Florida small businesses face a tough math problem: traditional group health is expensive, employees expect benefits, and SHOP plans rarely beat the open market. I build benefit packages around your actual headcount, payroll, and goals — from small group health to ICHRA reimbursement, key-person life, and voluntary benefits. Bilingual support for owners and HR teams.
How we set up your group benefits — five steps
Census & budget review
Headcount, ages, ZIP codes, dependents, current spending. We model what’s possible at $200/employee/month, $400, $600 — you pick the budget, we work backward.
Funding model selection
Traditional fully-insured group health, level-funded (with potential refund), self-funded with stop-loss, or ICHRA reimbursement. Each has very different cash flow and risk profiles.
Carrier & plan shopping
Quotes from Florida Blue, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Humana, Ambetter Group, and level-funded carriers. We rank by total cost (premium + expected claims) and network depth.
Voluntary & ancillary benefits
Dental, vision, group life, short- and long-term disability, accident, and critical illness — layered on top so employees feel covered without ballooning the employer cost.
Enrollment & ongoing service
Open enrollment meetings (English & Spanish), employee 1:1s, ID-card support, claim assistance, and an annual renewal review where we re-shop the market every year.
Solutions by group size
Micro group (2–9 employees)
Often best served by ICHRA or QSEHRA — reimburse employees for individual ACA plans tax-free without managing a group. Predictable monthly cost, no participation requirements, employees pick their own doctor networks.
Small group (10–49)
Sweet spot for level-funded plans — lower fixed cost than fully-insured, with a year-end refund if claims are below expected. Optional HSA-compatible plans for employees who want tax-advantaged savings.
Mid-market (50+)
Hits ACA employer mandate territory: must offer affordable coverage to full-time employees. We layer self-funded or partially self-funded health with stop-loss insurance, plus key-person life and executive disability.
What is ICHRA, and why are FL employers switching? An Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement lets you give each employee a tax-free monthly allowance to buy their own ACA plan. You set the budget; they pick the plan. No premium spikes from one sick employee, no participation requirements, no plan design headaches. For groups with diverse ages or part-time workers, ICHRA can reduce employer cost by 20–40% while improving employee choice.
How small can a group be?
Florida small group is defined as 1–50 W-2 employees. With ICHRA we can serve groups as small as one employee plus the owner. Sole proprietors typically use individual ACA plans instead.
What does the employer have to contribute?
Most carriers require the employer to pay at least 50% of the employee-only premium, with at least 70% of eligible employees enrolled. ICHRA has no minimum contribution or participation rule — you decide.
How does level-funded health work?
You pay a fixed monthly amount that covers expected claims, admin, and stop-loss insurance. If actual claims come in below expectations, you get a refund at year-end. If they spike, stop-loss caps your liability. Lower regulatory burden than fully self-funded, more upside than fully-insured.
Can I offer different plans to different employees?
Yes — with ICHRA, you can set different reimbursement amounts for full-time vs. part-time, or by job class (e.g., salaried vs. seasonal). With traditional group health, all employees in the same class must be offered the same options to comply with non-discrimination rules.
What about key-person and buy-sell coverage?
Critical for owner-operator businesses. Key-person life and disability insure the income generated by an owner or top producer; buy-sell life funds a partner buyout if a co-owner dies. We structure both alongside group health.
Can my Spanish-speaking employees enroll comfortably?
Yes. I conduct enrollment meetings, plan walkthroughs, and 1:1s in both English and Spanish — including translated benefit summaries.
Build a benefit package your team will actually use.
Send your census; in 5 business days you’ll have side-by-side fully-insured, level-funded, and ICHRA options — with real numbers, not generic ranges.