Business Benefits provides comprehensive employee benefits services including designing insurance plans, negotiating rates, assisting with claims, and promoting wellness programs. They work with over 800 clients in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region and have longstanding relationships with major carriers. Their experienced staff handles administrative tasks so clients can focus on their business. Business Benefits aims to offer superior service and bring the best benefit options to their clients.
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Bbi statement of qualifications
1. Business Benefits
Business Benefits has the reputation and
relationship with the local carriers that allow us to
design the appropriate coverage for our clients
and their employees at the best premium.
Business Benefits, with its stable and dependable
staff, will provide your management and
employees with exemplary customer service
emphasizing:
Administrative support relative to every aspect of
carrier interaction. We resolve billing, eligibility,
and claim problems, allowing you to focus on
your business.
Proactive employee education directed to improve
employees’ understanding and appreciation of
their coverage and cost.
Assistance for employees and their family
members who struggle with claims and/or
coverage concerns through our Patient Advocacy
Department.
Promote wellness programs.
Help people who have exhausted COBRA or who
have retired and need an individual policy or
Medicare supplement.
2. Introduction to our Agency
Business Benefits, Inc., is one of the largest
independent employee- benefit agencies in the
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region, specializing
in medical, dental, life, and disability since 1984.
We have designed insurance programs and
established relationships with over 800 clients
who we service primarily in Greater Cincinnati.
• We have maintained excellent working
relationships with the major carriers in our area.
Our long-standing relationships and reputation
with these carriers help us to negotiate for the
best plans and pricing available for our clients.
• We have one of the largest in-force blocks of
business with virtually every health insurance
carrier; we are one of the largest producers of new
business for virtually every
health insurance carrier.
3. Many employers do not realize that insurance
carriers “rank” agencies. Business Benefits is
proud of the fact that Anthem, Humana, and
United HealthCare all recognize our firm at the
highest echelon. This ranking is the result not
only of our large block of business with the
carriers, but also speaks to the high ethical
standard with which we conduct business.
Our agency is active in health insurance
legislation and has worked with state and
federal legislators.
In addition to traditional health, dental, life,
and disability plans, we help clients explore
Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs),
Health Savings Accounts (HSA’s), Flex Credit
Plans, and Consumer-Driven Plans.
4. Included in Our Service
Regular plan review to ensure employee benefits
are appropriate and competitive in the market
place.
Long- term planning to help protect the financial
stability of a company and strategically prepare
for future renewals.
Suggest, research, and implement wellness
programs designed to improve employees’ health,
self-esteem, and motivation (eventually resulting
in lower claims).
Employee meetings designed to communicate the
value of the benefits, assist with the enrollment
process, and answer employee questions.
Administrative, procedural, and informational
assistance for your employee benefit programs
including: billing resolution, and processing
enrollments and terminations, so you can focus on
your business.
Patient advocacy, including: working as a liaison
between patient and insurance carrier to ensure
the prompt and proper payment of claims, as well
as assisting in the appeals process.
Materials and supplies including: provider
directories, benefit summaries, and prescription
drug formularies.
5. Throughout the year our account managers and
producers work with your carrier to develop a
strategy for renewal:
Complete analysis of in-force enrollment,
fluctuations, and their impact on your claim
experience
Track record of successful rate negotiations with
carriers
Our mission is to bring the best options to each
client, preferring to renew business with the
current carrier when customers are satisfied and
renewals are reasonable in order to minimize
employee disruption.
We hold formal and informal presentations that
include representatives from Business Benefits
and the chosen carrier(s) to discuss your plans.
We also educate employees about trends in the
healthcare system and prepare them for future
changes and developments.
We promote and design employee wellness
programs for employers, believing that improving
employees’ health will improve health care costs.
Offer to coordinate health fairs for clients (bring
vendors in to check blood pressure, offer flu
shots (when available), administer blood glucose
checks, and other screenings, and offer a
multitude of educational materials)
6. Our Mission
To consistently provide the business people of
Northern Kentucky, Cincinnati, Dayton and
Southeastern Indiana…
superior professional service in
Group Insurance
We accomplish this by:
Learning and understanding your unique situation
and objectives
Working only with quality carriers and insurers
Implementing the best products to help you
accomplish your goals
Servicing you quickly and courteously whenever
assistance is needed
Maintaining strategic alliances with other highly
reputable entities to provide
full service, while remaining
focused in our core
competencies
7. Specialization
Business Benefits, Inc. has a reputation of
superior experience, industry clout, and broad
market exposure to deliver to our clients.
We accomplish this through:
Knowledge and experience
Research and analysis
Track record of successful negotiations with
carriers
Design, interpretation, creativity, explanation and
recommendation
Exemplary service and support
Technology
Our experience in the industry is vast, as is our
commitment to education and continuing
education.
Included on our staff is a CLU, four RHUs, and an
attorney. We also hold a Life and Health
Consultant License.
8. Qualifications
With 17 staff members on board, we are
prepared and available to successfully
perform a comprehensive benefit program
assessment and implement appropriate
changes when necessary.
• Business Benefits, Inc. uses the “team
approach” for our clients. Our sales and
services to each client comes from a team of
employees, not just one or two.
• We are available to all of our clients and their
employees every working day from 7:30 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m. We also maintain an internet Web
site, www.businessbenefits.com offering
general information and communication
options.
9. Renewal Performance
Six months prior to each group’s renewal, our
analysis team, account managers and producers
work with each carrier to review claims history
where available and begin preparing a strategy for
renewal.
• Our mission is to bring the best options to each
client, preferring to renew business with the same
carrier when customers are satisfied and renewals
are reasonable.
• Our goal is to receive and evaluate renewals 60 to
90 days in advance and continue to investigate all
available options for our clients so that if a change
is necessary, enrollment meetings and education
will enhance the satisfaction of employees and the
timeliness of any new identification cards.
We will hold formal and
informal presentations that
will include representatives
from Business Benefits and
the chosen carriers to discuss
the plans. We will also
educate employees about
trends in the healthcare
system and prepare them for
future changes and
developments.
10. Bios
George Beatrice, CLU, RHU, is the CEO and founder of
Business Benefits. He has been in the insurance business
for 45 years and has served as an advisor to insurance
carriers and employers. George has earned numerous
awards in sales and leadership. His involvement in the
community and through the Northern Kentucky Chamber
of Commerce, the Greater Cincinnati Association of
Health Underwriters, the Greater Cincinnati Association of
Life Underwriters, has laid the groundwork for what has
become one of the most successful and respected
agencies in Greater Cincinnati.
Gary Beatrice, JD, RHU, is the president of Business
Benefits, and a 1986 graduate from Chase Law School as
well as a 1983 graduate of Thomas More College. Gary
practiced law for two years before joining Business
Benefits in 1988. He is a graduate of Leadership Northern
Kentucky, past chair of the Regional Youth Leadership
Program, and active in several charitable organizations in
the community. Gary and his wife Margie have been
recognized by the Northern Kentucky Chamber of
Commerce for their service to the business community
and received the Chamber’s 2002 Walter L. Pieschel (MVP)
Award. A past president of the Greater Cincinnati
Association of Health Underwriters, Gary is well-versed in
health care issues and serves as an advisor to legislators,
insurance carriers and employers. He is the past chair of
the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s
Healthcare Task Force, and current chair of the Annual
Healthcare Forum, as such he leads the business
community’s charge by personally lobbying and
educating legislatures in Washington D.C., Frankfort,
Kentucky and Columbus, Ohio.
11. Bios
• Jim Beatrice, RHU, joined the agency in 1995 and has 10
years experience in Information Technology servicing
large manufacturers with specialized marketing
information. Jim quickly developed a large client base
using his training and service experience. Business
Benefits relies on Jim’s background to manage the
extensive databases he designed. A recent graduate of
Leadership Northern Kentucky, he currently serves as a
member of the Chamber of Commerce Board of Advisors
and several chamber committees. Jim also serves as an
advisor to United Healthcare and Humana and is a past
board member of the Greater Cincinnati Association of
Health Underwriters.
• Geralyn Isler, sales consultant, joined the agency in 1997.
Having experience in the teaching profession, Geralyn’s
approach to the insurance industry is to focus on her
clients’ needs. Geralyn is known for the innovative ways
she approaches the problem of controlling the high cost
of quality health insurance for her clients. She
participates in a variety of ways with the Northern
Kentucky Chamber of Commerce having been recognized
as Ambassador of the Year in 2001 and serving as captain
of Business Benefits’ Total Resource Campaign for the
chamber in 2003.
• Lisa Roark, sales consultant, is a graduate of the
University of Kentucky. She worked for one of the largest
insurance companies in the U.S. for almost 20 years prior
to joining Business Benefits in May, 2003. In her last
position on the carrier side, Lisa sold fully insured, ASO,
and stop loss renewals to employers and brokers. Lisa’s
expertise is analyzing financials for large, self-funded
employers, including those involving union or bargaining
employees.
12. Bios
• Chris Spicker completed his MBA from Xavier University
in 1992 and is a 1985 graduate of Miami University with a
Bachelor of Science in Business. Chris joined Business
Benefits in 2000, following seven years of experience in
group insurance, having been employed by two of the
largest carriers in the industry and being the top sales
producer for the Midwest Region in 1998. He is an active
participant of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of
Commerce serving on several committees, and is past
chair of the Member Renewal Committee. Chris also
serves on the Junior Achievement Leadership Board, Girl
Scouts of Licking Valley Board and is active in the
Covington Rotary.
• Bob Beatrice, RHU, joined Business Benefits in 1996 and
quickly established his presence in Northern Kentucky by
serving on several Northern Kentucky Chamber of
Commerce committees. Bob’s eagerness is evident in the
numerous times he exceeds sales goals; he has been
recognized as a leading producer for group life and health
insurance from many of the major insurance companies.
A graduate of Northern Kentucky University with a BA in
Psychology, Bob has recently graduated from Leadership
Northern Kentucky.
• Ron Bechtol is a consulting broker for Business Benefits.
From 1985 to 2005, Ron has served in high-profile
positions with several Fortune 500 companies in the
insurance industry. In 2005, Ron joined Business Benefits
as a consulting broker. At Business Benefits, Ron is
responsible for new sales growth and the retention of
existing clients through account management expertise.
Ron is a well-organized, results-oriented business
profession with over 20 years of sales and operations
experience in the insurance industry.
13. Bios
Terri Jacobson is responsible for the Account
Management Department, which coordinates renewals,
enrollment meetings, and service requests for Business
Benefits clients. Terri, a 1991 graduate of Northern
Kentucky University, has a reputation of providing
customers with impeccable responsiveness and a depth of
knowledge in many aspects of health insurance
operations. In fact, Terri recently won an award from one
of our clients recognizing her for exemplary service.
Lee Arkenau, Business Benefits’ client service manager and
patient advocate, has been a vital part of the agency since
its 1984 inception. Licensed in health and life, Lee leads a
professionally trained staff of courteous and dedicated
employees who assist employers and employees in all
areas of customer service, from enrollment meetings to
claim assistance. Lee has an excellent success record of
overturning denied claims through an appeals process.