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Employee Benefit Services

Small Group Health, Life, Disability, Dental & More

True Choice Benefits LLC specializes in providing customized benefit consulting to small employers. Our edge is developing strategies they can use to lower premium costs, pay less in taxes, and help employees take control of their health and how they spend their health care dollars.

OUR BENEFITS & SERVICES

Designed for groups of 2 to 50

HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR ACA COMPLIANCE SERVICES

Affordable Care Act

Staying on top of the Affordable Care Act can be especially difficult for small business owners who do not have a dedicated “full-functioning” HR.   True Choice Benefits helps with ACA reporting, legislative guidance and updates, employee education and more.

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Shelly Winson is an insurance professional with more than 30 years of experience. She specializes in helping small businesses and employer groups with the important, and almost always complicated task of purchasing group health, life and other employee benefits.

Most people don’t consider that one illness or accident can quickly wipe out a nest egg and take away an employee’s ability to earn a living without the proper coverage. Shelly can help you offer affordable, but valuable benefits and perks that give your employees extra piece of mind and financial protection, ultimately helping them to be happier, more productive workers. 

Affordable, Total Employee Protection

100%

  • Group Plan

    Major Medical

  • Group or Voluntary Plan

    Dental & Vision

  • Group or Voluntary Plan

    Life & Disability

  • Voluntary Plan

    Hospital, Accident

  • Voluntary Plan

    Critical Illness

  • Other Voluntary

    Legal, Pet, Advocacy

Request FREE Consultation


Shelly Winson is an insurance professional with more than 30 years of experience. She specializes in helping small businesses and employer groups with the important, and almost always complicated task of purchasing group health, life and other employee benefits.

Most people don’t consider that one illness or accident can quickly wipe out a nest egg and take away an employee’s ability to earn a living without the proper coverage. Shelly can help you offer affordable, but valuable benefits and perks that give your employees extra piece of mind and financial protection, ultimately helping them to be happier, more productive workers. 

About Us

True Choice Benefits offers advice and assists Medicare recipients and individuals with Medicare enrollment, health, life and other types of insurance and financial protection plans.

Contact us

PO Box 1914 Chandler AZ 85244-1914

Phone: (480) 750-9974
Fax: (480) 750-7062

Medicare Disclaimer – Important! We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 12 of 19 organizations which offer 117 of 146 Medicare Advantage & PDP products in your area. You can always contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.   

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Pet Services Discount Plan

Veterinary help fast for beloved dogs and cats – reach out 24/7 for $0 visit fee by phone or chat, in addition to savings on everyday pet needs including food, toys, sitting and more.

Legal Services

Legal Assistance:  Peace of mind with 9 free services, deeply discounted rates for common legal issues, and 40% off the hourly rate from the country’s largest legal savings network.

Identity Theft Protection:  Fraud monitoring and identity management services to reduce the risk of identity theft. Personalized, 24/7 unlimited resolution assistance, when needed. Includes up to 4 adult dependents.

Advocacy Services

How much will your procedure cost? Where can you find a quality provider? Were you billed correctly? Call your personal Advisor for help with these questions, as well as bill negotiation and more.

Employee Wellness

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates that health insurers include preventative and wellness benefits to help reduce healthcare costs for all parties.  As a result most group health insurers include wellness benefits in their comprehensive coverage, designed to improve lives and keep members healthy. Your group health plan will generally include services like:

  • Preventative medical screenings
  • Free or discounted gym memberships
  • Diet advice
  • Disease management
  • Telehealth
  • Mental health services
  • And much more.

To meet the increasing demand for employer-sponsored wellness programs, True Choice Benefits also works with several top wellness vendors who can provide additional, affordable strategies for those employers wanting to take wellness to a higher level.

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Compliance

True Choice Benefits will assist you in complying with the requirements of the Affordable Care Act in many ways.  We are continually monitoring and updating ourselves on the ever changing law and have designed our services to keep our clients compliant and informed.

  • We will design benefit coverage to meet the requirements of the ACA
  • We assist with tracking hours
  • We ensure eligible employees are offered coverage
  • We assist with the reporting process and necessary tax forms
  • We handle employee notices
Additional Highlights of the ACA

Do you have to offer benefits to your employees?  Employers who have more than 50 full-time equivalent employees must offer those employees benefits that pay for 60% of the minimum essential benefits.   If you are in non-compliance, you will incur a penalty of $2,880 (projected 2023) per year multiplied by the number of full-time employees, and excludes the first 30 employees. Additionally, the penalty is increased each year by the growth in insurance premiums.  However, note you may also incur a penalty when at least one of your employees receives a premium tax credit in the Health Insurance Marketplace (Exchange).

Underwriting Guidelines

  • Insurance companies can not increase rates or deny coverage because of a pre-existing condition.
  • Dependents can remain on policies until they turn 26 years old.
  • Insurance companies can not consider gender when setting rates.
  • Employer renewals must be based on the same rates as new business.
  • The waiting period for employer benefits should not exceed 90 days.
Tax Advantaged Plans

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are examples of tax-advantaged employee benefit plan options designed to reduce payroll taxes, which in turn save both employers and employees money on healthcare, and other qualified expenses, such as childcare. True Choice Benefits can help you implement, administer, and comply with any of the following innovate tax-advantaged benefit programs. The plans are similar in some ways, but also vary, each having unique advantages and savings opportunities.

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Many group health plans benefit by having a Health Savings Account (HSA) feature that combines a high deductible/lower premium health insurance plan (PPO) with a savings account. Both employer and employee can contribute, tax-free to the savings account, which can help fund the deductible and other qualified medical expenses. Then, the insurance will begin paying claims, once the deductible is satisfied.

Health Reimbursement Account (HRA)

A Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) combines high deductible/low premium health insurance with a tax favored savings account. Employers contribute to the savings account, which can be used for to fund co-pays and other qualified expenses prior to the deductible being met.

Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is a cafeteria plan under Section 125 of the tax code and allows for benefits to be paid with pre-tax dollars which results in tax savings to both the employee and the employer. The average working employee in America spends thousands of dollars annually on certain types of medical benefits, daycare expenses and transportation services. By participating in an FSA, the employee funds the plan through regular pre-tax payroll deductions, which reduces his/her taxable income, and increases the percentage of pay they take home. The account allows them to pay for these benefits and services with the pre-taxed dollars, in essence giving them a discount on these services. The administrator of the FSA account can issue a debit card that is tied to the FSA making it easy to use the account when needed.

Defined Contribution Plans

The benefits of selecting a Defined Contribution Plan are many for both the employer and employee. An employee is more involved in their own healthcare choices and can choose a plan that is tailored around his/her needs, which reduces risk on employers. Also, both employer and employee save a significant amount of money on premiums and taxes, while retaining health benefits that are just as good, if not better than a traditional group plan. Different than the “one size fits all” model, the idea of a defined contribution health plan allows employees to choose a health insurance plan of their choice with funds (a fixed dollar amount – a “defined contribution”) given to them (set aside) by the employer.

Note these are brief descriptions. Please contact us for more details on any of these tax-saving benefit options.

Voluntary Benefits

Ancillary benefits, also known as voluntary or worksite benefits, create a financial safety-net for your employees by augmenting employer-paid benefits. These value-add benefits can be purchased by an employee through pre-taxed payroll deductions, at a discounted group rate, at little or no additional cost to the employer.

The financial health, or absence of financial related stress, of your employees is an important part of the overall “employee wellness” picture. Worrying about finances can result in a wide range of (serious) health issues for employees. Offering supplemental, voluntary benefits such as life, disability, dental or vision, if not already part of the core offering, or the ability to “buy up” or purchase additional coverage at reduced “group employer rates” rates provides employees with financial security, and gets employers one step closer to a healthier, more productive workforce.

Types of Voluntary Benefits
  • Life Insurance (Term & Permanent)
  • Dental/Vision
  • Disability
  • Cancer/Heart/Stroke – Pays cash benefits directly to the employee to help with the struggle of fighting critical illness
  • Accident – Pays cash benefits to help with medical and out-of-pocket expenses that follow accidental injuries
  • Hospital Indemnity – Pays a lump sum cash payment to help with out-of-pocket expenses and covers you when you are off work due to a hospital stay.
  • Gap Plans– Supplements a high deductible major medical and comprehensive benefit package, paying copays and deductibles.

With the negative impact of the pandemic on engagement and performance, these programs are rapidly expanding and taking on a new purpose when it comes to helping employees have the personal energy needed to survive and thrive through tough times. True Choice Benefits can help you evaluate, implement and manage various types of financial wellness benefits for your company.

Traditional Group Employee Benefits
Major Medical Group Health

HMO’s (Health Maintenance Organization) offer a comprehensive package of covered health care services in return for a prepaid monthly amount (or “premium”). The HMO may charge a small co-payment depending upon the type of service provided. Members are required to obtain services from doctors and hospitals affiliated with the HMO.

PPO’s (Preferred Provider Organization) will save employees the most money if they use providers within the PPO network. Deductibles must be met on this plan before some services will be covered. PPOs require a co-pay for physician visits and some other healthcare services. The great thing about a PPO is it’s rich network of quality doctors and healthcare facilities, and the ability to utilize healthcare services outside of your deductible. For example, doctors visits.

Employee Wellness:  The Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates that health insurers include preventative and wellness benefits to help reduce healthcare costs for all parties. As a result most group health insurers include wellness benefits in their comprehensive coverage, designed to improve lives and keep members healthy. Your group health plan will generally include services like preventative medical screenings, free or discounted gym memberships, diet advice, disease management, telehealth, mental health services and much more.

Group Life – Term and Permanent

According to many surveys, life insurance is a highly coveted staple benefit for your employees. Whether employer paid or voluntary, life insurance provides your employees with peace of mind are likely to be more productive when they feel secure that their loved ones will be taken care of, in the event of illness or an untimely death.

Group Dental and Vision

As with life insurance, dental and vision are highly desired benefits that employees consider, even over salary, when seeking a job. And not only are these benefits good for your employees, but they are also good for your business, as routine dental and vision care have proven effective in helping employees to stay healthier and more productive in the workplace.

Group Disability (Short and Long Term)

Disability coverage is another staple benefit ranked in the top 5 of most important benefits employees desire. Savvy employers attract and retain top talent by offering both STD and LTD insurance as part of the employer paid benefit package or as a voluntary (worksite) benefit.

Group Medicare

A service provided to our clients’ retirees and other eligible employees, we help tackle the challenges of ever increasing premiums and health care costs by guiding them to the best Medicare Supplement or Advantage Plan that leaves them with the least expenses, and has the lowest premium.

Health Savings Account Or HSA

If you are looking to save money on insurance premiums and taxes, a health savings account program is an excellent benefit choice. HSA programs work well for individuals and families, as well as for employers of all sizes.

Advantages:

  • Contributions to your health savings account are tax deductible.
  • Dollars in your health savings account earn interest tax-deferred and roll over from year to year until you decide to use them.
  • Withdrawals from your health savings account are tax-free as long as you use them for qualified medical expenses, as defined by the IRS.

As of 2020, nearly 63 million Americans are were covered by HSA qualified health plans. Check out the full report on Americans covered by HSA programs: 2020 Devenir & HSA Council Demographic Report.

The concept is simple. Think of a three-legged stool:

1st: You start with a qualified health plan. When you are enrolled in a qualified high deductible health plan, as defined by the IRS, you have the right to open and fund a health savings account with tax-free dollars.

2nd: You open your health savings account with a bank of your choice. You are allowed to contribute up to IRS determined contribution limits each tax year. Your contribution limit is based upon whether your HSA qualified health plan covers you or you and one or more dependents. The IRS Dollars contributed to your health savings account enjoy special tax advantages.

3rd: You utilize health and wellness tools offered by your insurance company or other organizations to learn how to improve your health, how to use your benefits to your best advantage, and to compare medical services and service providers when you need to seek care. Having a higher deductible health plan gives you a great incentive to really pay attention to the care you need, and to the cost of that care.

Many people save significantly on their health plan premiums, and use that savings to begin contributions to their health savings account. Dollars contributed to the account stay there until you decides to withdraw them. There is no use-it-or-lose-it rule, as there is with flexible spending accounts. As long as the HSA funds are used for qualified medical expenses, as defined by the IRS, you will not pay taxes on them. For many Americans, this is a significant savings.

You can contribute to your health savings account until you turn 65, as long as you’re covered by a qualified high deductible health plan. When you turn 65, you can continue to spend your HSA dollars tax-free for qualified medical expenses. After you’re 65, you can also spend HSA dollars for non-medical expenses without penalty; you’ll just pay current income taxes on dollars spent for non-medical expenses.