The CHPTA is pleased to be able to offer our member companies two great options for employee group health benefits (3 or more employees) through Benefits Architect Group and The Benefits Trust.
These companies offer outstanding benefit plans at very competitive rates not otherwise available to small groups. The flexible plans can be tailor made for each member, providing the exact coverage and benefits required. So why not try a free, no-obligation quote and see if your company can enhance your existing employee benefits plan or save money on a comparable program today!
Benefits Architect Group is a Canadian-owned innovative leader specializing in multi-product insurance and financial services for over 30 years. Their group benefits, retirement and executive benefits plans are specifically designed and tailored for mid-to-large size companies, as well as small businesses, associations and not-for profit organizations across Canada.
Their Group Benefits experts have over 70 years of collective knowledge and experience from a diverse background such as insurance, underwriting, marketing and plan design. Each expert has a grasp of the vast scope of subject matter encompassing everything from a simple enrolment form to the development of management strategies used to operate a benefit plan.
And because education is a primary focus of theirs, they strive to continually add to their experience and knowledge. It is the way they use and apply their skills that makes them a valuable HR partner – they customize every plan to meet a client’s unique needs.
Their Custom Blueprint Program™ allows them to deliver “best-in-class” range of insurance and financial products, innovative funding and technology together with world class claims and administration services that addresses the unique needs of their clients.
Since 1985, the Benefits Architect Group has been involved in creating and launching a number of Association group benefit programs across Canada including CHPTA’s and as such, several factors have emerged which they have found contributes to the long term financial success of these programs.
These are as follows:
1) Typically, most Association plans require you to take a preset benefit design. They may have different options but usually it means a member has to either give up an existing benefit or add something they don’t currently have. Most benefit plans have developed over time and for specific reasons, having to make changes in order to participate in the program is often seen as a barrier to entry.
The Benefits Architect Group program has no preset plan designs – we simply duplicate the existing plan.
2) Most Association plans will have standard rates for new entrants to the program. The down side to this is that new participants are attracted by rates that are significantly lower than their existing rates. Their rates are high for one main reason – they have poor claims experience! Once in the plan, their poor experience usually continues and eventually becomes a drain on the other members.
The Benefits Architect Group program looks at the claims experience for all new entrants and uses the information to properly set appropriate rates.
3) Most Association plans will renew the account as one big plan and assign an across the board premium increase. This rewards the participants with poor claims experience and penalizes the participants with good claims experience. Over time, the people with good experience leave the Association plan looking for better rates and the people with bad experience stay in causing the rates to increase significantly.
The Benefits Architect Group program renews each participant individually based on their own claims experience. In addition to the group volume savings, members with good claims experience are further rewarded.
These design features have allowed us to save members approximately 12% to 20% on their premiums with no change in benefits.
Based on an annual cost of $3,000 per employee, the savings would range as follows:
Group Size Annual Savings
10 Lives $ 3,600 – $ 6,000
20 Lives $ 7,200 – $12,000
30 Lives $10,800 – $18,000
We have found that these savings are usually significantly more that the cost of membership in the Association and thus act as a real “value added” reason to join the plan and stay.
We use the services of a Third Party Administrator (TPA) as most group benefit providers are reluctant to send billings directly to more than three or four different addresses. If they elect to do so, they will usually charge excessively for doing so.
A large number of the members of their Association group plans are Canadian subsidiaries of American parents. Over the years, they have found that the Benefits Architect Group Association program has been able to deliver a number of advantages to these subsidiaries as follows:
1. Premium savings of 12% to 20% based on volume discounts
2. Direct submission of Drug and Dental claims, no paperwork
3. Claim payments deposited directly to employee bank accounts
4. Claims paid in 2-3 working days
5. Other health providers may directly submit claims – e.g. hospitals
6. Bilingual customer service
7. Free French translation if required
8. Canadian 800 number for employee assistance
9. Canadian broker to get involved in service issues
10. Assistance with Canadian knowledge re Employment Standards and legal issues surrounding employee relationships and taxation.
So why not enhance your existing employee benefits plan or save money on a comparable program today!
For more information or to receive a free, no-obligation quote, please contact:
Michael Jorgenson at CHPTA
(416) 282-0022 ext.134,
mjorgenson@chpta.ca
contact insurance broker Nigel Ottley
(416) 934-1660,
nigel@benefitsarchitect.ca.
Benefits Architect Group
22 Nesbitt Drive,
Toronto, Ontario
M4W 2G3
Phone: (416) 934-1660
Fax: (416) 934-9572
Email: info@benefitsarchitect.ca
Website: www.benefitsarchitect.ca
We help successful business owners build a better benefits plan than they can get anywhere else.
The Benefits Trust helps businesses build a better benefits plan than they can get anywhere else. These custom benefits plans give their clients what they want, rather than what is dictated to them by traditional insurance carriers. Through proper design of a custom benefits plan, their clients have successfully turned group benefits from an expense to a tax effective strategic advantage. Ultimately, what differentiates them is flexibility, clarity and administrative simplicity.
For 25 years, The Benefits Trust has provided Third Party Administration (TPA) services for employer groups of one or more exclusively through our professional insurance advisor distribution network. They are an independent and privately-owned firm with longstanding business relationships with nearly 20 insurance companies and service providers.
As a full-service TPA, they offer custom group benefits solutions with self-insured and insured options for small and mid-sized businesses in Canada. Their full suite of benefits plan services includes:
- Custom Drug, Medical and Dental Plans
- Hybrid Benefit Plans
- Health Care Spending Accounts
- Executive Benefit Plans
- Life, AD&D, Disability, Critical Illness, Group Travel, and EAP billing
- Stop Loss attachment levels from $7,500 and up
- Solutions for family businesses, seasonal employees, and more!
Their process helps companies gain complete control over employee benefit costs; maximizes plan design flexibility; and enhances tax advantaged benefit opportunities for key executives and highly compensated employees.
They communicate. Clients are never surprised by the financial results of their employee benefits plans, due to the monthly reporting, regular communication from account representatives, and detailed yet simplified plan administration.
They are friendly. If clients or members have questions or concerns they call them and they answer the phone. No need to enter a ten digit PIN, and no waiting in a queue. They will speak with one of their team members immediately, so they can answer any questions and resolve all concerns in a timely fashion.
They are fast. 99% of all Health and Dental claims are processed the same day they receive them. They allow electronic claims submission and direct deposit to ensure members are reimbursed as quickly as possible. Claims may be submitted electronically through their mobile claims app, online claims submission form, email or fax, as well as EDI and pay-direct drug card.
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
For Quotes, Solutions, Sales Ideas, Plan Design Discussions contact:
Robert Crowder at rcrowder@thebenefitstrust.com
Mike Ignatz at mignatz@thebenefitstrust.com.
You can also speak to Nicole Gamble at CHPTA
(416) 282-0022 ext.225,
ngamble@chpta.ca
For Claims or Coverage Questions
Call or email directly at the below contact info:
The Benefits Trust
3800 Steeles Avenue West
Vaughan, Ontario L4L 4G9
Phone: (905) 264-8990 or (416) 498-7723
Toll Free: (800) 264-1123
Email: info@thebenefitstrust.com
Website: www.thebenefitstrust.com
