Employer Benefits
Resource Center
Practical guides, calculators, checklists and tools to help employers control healthcare costs, stay compliant and build a better benefits program.
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Choose an objective to see the most relevant resources for your situation.
Recommended starting points
Six resources that give employers the clearest picture of where their plan stands and what to do next.
Self-Funding 101 — Employer's Guide to Self-Funding
Understand how self-funding works, what financial risk the employer assumes, how stop-loss protects the plan, and what to evaluate before making a change.
Self-Funded vs. Fully-Insured Decision Framework
A structured comparison of self-funding and fully-insured arrangements across cost, risk, flexibility, compliance, and cash flow dimensions.
Pharmacy Cost-Containment Strategies — Employer Guide
Practical strategies to reduce pharmacy spend: formulary design, specialty drug management, biosimilar adoption, site-of-care optimization, and PBM contract terms.
Comprehensive Employer Compliance Guide
End-to-end compliance reference covering ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA, PCORI, mental health parity, and annual notice requirements for employer-sponsored health plans.
The Health Rosetta Framework: A Better Way to Buy Healthcare
The eight principles of high-performance health plan design — from direct primary care and reference-based pricing to transparent pharmacy and advanced primary care.
Benefits Strategic Planning Framework
A structured process for developing a multi-year benefits strategy: current state assessment, goal setting, vendor evaluation, implementation roadmap, and success metrics.
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28 resources
Self-Funding 101 — Employer's Guide to Self-Funding
Understand how self-funding works, what financial risk the employer assumes, how stop-loss protects the plan, and what to evaluate before making a change.
Self-Funded vs. Fully-Insured Decision Framework
A structured comparison of self-funding and fully-insured arrangements across cost, risk, flexibility, compliance, and cash flow dimensions.
Pharmacy Cost-Containment Strategies — Employer Guide
Practical strategies to reduce pharmacy spend: formulary design, specialty drug management, biosimilar adoption, site-of-care optimization, and PBM contract terms.
Comprehensive Employer Compliance Guide
End-to-end compliance reference covering ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA, PCORI, mental health parity, and annual notice requirements for employer-sponsored health plans.
The Health Rosetta Framework: A Better Way to Buy Healthcare
The eight principles of high-performance health plan design — from direct primary care and reference-based pricing to transparent pharmacy and advanced primary care.
Benefits Strategic Planning Framework
A structured process for developing a multi-year benefits strategy: current state assessment, goal setting, vendor evaluation, implementation roadmap, and success metrics.
Self-Funded Readiness Assessment Tool
Evaluate whether your organization is a good candidate for self-funding. Covers employee count, claims history, cash flow, risk tolerance, and administrative capacity.
Medical Captives: An Employer Guide to Smarter Self-Funding
How group captive arrangements work, risk pooling mechanics, underwriting requirements, governance structures, and when a captive makes sense for your organization.
Captive vs. Fully Insured Calculator
Compare the projected cost and risk profile of a group captive arrangement against a traditional fully-insured plan for your employee population.
Medical Stop-Loss Contract Comparison
Key contract terms to evaluate when comparing stop-loss carriers: specific and aggregate attachment points, lasering provisions, run-in/run-out coverage, and renewal protections.
TPA Evaluation Guide
How to evaluate and select a third-party administrator for a self-funded health plan. Covers claims processing, network access, reporting, compliance support, and fee structures.
PBM Savings Calculator Tool
Estimate potential pharmacy savings from PBM contract renegotiation, spread pricing elimination, rebate pass-through, and formulary optimization.
2026 ACA Employer Mandate Checklist
Step-by-step checklist for ALE compliance: ALE status determination, minimum essential coverage, affordability safe harbors, 1094-C/1095-C reporting, and penalty exposure.
ACA Penalty Calculator Reference Sheet
Quick-reference guide for calculating ACA employer shared responsibility penalties under Section 4980H(a) and 4980H(b), with 2026 and 2027 indexed amounts.
IRS Health Plan Affordability — 2027 Pay-or-Play Rules
Updated affordability percentage (10.22% projected for 2027), safe harbor methods, and how to structure employee contributions to avoid ACA penalties.
ERISA Plan Document Compliance Checklist
Verify your plan documents meet ERISA requirements: plan document, SPD, SMM, claims and appeals procedures, fiduciary governance, and required notices.
ERISA Claims & Appeals Procedures
Required timelines, notice requirements, and procedural standards for health plan claims and appeals under ERISA and the ACA external review rules.
COBRA Notice Requirements & Deadlines
Required COBRA notices, qualifying event timelines, election periods, premium payment rules, and common compliance pitfalls for group health plan administrators.
PCORI Fee Calculator Reference Guide
Calculate PCORI fees for self-funded health plans: 2026 rate ($3.22/covered life), covered life counting methods, and IRS Form 720 filing requirements.
FMLA Compliance Tracker & Calculator
Track FMLA leave balances, calculate leave entitlements, manage notice requirements, and document intermittent leave for compliance and audit readiness.
Arkansas COBRA Guidelines
State-specific COBRA continuation coverage requirements for Arkansas employers, including mini-COBRA provisions for small employers under 20 employees.
Arkansas State Labor Poster Requirements
Required federal and Arkansas state labor law posters for employers: which posters are required, where to post them, and how to stay current with updates.
HSA & HDHP Employer Guide
How to design and administer an HSA-compatible high-deductible health plan: contribution limits, eligibility rules, employer contributions, and employee communication.
HSA Contribution Limits for 2027
IRS-indexed HSA contribution limits for 2027 (projected): individual and family coverage, catch-up contributions, HDHP minimum deductibles, and out-of-pocket maximums.
5 Strategies to Reduce Employer Healthcare Costs
Five evidence-based strategies employers can implement to reduce health plan costs without shifting burden to employees: self-funding, PBM reform, direct contracting, reference-based pricing, and advanced primary care.
8 Tips for Effective Open Enrollment Communication
Practical communication strategies to improve employee understanding and engagement during open enrollment: timing, channels, plain language, and decision support tools.
Identifying and Retaining Key Employees
How to use executive benefits, supplemental life and disability insurance, and non-qualified deferred compensation to attract and retain key talent.
Executive Life & Disability Insurance: Protecting Key Employees
Structuring supplemental life and long-term disability coverage for executives and key employees: carve-out plans, split-dollar arrangements, and buy-sell funding.
Learning paths
Curated resource sequences for employers who want more than a single download.
Considering Self-Funding
A guided sequence for employers evaluating whether to move from fully-insured to self-funded.
Fixing Pharmacy Costs
A step-by-step path to understanding and reducing your plan's pharmacy spend.
Building a Compliance Program
The essential compliance resources for employer-sponsored health plan administrators.
Books & podcasts
Essential reading and listening for employers and advisors who want to go deeper on healthcare reform and benefits strategy.
Recommended Books
Get a Scored Assessment of Your Benefits Plan
The Benefits IQ Checkup™ scores your plan across 6 strategic pillars and 12 weighted performance domains — funding strategy, pharmacy performance, compliance, cost containment, employee experience, and vendor accountability. You'll receive a personalized results report with specific recommendations.
Employer Compliance Hub
A free, interactive compliance dashboard covering 22 employer health plan obligations. Get a personalized compliance score, live calculators, checklists, and a corrective action tracker — all in one place. No login, no subscription, no personal data required.
ERISA
- Plan Documents & SPD
- Form 5500 Annual Reporting
- Fiduciary Duties & Vendor Oversight
ACA
- ALE Status & Shared Responsibility
- 1094-C / 1095-C Reporting
- Section 125 Cafeteria Plan
COBRA
- COBRA Administration
- Qualifying Event Notices
- Election & Premium Deadlines
HIPAA
- Privacy Program
- Security & Breach Response
- BAA Management
CAA & Transparency
- Gag Clause Attestation
- Machine-Readable Files
- RxDC Pharmacy Reporting
- PBM Compensation Disclosure
Benefits & Leave
- Mental Health Parity (MHPAEA)
- HSA / HDHP Compliance
- Nondiscrimination Testing
- FMLA, ADA & Leave
- PCORI Fee (Form 720)
- Medicare Secondary Payer & Part D
22
Compliance modules
ACA · ERISA · COBRA · HIPAA · CAA · Pharmacy · Leave · Benefits
Live calculators included
- ACA penalty estimator
- COBRA deadline tracker
- PCORI fee calculator
- FMLA leave tracker
- Compliance score (0–100)
Corrective action tracker
Mark modules complete, flag items for review, and track your compliance posture over time — all in your browser, no account needed.
Complete the 126-Point Benefits Benchmarking Assessment
Identify gaps, opportunities and priorities for your benefits program. Takes about 20 minutes. No obligation.