Frequently asked questions

Oregon, Washington, California, Montana, Utah and Idaho, with offices in Oregon, Washington, Montana and Utah.

Yes. Small and mid-sized employer groups are the heart of the practice.

We shop the carriers, build the plan lineup, run enrollment and renewals, answer employee questions and keep the compliance paperwork moving all year.

Medical carriers including Regence, MODA, Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna and Cigna, and dental, vision, life and disability carriers including Ameritas, Guardian, MetLife, Principal, Sun Life and Unum.

Call 503-702-7764 for Oregon, Washington and California or 406-404-6378 for Montana, Utah and Idaho, or send the quote form. Having your employee count and locations ready speeds things up.

We shop the carriers at renewal, build the plan lineup, run open enrollment, add new hires, process terminations, send the continuation notices that apply and answer employee questions as they come up.

A tiered rate sets one price per coverage tier, so every enrolled employee in that tier pays the same. An age-rated plan sets a rate per person based on age, and your bill is the sum of those individual rates.

Oregon small groups are usually tiered and many Washington groups are age rated, so two employers with the same plan design can get rate sheets that read very differently.

It is not required, but it is how we keep windows, elections and confirmations straight. We set it up, load your plans and walk your employees through it.

Small group plans are available to quite small employers, and the exact minimum depends on the carrier and the state. Call the office with your employee count and we will tell you what you qualify for.

Yes. Many employers offer two or three plans so employees can trade premium against deductible. We will show you how a multiple plan lineup changes your contribution and your administration.

Both. The same people who quote your plan set up the enrollment system, run open enrollment, add new hires, process terminations and answer your employees' questions all year.

It is who pays. On an employer paid plan the company funds some or all of the premium. On a voluntary plan the employee pays through payroll and the company sponsors the plan so the employee gets group rates.

Many do on major work such as crowns and bridges, and some waive them when a group is moving from prior coverage. We check the waiting period language on every quote we bring you.

It depends on the network. A PPO plan usually pays something out of network, and a prepaid plan generally does not. We compare the networks against where your employees actually live before you choose.

A medical plan may cover a medical eye problem, but routine vision exams and the allowance for glasses or contacts are what a vision plan is for. The two are not the same benefit.

For most groups, yes. The premium is small, the employee pays it through payroll, and it gives your people access to group pricing and a network they would not get buying on their own.

Yes. They are commonly sold together because it is simpler to administer, but a vision plan can stand on its own. We will quote it either way.

It is the amount of coverage an employee can elect without answering health questions, usually only when they are first eligible. Waiting until a later year often means going through underwriting instead.

Group life normally ends with employment, though many plans allow the employee to convert or port some coverage. We tell departing employees what their options are as part of the termination steps.

A flat amount is simpler to explain and budget. A salary multiple scales with pay and reads as more generous to higher earners. We will price both against your census so you can see the difference.

Employers often start with short term because employees use it more often, but long term protects against the larger loss. We will price both so you can decide with real numbers for your group.

It is the waiting time between the disability starting and the first benefit payment. A longer elimination period lowers the premium and puts more of the early weeks on the employee.

It depends on who paid the premium and how. This is worth a short conversation with your accountant, and we are glad to join it so everyone is working from the same plan details.

Not in premium. The employee pays through payroll. The company's cost is the administration, and we handle most of that as part of running your enrollment.

Two or three that fit your group. A long list confuses people at enrollment, and a confused employee usually elects nothing at all.

Usually only when they are newly eligible or have a qualifying life event. We track those windows for you so a new hire or a life change does not get missed.