Health Benefits and Services

We find that employee benefits are the fastest rising expenses that most companies face today. Health care has become so complex that employers continue to struggle to find the right mix between balancing benefits needs with that of economic realities.

Working with an NFP advisor provides the assurance of working with a professional dedicated to designing and implementing innovative programs that provide financial confidence, competitive health plan options, increased productivity and work/life balance.

Our industry experts have the collective experience and national presence to understand the health and benefits needs of today's employers. Recognizing that you need much more than just the traditional insurance benefits programs, they offer creative solutions in the following areas:

• Consumer-directed health care
• Self-funded plans
• Wellness programs
• Actuarial services
• International benefits
• Limited medical plans
• Health advocacy programs
• Benefits administration

Consumer-directed Health Care

The health care industry is beginning to change much in the way the retirement industry did when 401(k) plans were introduced. Many employers, unable to continue shouldering the bulk of increasing health care costs, are turning towards consumer-driven health care (CDHC) plans such as High-Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs) coupled with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), or Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs).

We provide our clients with the following resources to help them understand the world of CDHC plans:

• Legislative updates on federal and state mandates that affect CDHC plans
• Strategic planning resources for implementing a successful CDHC program
• Employee training and education materials on HSAs and HRAs.

Self-funded Plans

We believe health care costs continue to be the single greatest benefits expense for plan sponsors today. Self-funding solutions offer plan sponsors flexibility to custom-design a benefits program in an effort to meet the needs of their employees, while also having the ability to take an active role in controlling health care expenses through risk management techniques. NFP has the experience, resources, and premier partners to help plan sponsors take control of their health care costs.

Our products and services in this area include:

• Administrative services only (ASO)
• Stop loss
• Risk management (MGU)
• Medical claims analytics
• Disease/care management

Wellness Programs

We can help you find the right wellness program vendor to meet your needs, develop strategies to actively engage your employees, and measure the success of your program.

Our available wellness program resources include:

• Employee assistance programs (EAPs)
• Health risk assessments
• Health/lifestyle coaching (onsite or Web and telephone based)
• Smoking cessation
• Weight management
• Disease management
• Financial counseling

Actuarial Services

We partner with actuaries who specialize in the health care industry, providing expertise on various health care financial matters. By working with specialized actuaries, we are able to assist plan sponsors in implementing solutions in the financing, risk, administration and marketing of health care arrangements.

Services performed include:

• Review of plan performance
• Development of cost saving solutions
• Benefit plan design and analysis
• Unpaid claim (IBNR) estimates and certification
• Retiree health valuations (FAS 106 and GASB)
• Development of premium equivalent rates for self-funded plans
• Medicare Part D actuarial attestations
• Analysis related to consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs)

International Benefits

Our international benefits consulting partners have access to over 40 different countries across the globe with tried and trusted affiliates who will offer high service levels and local knowledge. They are able to translate overseas jargon back into the local tongue as there are many terms that can get misinterpreted and lost in translation.

Available Products and Services include:

• Expatriate employee risk insurances and retirement plans
• International medical, dental and travel plans
• International benchmarking data and local country profiles
• International employee benefits programs for local employees
• Multinational pooling of group risk insurances
• Special risks, including key man life, disability and critical illness
• Due diligence for mergers and acquisitions
• Access to international actuarial expertise
• International private client wealth management
• Access to overseas professionals, accountants, lawyers, HR, payroll and real estate

Limited Medical Plans

Our limited medical benefit plans offer a viable low cost alternative to expensive, comprehensive major medical insurance. Limited medical benefit plans are scaled down versions of major medical plans. They can be offered to employers and also to individuals through trade associations. Limited medical benefit plan designs may be used as either primary insurance or supplemental (gap) coverage. Unlike comprehensive major medical insurance many limited medical benefit plan designs do not base their benefits on actual charges incurred and actually pay based on a fixed benefit indemnity amount when various health care services are utilized.

Areas of coverage in a limited medical plan may include:

• Doctor’s office visits
• Inpatient hospitalization
• X-rays and laboratory work
• Prescription drugs

Health Advocacy Programs

Personal health advocates serve as liaisons with healthcare providers and insurance plans. They help employees locate in-network providers, obtain second opinions, resolve insurance claims and billing errors, assist with eldercare, research treatments and address many other issues. Resolving these issues expertly and efficiently helps increase productivity, saves time and money, and helps both the employee and employer get the most value from the healthcare experience.

Additional services that are available through a health advocacy program include:

• Nurseline
• Medical bill saver
• Medical decision support
• Wellness advocate
• FMLA support

Benefits Administration

The NFP Benefits Integration division provides our clients with a subject matter expert in benefits and human resources administration systems. Seamlessly integrated with the NFP firms’s dedicated client service team, we can assist in the selection, implementation, optimization, project management and ongoing support of benefits and human resources management technology.

While most competitors’ service offerings consist mainly of a benefits enrollment tool, we provide a comprehensive approach to reviewing your existing benefits and human resources administration processes. In contrast, most of our benefit brokerage competitors either do not have the capability to provide these services or, if they do, will promote their own system. The competition fails to recognize that benefits administration for middle market employers is very customized and requires an evaluation of multiple systems to determine the right fit.

Our discovery process includes:

• Examining a client’s current workflow(s)
• Identifying areas of inefficiency/redundancy
• Recommending technology solutions, when appropriate, to streamline the process
• Implementing and supporting the recommended system(s)