What We Do

BENEFITS CONSULTING

We leverage our extensive industry knowledge and technical expertise to offer employers consulting services whose ultimate purpose is to enable each group to deploy a robust employee benefits program which supports the constant need to recruit, retain and motivate top quality employees while adhering to financial constraints and objectives.

We perform a full range of benefit program services related to the acquisition, implementation, maintenance, communication and enhancement of each client’s employee benefits program.

Common topics for review and recommendations include:

Employer objectives and requirements
Employer budget and financial goals
Analyze existing coverage, identify and develop cost-saving alternative benefit strategies and plans
Benchmark benefits and costs by industry and region
Provide, maintain and update comparison reports of other public and private companies’ benefit plan offerings, and costs, to determine their competitiveness with the employer’s programs
Employee attitudes and expectations

Plan design analysis and recommendations:

Assist in the development of short and long-range goals and strategies, including making projections of potential savings
Provide analysis and recommendations based on utilization and performance reports, statistical and financial reports, and plan specific data
Leverage competition from all suitable national and regional carriers and re-insurers
Advocacy with Incumbent Carriers
Employee contribution planning
Eligibility
Regularly monitor and evaluate performance measures and guarantees for providers
Provide regular reporting for all benefit products as well as periodic meetings to discuss data and strategy
Provide a high level of customer service to all clients including evaluation of claims data, submission of executive reports and reconciliation of accounts

IMPLEMENTATION

“Enrollment”, “benefits orientation”, and “benefit communications” are all activities which we combine under the heading of implementation. We are convinced that “employee satisfaction” with benefits is directly linked to “employee understanding”. Therefore, MSI allocates the time, effort, commitment and resources throughout the plan year to achieve a high level of employee understanding and appreciation.

Today’s highly mobile workforce needs and deserves multi-layered benefits enrollment solutions. However, the cornerstone of our implementation strategy is that, whenever possible, employee benefit communications are conducted face-to-face, one-on-one. This highly personalized approach is re-enforced through several media.

The following list of MSI’s communication and enrollment services illustrates the cohesive and comprehensive approach that we take to achieve successful implementation of benefits:

Individual Meetings – MSI’s salaried (non-commissioned) benefit advisors meet face-to-face, one on one with your employees to explain all benefits, answer questions and confirm the employees’ benefit elections.

“Town Hall Meetings” – This provides the opportunity, in a group setting, to explain the benefits package and to re-enforce the Employer’s Strategic Message.

Employer’s Strategic Message – Crafted by MSI to carry the employer’s intent to the work force regarding benefits and provides employees notice of enrollment dates, benefit changes, notice of available voluntary benefits, effective date of coverage, wellness programs and required personal information.

Online Communication and Enrollment (eElect) – MSI provides an online benefit communication and enrollment platform which offers a single point of entry for all insurance products

Employee Benefits Handbook – High quality, glossy publication that is customized and published by MSI every plan year and provided to each employee before open enrollment. It includes the employer’s message, benefit summaries, plan and cost information as well as important ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, eligibility and customer service contact information.

Eligibility Data Validation – It is a constant challenge for any HR Department to simply keep up with employee addresses, telephone numbers, life event changes, family status and other relevant personal data. We use open enrollment as an opportunity to review, update and correct employees’ personal information and share this data with HR.

Live Customer Service Support – Customer Service Representatives are available year-round to answer questions and assist employees.

SERVICE/SUPPORT

MSI adds value to your benefit choices by decreasing the HR workload and increasing employee comfort and satisfaction through an ideal combination of “high-tech/high-touch” and “in-person/high-touch” services.

MSI service/support is task-organized into five functional areas:

Customer Service Team – handles phone calls, coverage questions, claims issues, requests for administrative assistance, coordination with doctors and hospitals to facilitate claim payments.
Enrollment Team –performs monthly visits, enrolls newly hired employees and answer questions from existing covered employees.
Eligibility Team –tracks new hires, changes and terminations and feed that data as needed to the benefit counselors and to our billing specialists. Tasks include COBRA tracking and COBRA compliance.
Billing Team – reconciles all monthly invoices with on-going eligibility activity and provides audited “premium-due” information to your finance/accounting department.
Information Technology Team – manages all data flow of eligibility and participation information via Electronic Data Interface (EDI) with insurance carriers and clients.

Key elements of MSI customer service and support:

Client employees can review their own benefits, costs and all related documents and information online 24/7
Claims assistance and resolution
Employees are encouraged to call us directly with problems
MSI maintains individual (HIPAA compliant) electronic file on each employee
Assistance with Wellness and Disease Management Programs
Monthly MSI employee benefit newsletter mailed to all management level decision makers
Interactive MSI website with password access to your HR staff – used to send MSI service requests and notify us of new hires, terminations and changes. Includes a library of forms and documents specific to the client’s benefit plans. Receipt of all service requests and notifications are electronically confirmed and archived
MSI assists with COBRA and Section 125 administration. (FSA, HRA, HSA)
Publish Total Compensation/Benefit Statements annually for all employees
We keep clients informed of all pertinent legislative changes that impact the employee benefits program and ensure compliance with Federal and State regulations. (ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, Form 1094/95)
At key decision points, design and conduct employee surveys to gauge employee expectations, attitudes, experience and satisfaction.
Wellness and Disease Management Programs promoting healthier lifestyles
Monthly newsletter to all management of client groups addressing issues of topical interest in employee benefits and related legislative and regulatory trends.

Throughout the plan year we act as liaison between the client and insurance carriers/providers as well as the primary contact for plan interpretation and problem resolution. We represent clients in all negotiations with providers relating to fees, benefit levels, plan design, and any special terms and conditions.

COMPLIANCE

Our clients routinely depend on us to be their in-house expert on a multitude of issues that impact on the day to day administration of benefits. ACA compliance, COBRA, HIPAA Compliance, Medicare, Section 125 Administration and Compliance, Policy Conversion, Dependent Eligibility, Working Spouse Rules, FMLA, Absence Management Policies, effective wellness programs are all examples of issues on which we provide information, training and advice.

As a value-added service, we also provide clients with access to the “MSI-Compliance” database. This online resource is an educational database featuring the most current federal and state laws and updates, step-by-step guidelines for compliance, information on how to hire, interview and terminate employees as well as many other HR related functions.

“MSI-Compliance” provides you with a comprehensive view of Human Resources and benefit laws both on a federal and state level. Whether you need a form, poster, the newest information on health care reform laws or state employment laws, we give you a complete inventory of HR information and forms needs including a great range of online tools to help you manage all your HR needs.

MSI considers it a core function to assist our clients with plan administration and to ensure that all programs comply with State and Federal Regulations. Accordingly, at “MSI-Compliance”, you’ll find easy, step-by-step guidance on how to comply with a broad range of laws from ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, USERRA and FMLA as well as how to interview, hire and terminate employees. We provide the guidelines that will help you comply with the laws, written in plain English so it’s easy to understand. This dynamic online HR library includes:

Health Care Reform (ACA)
Compliance steps that clearly explain how to comply with the law to help avoid penalties or potential employee lawsuits
Thousands of pages of HR and benefits content
Fast, efficient online HR tools for developing job descriptions and salary benchmarking
Over 500 downloadable forms, posters and model notices
Job Description Developer
Salary Benchmarking Tool
Federal HR and Benefit Laws
State Employment Laws
How to Recruit, Hire and Terminate Employees
Forms, Posters and Checklists (ready to download and print)
Performance Reviews
Training and Compliance Videos (over 200 videos)

TownPark Ravine One | 245 TownPark Drive | Suite 100 | Kennesaw, GA 30144 | 770-425-1231