Small businesses face a mountain of challenges when it comes to building and growing a viable enterprise.
Between taxes, government regulations, and the uncertainties of economic conditions, being a small business owner can be, well, challenging.
Small businesses – those with less than 100 employees – must take care of their most valuable assets: their employees.
From maintaining their health and safety, to providing competitive pay and benefits, to cultivating a winning culture, the list of responsibilities also includes acquiring and administrating health insurance coverage for employees.
The good news is that the folks at J. C. Lewis Insurance Services are well equipped to help with all of this and more. From finding the right health insurance offerings, to determining dental and vision coverage options, to navigating the enrollment process, we have both the tools and the expertise to make these tasks easier and more manageable.
Common Issues with Health Coverage Administration for Small Businesses
One of the problems that many smaller businesses confront is that they don’t have a Human Resources “department.” In fact, many businesses with less than 20 or so employees often function without any trained HR staff member.
Instead, the HR functions are often managed by the owner, sometimes the owner’s spouse, or even outsourced.
When should your business invest in a certified HR manager? Well, one source noted that,
“According to Bloomberg BNA’s HR Department Benchmarks and Analysis report, the rule-of-thumb ratio is 1.4 full-time HR staff per 100 employees.”
In other words, once a company hits about 70 employees in size, a full-time HR staff person should be included. And, really, anything over five employees should trigger some type of HR assistance for the owners.
One reason for that is because research reveals that owners and executives in smaller businesses spend as much as 12 hours every week on HR tasks:
- 45% of business owners spend 1 day per week or more on HR tasks
- 54% of small business owners manage all employment matters themselves
- 70% of companies with five to 49 employees give HR tasks to employees with little or no HR experience
California Group Health Insurance is a great way to keep and reward valued employees by providing medical protection for them and their families. But small business owners who want to provide insurance options for their employees also have many concerns to consider.
In fact, one of the most onerous sets of responsibilities in HR – benefits administration – is often difficult because of the constant “back-and-forth” of forms and notifications between the insurers or agents, the company administrative staff, and the employees.
Signatures get missed, boxes are left unchecked, vital information is missing…
The delays, errors, and depth of complexity can make the whole endeavor slow and stressful.
And we understand that! At J. C. Lewis, we have always been ready and able to assist employers with the initial set-up, annual renewal, and on-going maintenance needed. Fortunately, all of this can now be professionally and securely managed even without an HR staff on the payroll.
4 Advantages of Using the Ease Program to Manage Health Insurance
Today, with the use of the Ease benefits administration software, we can provide you with better service through a robust yet simple technology solution.
Ease is a modern benefits administration and HR software for you and your employees that we offer for free to our small business clients.
1. Ease Makes it Simple
A comprehensive benefits administration program, Ease makes it simple to set up and manage employee benefits, perform the onboarding of new hires, help your business stay compliant, and even provide your employees one destination for all their human resources information.
2. Helps You Accomplishes Tasks More Easily
Ease accomplishes a variety of tasks and functions while providing a highly professional, efficient, and secure platform for both employers and their employees.
And, if your company does have an HR manager or department, you can provide them with full administrative access, if desired.
3. Walks Employees Through Their Plans When Choosing Coverage
Among other benefits, Ease helps your employees make smarter decisions with their copays, coverage, SBC (Summary of Benefits and Coverage), and puts the actual costs at their fingertips.
Employees can also compare their unique plan details, such as copays and deductibles, in a single view.
Your employees only need to enter their information once and, after completing all required fields, they can digitally sign enrollment forms, eliminating oversights, missed information, and time-consuming moving of forms and other paperwork.
4. Ease is Available 24/7 on Desktop or Mobile
In addition, your employees can access Ease 24/7 using the web, mobile, and iOS or Android apps to view important benefit details year-round.
And, best of all for employers, we can set up, manage, and teach you how to use Ease. And if you have a question we are here for you.
Your Best and Local Source for California Health Insurance Guidance and Services
Health insurance policies in California can be costly, but there are a variety of strategies for keeping those costs at a minimum. Ultimately, however, the more important objective is to provide quality medical protection for you and your family.
J.C. Lewis Insurance Services offers a variety of affordable and flexible options that allow individuals and business owners to choose health insurance coverage options suited to their specific needs.
In addition, we can tailor our recommendations to your particular needs since we are licensed with most major carriers in California. You save time and money, and we can quickly define your insurance needs and recommend the best products and prices to meet those needs.
We are a family-owned and operated California health insurance agent located in Sonoma County. We are licensed to do business in California, and we specialize in medical insurance plans for small businesses, as well as for individuals and families and people with Medicare.
