Home Furnishings Association members who visit the Resource Center at Las Vegas Market will see a new face near the B 1050 entrance. They should stop and say hello, because he’s there to help meet a pressing need: How to offer your employees high-quality, affordable medical insurance.
He is Tyler Davis, senior account executive for Decisely, a benefits broker and HR services firm. HFA and Decisely are working together to create an Association Health Plan for HFA members.
“Association Health Plans help reduce small businesses’ health-care costs by aggregating members together, creating economies of scale and lower health-care costs,” Davis said. “This, in turn, helps HFA members recruit and retain their valued employees, especially in such a tight labor market.”
A survey of 55 HFA members of all sizes last year found that all but two said they were “interested” or “extremely interested” in collective sourcing for health insurance. Of respondents who did not currently offer medical coverage, cost and complexity were cited most often as the reason.
Based on that survey, HFA and its insurance partner, Arthur J. Gallagher, selected Decisely to explore the potential for creating an AHP.
[HFA works to bring members better medical insurance]
Decisely is an expert at Association Health Plans
“Decisely is a trusted partner of Gallagher,” said Andy McMillan, senior vice president for benefits and human resources consulting at Arthur J. Gallagher. “Decisely has been helping organizations like the Home Furnishings Association set up and implement association health plans better than anybody I’ve ever seen.”
Decisely now needs to complete a census of HFA members to generate data to present to insurance carriers. Actuaries want to know more about HFA membership before they will offer plans.
Completing a census is not a commitment to join an AHP. It is a necessary step to securing insurance carrier quotes. Better plans can be negotiated with more census data. Once that’s done, HFA members can evaluate the result and decide whether there is a plan that works for them.
HFA believes this process will lead to medical coverage members will be proud to offer employees and to provide for themselves and their families.
Davis and his team will be able to collect census data in their Resource Center space, as well as answer questions.
Companies that offer comprehensive medical coverage can attract and retain better employees and build a healthier, more productive workforce. It is time to move forward.
