News

New Director of Client Services Heads Up the ESC Support Center

July 15, 2016

On March 1^st, ESC clients were introduced to a new and improved service model with the ESC Support Center. They now have access to a team of case dedicated Service Representatives, ready to assist them with questions about enrollment, invoices, processes and procedures for ESC plans. We are proud to report that since the implementation, we have received exceptionally positive feedback on both promptness of response times and resolution of concerns. By all reported metrics, the new ESC Support Center is a success!

In our ongoing quest to make our best even better, we’re proud to announce the promotion of Kerri Flowers to Director of Client Services. In addition to direct responsibilities for the ESC Support Center, she will also manage the Marketing Service Reps, Account Service Reps and the Implementation Team. Kerri brings to the team 20 years of experience with Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina in all facets of operations, support and overall member experience, as well as 6 years managing support, provider maintenance and a call center for PAI’s self-funded line of business.

AND OUR CLIENTS HAVE NOTICED…

“I can honestly say that this open enrollment was the smoothest one I have experienced. I give a lot of credit to (ESC) for staying ahead of the process and communicating with us so well.”
- Rachel Stevens, CEBS, SPHR, SHRM-SCP | Director of Benefits & Compensation | Staffmark
“Our experience with Essential StaffCARE has been excellent. In fact, we haven’t had any issues during enrollment. I appreciate the new Indemnity and MEC form. It’s much better and easier for employees to understand. And, in my opinion, the ESC Support Center is very good.”
- Stephanie Zander, Benefit Specialist | Nexeo Staffing
ESC is dedicated to providing employee benefits to the Staffing Industry and helping its clients navigate the complex waters of ACA regulation and compliance. If you have a question or need assistance, please contact your ESC Representative today at (877) 372–2203 or sales@essentialstaffcare.com
ACA Plan Results Are In… ESC Is The Lowest Cost ACA Solution

May 31, 2016

Hundreds of staffing companies are quietly celebrating their ACA strategy. Why? The results are in, and Essential StaffCARE saved them money – a lot of money. ESC had a huge impact on their bottom line, and their ability to compete.

Essential StaffCARE is fully insured with:
- No Upfront Fees
- No Annual Fees
- No Employer Deductible
- No Off Shore Captive
- No Stop-Loss Needed
- No mandatory purchase of MEC on all full-time employees
Unlike some overly complicated plans that charge a set-up fee, and pile on administration fees and fine print, then expose staffing companies to the first $25,000 of medical claims on EACH enrolled employee, ESC’s no risk approach consistently produced the Lowest Total Cost!

Some plans even require the staffing firm to purchase a MEC/Wellness Preventative plan on EVERY full-time employee! This is an unnecessary expense!

Example: Staffing firm with 200 Full-time employees – made the ESC Major Medical MV plan affordable to employees. (5 full-time employees enrolled)

Total annual cost to employer:
With ESC Fully Insured – $31,200
With a “Captive Based Partially Self-Funded Plan” – $149,400 min. to $275,000+
We predicted this would happen. Now we have the numbers to back it up.

This is not just one cherry-picked example. All staffing companies offering ESC’s Fully Insured ACA compliant Major Medical MV plans have similar results.

Our predictions came true. There is more to the picture than just rates.

The ability to consistently predict the results of plan designs, enrollment processes, and plan pricing, comes from decades of experience providing health insurance and employee benefits within the staffing industry.

Our clear understanding of the impact of the Affordable Care Act on the fundamentals of underwriting and pricing of health insurance is reality… not magic.

”Math doesn’t lie or have a political agenda” – ESC

This unmatched experience, combined with our conservative, risk–adverse, results–driven philosophy, guide our plan design, communication and enrollment solutions.

There’s a reason why the largest brokerage and consulting firms in the U.S. look to ESC for ACA solutions for the Staffing Industry
Are you spending too much? Don’t worry, you’re not trapped. ESC has the proven solution.

Contact us now to start saving money:

Call 877.372.2203 or email sales@essentialstaffcare.com to contact your ESC representative.
Insurance Applications Group’s Growth Ranks #2 in the US

May 18, 2016

Employee Benefit Advisor (EBA), the leading online reporter of current benefit news to the broker and advisor community, recognized Insurance Applications Group Inc. (IAG) as the second fastest-growing, large-group brokerage in the US. The list, published on May 13, 2016 in EBA’s online magazine, compares all US brokerages across all industries with $10 million or less in large-group revenue. Backed up by data from business intelligence firm, miEdge, they reported that IAG grew nearly 45% in the large-group market alone during the period 2014-2015.

Insurance Applications Group Inc. serves specific employee benefit market segments with their products: Essential StaffCARE (ESC), the leader in the Staffing Industry vertical, HospitalityCARE (HC) for the hotel and restaurant industry, HealthWrap (HW) to fill the needs of employees with high deductible/high out-of-pocket plans, and unique ACA enrollment and compliance systems for employers in high turnover businesses.

CEO and Founder J. Marshall Dye III was interviewed by the magazine for an article discussing the reasons for IAG’s dramatic growth that will be published in June. When asked what the critical component of his company’s continued acceleration during this critical Affordable Care Act adaptation period was, Dye said “A large part of our success is lending our expertise in technology, application development, and account management processes to brokers, consultants and other strategic and integrated partners to help them succeed in very challenging markets.”

Dye continued, “IAG’s interdisciplinary group of executives provide the industry experience to plot conservative ACA compliance strategies, which allows our clients to confidently operate their businesses with prudent selections of fully-insured risk products. Our new technologies coupled with innovative and dynamic approaches benefit both our clients and our firm by producing long lasting relationships.”

This accolade adds to IAG’s growing list of achievements including being recognized by Inc Magazine as an Inc. 5000 fastest growing private company in America for a sixth year, demonstrating remarkably consistent high growth. Additionally, IAG was presented the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) highest award for an equally impressive six years for “achieving the greatest success in demonstrating exceptional professional knowledge and outstanding client services.”

Click here to see the EBA article