Employee Benefits Brokerage and Consulting Services

The Vendor is required to provide brokerage services for health insurance and employee benefits.
- The Broker will perform a full range of services related to marketing, negotiating, implementing, managing and making recommendations for improvements to the District’s employee and retirement benefit programs.
- The District provides an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), at no cost to its employees, eligible retirees, and their dependents.
- Voluntary benefits include additional STD/LTD, critical illness, accident, hospital indemnity and additional life insurance plans, which are all paid for by the employee.
- The District contracts with third party vendors for these services, and for the FSA Program, COBRA and Retiree medical premium billings.
- Analysis and Reporting
• Analyze existing coverage and identify or develop cost-saving alternative benefit strategies and plans.
• Assist in the development of long-range goals and strategies, including making projections of potential savings.
• Provide analysis and recommendations based on utilization and performance reports, statistical and/or financial reports, and specific data.
• Assist the district in monitoring and analyzing experience trends and providing timely alerts on changing patterns and appropriate recommendations.
• Provide financial and/or performance reviews of self-funded and fully insured plans and programs.
• Be available to provide various types of reports as needed, such as cost analysis for benefit changes, and other statistical, financial, forecasting, trend, labor negotiations or experience reports.
• Regularly monitor and evaluate performance measures and guarantees for providers.
• Maintain full and accurate records with respect to all matters and services provided on behalf of the district’s benefit plans and programs. Provide district staff all data, assumptions and calculations upon completion of any project performed on behalf of district’s benefit plans and programs.
- Liaison and Problem Intervention
• Act as liaison between the district and insurance providers.
• Provide consultation on plan interpretation and problem resolution.
• Provide timely customer service and assistance to staff regarding enrollment, issues involving provider billing, claims, vendor service issues/problems, advocacy for services, disputes, interpretation of contracts and services, changes and general troubleshooting.
• Act as an advocate or ombudsman in appeal, arbitration or court process between the district and the providers on unresolved issues if needed; provide advice when needed to enforce district, employee, or their dependents' rights.
• Assist the district in proactive mitigation of negative impacts or disruption of services to employees from benefit and/or provider network changes.
- Annual Renewal Process and Evaluation
• Establish an annual strategy for benefits by considering trends, union negotiations,
• Prospective legislation, new delivery systems and geographic health-care practices.
• Review and make cost-saving recommendations regarding the modification of plan design, benefit levels, premiums, communications and quality of current employee benefit plans.
• Recommend appropriate premium rates and reserves to maintain the viability of the plans to ensure that quality and cost-effective benefits are provided by the plans.
• Annual estimates of renewal rates and cost trends and assist district staff in preparation of budget and negotiation figures.
• Conduct thorough and applicable market research in preparation for contract renewals.
• Representation in all negotiations with providers on various topics, including, but not limited to, premiums, benefit levels and plan design, performance measures and guarantees, contractual terms and conditions, and quality assurance standards.
• Make recommendations for items of negotiation with providers, including, but not limited to, benefit levels and plan design, premiums, quality of service, performance measures and guarantees, and return on investment, where applicable.
• Prepare specifications and compile data, obtain quotes and proposals for all district benefits, negotiate rates and analyze and compare proposals.