Category: Total Benefit Solutions

PEOs & the Philadelphia Area As you may be aware Independence Blue Cross recently introduced a PEO offering into the Pennsylvania market/Greater Philadelphia area through a partnership with Clear PEO. As a leading independent broker in the Northeast, Total Benefit Solutions, Inc.  has experience with PEOs and helping group clients find the best choices to put you in the strongest possible position to shop and compare PEO’s and traditional health benefits. In fact, Total Benefit Solutions, Inc. has already been partnering with established PEO’s for a number of years. THE BASICS OF PEOs PEO is an acronym for Professional Employer Organization and it is a business entity that helps service… Read More

Is your health plan group ERISA compliant? Health plans subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) must make available information about the plan to participants. The plan participants have a right to know about plan rules, financial data, plan operation and plan management. Many small employers fail to realize that they need to meet this requirement. The departments of labor have been coming to more employers and asking for this document more often, but typically the DOL audit is the direct result of an employee ( or former employee) grievance. When a member first becomes covered under an ERISA-covered health plan, the individual must receive an SPD (Summary Plan… Read More

Pharmaceutical Companies spent $5.6 billion in 2015 for advertisements.. and those advertisements seem to work. 1 in about 7 people who take at least one Rx have admitted they specifically asked their Doctor about a medication they heard on the Tv, Radio, online, or in print. 2/3rds of those Doctors wrote the prescription for the drug requested. The problem with advertisements is that you do not know if this more expensive drug works better than a less expensive generic or if you can achieve the same results with simple lifestyle changes.  Consumer Reports has piled tons of research, recommendations and reviews from credible sources to compile what they deem are… Read More

Aliera Healthcare is an innovative healthcare organization offering both traditional healthcare and health sharing plans, which are an alternative to traditional insurance. At the core of Aliera plans is a concentration on the patient using our “Core 4” Patient Centered Medical Home Model of Care. Employer Group plans range from ACA compliant ‘Minimum Essential Coverage” to Self-Funded Minimum Value Plans. Our Individual plans are supported by our Healthcare Sharing Ministry Partner, Trinity HealthShare. Click here to find our more about the benefits, rates and programs available and then call us at (215)355-2121!     

Independence is pleased to partner with CLEAR Employer Services to provide a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) offering to companies looking to outsource many of their HR‑related functions, beginning with 1/1/2019 business. This solution supports primarily small and mid-size businesses by handling a variety of human resources and administrative functions, freeing company leaders to focus on growing their businesses through increased attention on strategy, innovation, and operations. Total Benefit Solutions inc., as one of the area’s leading brokers is excited to offer this  as a potential solution for our clients! Through the establishment of a PEO Master Health Plan, the PEO will be a single Large Group customer with membership consisting of… Read More

Are you going to a new Doctor? Get a recent diagnosis? Or looking into new Hospital Systems? There are tons of important questions to ask when dealing with your health, but most don’t know where to start.  The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has put together the important questions to ask for many health-related issues. Please click here to find out which questions you should be asking!

We know everyone has heard of “Medicaid” and “Medicare” but most people don’t know exactly what these Government programs do, or confuse the two. Some even think they are the same thing, when they are both completely different types of programs. Each program is designed for specific populations, controlled by different areas of the Government (one on the State level and one in the Federal level) and both offer different “perks” for those enrolled. The short answer is that Medicare is designed usually for people over 65, while Medicaid is an incomes based insurance.. but it’s a little bit more than that and some people can be eligible for both.… Read More

Extension of Deadline for 2018 Forms 1095-C The IRS has issued Notice 2018-94, which provides a limited extension of time for employers to provide 2018 Forms 1095-C to individuals. It also extends good-faith transition relief from certain penalties for the 2018 reporting year. To find out more, please click here.   Wellness Program Considerations for 2019 Wellness programs have faced unique challenges and scrutiny in 2018. Click for an update on the status of wellness program incentives and the Department of Labor’s enforcement activity on wellness programs tied to group health plans. For more information on how the plans are changing, please click here.   New Jersey: Premiums in the… Read More

Over Half of Americans Delay or Don’t Get Healthcare Because They Can’t Afford It   With open enrollment for many medical plans in full swing, health care is top of mind for millions of Americans. But health care is still too expensive for most: A majority of U.S. adults have to delay getting the care they need, or put it off completely, because they can’t afford it, data from financial website Earnin shows. According to the research, which combined Earnin-user data with data from a Harris Poll survey of more than 2,000 adults, 54 percent of Americans say they’ve delayed care for themselves in the past year because of cost, and another 23 percent delayed care for more… Read More

With the Marketplace making Health Insurance products more accessible and affordable than ever before, people have the opportunity to choose from MANY different policies, as opposed to before when most people just took whatever insurance an Employer may have offered them. While most people are familiar with or have heard of HMOs and PPOs, newer types of policies have become increasingly popular. So what are the main six kinds of Health Insurance Plans? Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) An HMO has all of your health services go through a network of healthcare providers and facilities. If your Doctor/facility is not in the HMO Network, then the Insurer will not cover your… Read More

According to advice issued Thursday by federal health officials, states should be free to redefine the use of  subsidies, which began in 2014. They represent the first help the government ever has offered middle-class consumers to afford monthly premiums for private insurance. States could allow the subsidies to be used for health plans the administration has been promoting outside the ACA marketplaces that are less expensive because they provide skimpier benefits and fewer consumer protections. In an even more dramatic change, states could let residents with employer-based coverage set up accounts in which they mingle the federal subsidies with health-care funds from their job or personal tax-deferred savings funds to… Read More

Why Employers Offer Supplemental Insurance Plans Employers everywhere have become more and more interested in offering Supplemental Insurance Plans. These Voluntary Benefits are insurance products employees can elect to add to their plans to fill the gaps in their health insurance policy. These plans help with the costs associated with medical bills and missed time at work. So why are Employers offering these policies more and more? Here are the Top 3 Reasons Why Employers Offer Supplemental Insurance Plans:   Recruit New Employees and Up Morale More than ever, supplemental insurance plans are an important part of an attractive employee benefits offering. A LIMRA study finds that 7 in 10… Read More

Make It to the Table: Don’t Drink & Drive this Thanksgiving Eve   “Thanksgiving Eve,” is associated with drinking and is a big night for bars. More than 800 Americans died in alcohol-impaired crashes during the days surrounding Thanksgiving over the past four years (6:00 p.m. Wednesday to 5:59 a.m. Monday), making it the deadliest holiday on our roads. If you plan on drinking PLEASE plan a head. There’s no need for senseless tragedies. Lyft has issued coupon code “TotalBenefits” for $5 off their ride service this holiday for new users. Enjoy your holiday responsibly!! Click Here to be taken to the promo page. Or simply download the app and use… Read More

Broker of Record Letter Many clients are initially surprised to find out that they can enjoy all the benefits of working with our firm without the hassle of changing insurance carriers. Hire us today by downloading the broker of record letter, printing, completing and faxing it to us at (888)287-3186. The process is seamless and free!

Here at Total Benefit Solutions Inc, we pride ourselves on helping Individuals choose a Health Plan that works for their Family and their budget. Choosing a health insurance plan can be complicated, which is why we recommend calling a Broker to help you choose a plan and step-by-step through enrollment. However, knowing just a few things before you compare plans can make the process simpler. The 4 “metal” categories: There are 4 categories of health insurance plans: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. These categories show how you and your plan share costs. Plan categories have nothing to do with quality of care. Your total costs for health care: You pay a monthly… Read More