What is level funding and is it right for a 25-person group?

A self-funded plan with a fixed monthly cost and stop-loss insurance; if claims run low, part of the surplus may be refunded. KFF 2026 reports 38% of covered workers at small firms are in level-funded plans. It fits groups with good claims experience; the quote comes with the fully insured alternative side by side.

What is an ICHRA and why would a small employer use one?

An Individual Coverage HRA (renamed the CHOICE Arrangement in 2026 federal messaging): the employer sets a fixed tax-free monthly allowance by employee class, employees buy individual coverage, and the group renewal letter goes away. Works for any size; the allowance must be offered on the same terms within a class.

Benefit lines

Every Line We Quote, In One Place

Medical funding models, dental and vision, group life and disability, voluntary benefits and retirement — what each one is and the design choice that matters.

Group Medical: Three Ways To Fund It

Fully Insured

The carrier takes the claims risk; you pay a fixed premium. Community-rated for small groups under the ACA, so the renewal reflects the carrier's whole small-group pool.

Level-Funded

Self-funded with stop-loss; fixed monthly cost; part of the surplus may be refunded if claims run low. 38% of covered workers at small firms are in level-funded plans (KFF 2026).

ICHRA / CHOICE

A fixed tax-free allowance; employees buy individual coverage. No group renewal. Works at any size; classes must be treated the same.

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Dental & Vision

Dental PPOs pay a percentage of usual-and-customary charges with an annual maximum (the maximum is shown on every quote); DHMOs trade network choice for lower premiums. Vision plans cover an exam and an allowance for frames or contacts. Both can be employer-paid, shared or 100% voluntary through the Section 125 plan.

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Group Life, AD&D & Disability

Group Term Life

Employer-paid coverage up to $50,000 is excluded from employee income under IRC §79; coverage above $50,000 is imputed using the IRS Premium Table. IRS, Group-Term Life Insurance.

Short- & Long-Term Disability

Replaces a share of income after an elimination period. If the employer pays the premium, benefits are taxable; if the employee pays after-tax, benefits are tax-free — a design choice we walk through.

AD&D

Pays only for accidental death or dismemberment; inexpensive because most deaths are not accidents. A supplement, never a substitute.

Voluntary Benefits

Employee-paid, payroll-deducted, group-priced: accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, legal, identity and pet. Design note: run them pre-tax through the Section 125 plan and some benefit payments become taxable; after-tax keeps benefits tax-free. We quote both ways.

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