoriously thin,… Read More

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The Big Insurance Lie: Why your small business is probably overpaying for “peace of mind” (and how to stop)

Ed MacConnell

Let’s have a straight-talk conversation. If you are a small business owner, you’ve probably been told that the "safest" way to handle employee benefits is to sign up for a traditional, fully-insured plan from one of the big-name carriers, pay your monthly premium, and put the whole headache out of your mind. They call it "peace of mind." At Total Benefit Solutions Inc, we call it the "Big Insurance Lie." The truth is, many small businesses are overpaying for their health coverage by anywhere from 15% to a staggering 80%. When you consider that health insurance is often the second largest expense on a balance sheet after payroll, that "peace… Read More

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Total Benefit Solutions #healthinsurance, #healthinsuranceNJ, #horizonbluecross, #IndividualMandate #healthinsurance, #medical #medicare #medicalplans #Medicaid #healplans #totalbenefitsolutions #employee benefits #healthinsurance, #aca, #aca, #obamacarealternatives, #cobra, #pennie, #getcoveredNJ, #medicareadvantage, #medicaresupplements, #totalbenefits #independence #bluecross, #aetna, #unitedhealthcare, #amerihealth, #nippon, #unitedconcordia, #horizon, #AmericanHealthInsurance, #aflac, #aetna, #ICHRA, #HRA, #healthreimbursement, #buckscounty, #healthinsurancenearme, #healthinusrancebuckscounty, #healthinsurancebuckscounty, #healthinsurancenearby, #healthonsurancephiladelphia, #healthinsuranceinPA, #healthinsuranceNJ, #PENNIE, #PENNIEHEALTHINSURANCE, #cobraalternatives, #turning26, #turning65, #adultinghealthinsurance, #healthinsurancenearme, #healthinsurancenearby, #healthinsurancefeasterville, #healthinsurancephilly, #bluecardppo, #minimumessentialplans, #minimumvalueplans, #shorttermhealthplan, #bluecross

MVP vs. MEC: The Compliance Difference That Could Cost You Thousands

Ed MacConnell

If you’ve been following our blog recently, you know we’ve been diving deep into the world of Minimum Value Plans (MVP). We’ve talked about compliance and why your plan needs to actually meet these standards. But here is where things usually get messy for HR managers and business owners: the alphabet soup of the ACA. Specifically, the difference between MEC (Minimum Essential Coverage) and MVP (Minimum Value Plan). To the untrained eye, they sound like the same thing. They both start with "Minimum," they both deal with health insurance, and they both keep the IRS off your back, right? Not exactly. Confusing these two isn't just a minor clerical error;… Read More

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Medicare Secondary Payer Rules: A Quick-Start Guide for Employers with 65+ Staff

Ed MacConnell

As we move further into 2026, the landscape of the American workforce continues to shift. More than ever, we are seeing valued team members choose to work well past the traditional retirement age of 65. While having that experience and institutional knowledge on your team is a massive win for your business, it does introduce a specific layer of complexity regarding your employee benefits strategy. The biggest question we get here at Total Benefit Solutions Inc is often some variation of: "My top salesperson just turned 65. Do they have to go on Medicare, and who pays their medical bills first?" The answer lies within the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP)… Read More

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ACA Employer Mandate penalties are the highest ever

Ed MacConnell

ACA Employer Mandate penalties are the highest they have been since passage of the ACA. Here is a quick refresher for appliable large employers (or those close to hitting the 50 FTE threshold) on determining ALE status and tracking hours of its employees.

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Medicare Secondary Payer Rules: 7 Mistakes Employers Are Making (And the CMS Penalties You Can’t Ignore in 2026)

Ed MacConnell

If you're an employer with 20 or more employees, you need to understand Medicare Secondary Payer rules, because CMS isn't asking nicely anymore. 2026 is shaping up to be a major enforcement year. CMS is tightening scrutiny on employers who mess up Medicare coordination, and the penalties aren't slaps on the wrist. We're talking mandatory reimbursements to Medicare, civil money penalties, and potential lawsuits that can drain your budget faster than any premium increase. The problem? Most employers have no idea they're even at risk until CMS comes knocking. At Total Benefit Solutions, we fight these battles every day, pushing back when carriers get the rules wrong, advocating when employers… Read More

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Highmark Updated Billing Addresses in Pennsylvania

Aris Herrera

What do I need to know?  Effective immediately, we’re consolidating billing addresses across all Pennsylvania markets. This change will streamline many steps in the billing process and allow for clearer communication to the market. It applies to clients in the following Highmark companies in small and large group:  Clients in Northeastern and Southeastern Pennsylvania aren’t impacted by this change – they’re already using the newer addresses.  For clients who pay premium by mail: All Pennsylvania premium payments that are mailed should go the new address: PO Box 382146, Pittsburgh, PA 15251-8146. This address has been updated on invoices and throughout other materials. Premium payments sent to the old address will be… Read More

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