What Sets ICSO H&W Apart

Services Provided to Participating Employers

• Carrier negotiation and benefit program design counsel. ICSO H&W utilizes Gibson as the broker for benefit programs and carrier negotiations. They are the primary contact for benefits design and pricing with all carriers for the ICSO H&W program in general. Benefit programs include Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D, Supplemental Life, Disability, Identity Theft Protection, Flexible Spending Accounts, and Critical Illness and Accident policies.
• Day-to-day benefits contact for participating employees and retirees available to answer questions on benefits, claim issues with carriers, coverage questions and changes, etc.
• Special dispute resolution and follow up with carriers (on an exception basis) where appeals of carrier determinations are necessary.
• Actuarial review and evaluation of retiree obligations. (ICSO H&W uses Sibson-Segal for this review and they provide evaluations for footnote comments for inclusion in participating organizations certified financial statements.)
• Establishment and administration of a Cafeteria Benefit Plan including Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for participating organization employees.
• Program and benefit design information sharing between the participating organizations for ongoing consistency of similar organizations on a national basis.
• Annual administration of “Open Enrollment” operations for participating organization employees and retirees.
• Filing of all required benefits program documentation (Form 5500 is the primary).
• Maintenance of the information base to provide required notices to participating organization employees and retirees. This includes mailing/electronic communication of required data.

 

Employers Who Will Benefit From the ICSO H&W Model

Employers that want to:

• Attract and retain qualified employees
• Provide a competitive level of employee benefits at a reasonable cost
• Increase efficiency – “Do more with less”
• Focus on their business not their benefits
• Make better informed decisions around health & welfare benefits for employees and retirees
  • Leverage knowledge of employer best practices
  • Increase bargaining power by joining a larger pool
  • Obtain administrative/consultative support with benefits issues

How ICSO H&W Stands Apart

Offering a comprehensive suite of health & welfare options:

• Active Medical
• Retiree Medical for Non-Medicare and Medicare retirees
• Dental
• Vision
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Basic Life and AD&D Insurance
• Supplemental Life Insurance
• Short- and Long-term Disability Insurance
• Continuation/Conversion of Coverage
  • Medical insurance continuation for disabled employees
  • Continuation of coverage for surviving spouse/dependents
  • Life insurance Continuation or Conversion
  • COBRA or State Continuation
• Providing coverage options for different populations
  • Active employees
  • Non-Medicare retirees (generally Pre-65)
  • Medicare retirees
  • Eligible dependents
• Meeting the critical needs of small & large employers
• Regulatory compliance
• Shared administrative cost and services

ICSO H&W Long Term Objectives

• Availability of comprehensive and affordable health & welfare products fulfilling employers’ commitments to employees and retirees
• Health & welfare options that allow employees and employers to select products that best suit their individual needs
• Mutually successful long term relationship with NAMIC, Gibson and other vendor partners
• Consistent satisfactory service in a changing environment
• Necessary resources and communications available to assure employer and employee understanding of benefits
• Effective handling of administrative issues as they arise
• Expansion in number of participating employers and employees
• Satisfactory management of health care reform impact over time
• Pursue single plan concept

 

FAQ’s

 

Q. What are requirements to become a participating employer?

A. A company must be insurance related to become a participating employer and must enroll in two different benefit offerings.  For example, some of our participating employers come from FAIR plans, Property Insurance plans, Guaranty Associations, Underwriting Groups and Auto clubs.

Q. When does enrollment start?

A. Enrollment into the ICSO H&W program may begin at any time.

Q. When do the benefits start?

A. Typically the benefits are scheduled to coincide with your program renewals.  July 1 and January 1 are the most common benefit start dates.

Q. May I use my broker or must I use ICSO H&W’s broker?

A. While it’s not required, assigning Gibson Insurance as your broker allows for greater flexibility in presenting options, especially with regard to your medical carrier selection.

Q. Do you require a minimum number of employees?

A. No minimum number of employees is required.  ICSO H&W has participating employers with as few as two employees.

Q. Do I have to sign up for all of the benefits?

A. A participating company is required to select two benefit options. It is not required to enroll in all available benefit options.  You may choose the benefits that meet your employee’s needs and company budget.

Q. Is there a contract (minimum number of years)?

A. Participating employers are required to sign a participation agreement.  There are no time limits on participation.

Q. What is the cost to participate in the Trust?

A. Fees are assessed annually.  Participation fees are based on benefit enrollment, medical and non-medical.