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C&B Consulting Group’s products are designed with one focus in mind, to make life easier for our customers. Our products address the needs of human resource professionals, financial executives, and employees.

To assure our clients receive the most from our services and products, each client is assigned a dedicated Account Executive. The dedicated Account Executive acts as a central contact point and coordinates C&B’s efforts on their behalf. He or she enforces project deadlines, sees that questions and requests receive a prompt, accurate response, and assists clients with benefit issues that arise during the year. This ensures that all needs and goals are met.

Our services and products can be broken down into the following categories:

 

Strategic Planning

In conjunction with other C&B consultants and senior management, the Account Executive develops a strategy to help each client attain both short-term and long-term business objectives.

 

Detailed Project Management Timetables

Once an overall account plan has been developed, C&B creates specific project timetables specifying responsibilities and deadlines. This tool helps ensure that projects stay on track and are completed on time.

 

Management of Carrier/TPA Relationships

The Account Executive coordinates service for each client’s account to ensure that all carriers meet the organization’s daily and ongoing needs.

 

Review of Contracts for Legislative Compliance

In conjunction with C&B's Benefits Attorney, the Account Executive reviews benefit contracts for accuracy and compliance with federal and state legislation.

 

Annual/Historical Cost Analysis

To help clients track specific cost trends, the Account Executive prepares a detailed report outlining the historical costs of each benefit plan as well as projected costs. This report includes suggested cost containment strategies.

 

Voluntary Products

The Account Executive identifies potential optional products that leverage your corporate buying power and allow employees to purchase valuable benefits at discounted rates. Voluntary products can improve employee morale without adding additional employer cost.

 

Employee Communications

C&B works with clients to develop a coordinated employee communications program that can include:

  • Periodic Notices and Open Enrollment Information
  • Internet Communications
  • Employee Surveys
  • Retirement Seminars
  • Employee Benefits Statements
  • Benefit Websites
  • Employee Meetings
  • Newsletters
  • Payroll Stuffers

As a result of an effective employee communication program, employees are more aware of the provisions and requirements of the benefit programs offered. An informed employee is more likely to understand and appreciate the value of the benefit programs.

 

Financial Analysis

C&B Consulting Group performs the following services to ensure that clients are operating under the most advantageous financial conditions. This ensures that benefit dollars and service expectations are maximized.

  • Review current plan design
  • Evaluate current contribution strategies and analyze alternatives.
  • Review claims experience for the last three years.
  • Analyze large claim information and their effect upon costs.
  • Analyze medical trend factors to ascertain appropriateness.
  • Analyze stop loss and/or pooling charges for competitiveness and adequacy (as applicable).
  • Review retention (expense) components to determine competitiveness
  • Calculate reserve levels to ensure they are reasonable.
  • Review policy settlements (including financial accounting for participating or dividend eligible contracts) for accuracy.
  • Review appropriateness of current as well as alternative funding arrangements
  • Determine most advantageous rating methodology i.e., community rating, experience rating, manual rating, etc.
  • Help prepare annual Form 5500s including Schedule A information.

 

Budgeting and Renewal Negotiation

To eliminate surprises and minimize costs, C&B provides the following services:

  • Periodic claim reports to assess plan performance, identify problem areas, and aid budgeting.
  • Pre-renewal estimates six months into the plan year. This tools helps clients budget and strategize for renewals in advance and uncovers current claim trends and problems.
  • Comprehensive 52-point renewal analysis to reduce increases through underwriting analysis and negotiation. This also minimizes the need to change carriers.
  • Detailed renewal commentary that explains all components of the renewal calculation.
  • Multiple-year savings reports to track plan costs and savings over time while providing benchmarks.

 

Plan Marketing and Implementation

We provide detailed analysis of our plan marketing research to make sure that potential new carriers understand and meet a benefit program’s goals and client’s needs. C&B Consulting Group will perform the following services to market and implement potential new benefit plans.

  • Prepare detailed specifications of current plans.
  • Market plans to all potential carriers and third party administrators.
  • Review and summarize all prospective carrier proposals.
  • Provide an illustrated benefit comparison of each prospective carrier’s options.
  • Provide an illustrated financial comparison of the most cost-effective alternatives.
  • Evaluate alternative funding arrangements.
  • Compare hospital and provider networks between prospective and existing carriers.
  • Provide a physician disruption analysis for a client’s employees if a new network or carrier is being considered.
  • Analyze and compare each carrier’s member programs.
  • Compare HEDIS and other quality indicators as available.
  • Facilitate carrier finalist presentations.
  • Recommend a new carrier based on the above criteria.
  • Assist in the implementation of a new plan or open enrollment of a current plan.
  • Prepare communication materials for employees.
  • Facilitate employee enrollment meetings.
  • Negotiate second-year renewal protection (when available).
  • Negotiate performance guarantees (when available).
  • Review contract materials for accuracy.

 

Benefit Attorney

C&B’s benefits attorney supports our customers with:

  • Timely legislative updates
  • COBRA, HIPAA, and other compliance guides
  • Day-to-day guidance on legal and technical issues
  • Periodic seminars on legislative and compliance issues

 

Patient Advocate Program

The Patient Advocate Program provides an expert claim consultant who can resolve difficult claim issues on our clients’ behalf. This provides organizations with the following advantages:

  • Cost and Time Savings: Lowers costs by freeing up valuable time for both employees and Human Resources professionals.
  • Increased Employee Satisfaction and Appreciation: The Patient Advocate Program greatly improves the chances of a favorable outcome by using C&B’s knowledge and leverage. Employees have greater satisfaction with the benefit plan and a greater appreciation of the Human Resources Department.
  • Reporting: We will track, report and analyze issues that the Patient Advocate handles.
  • Improved Quality of Care: The Patient Advocate works with clients in investigating and when appropriate resolving medical necessity issues. This can result in a higher quality of care for employees.
  • Single Point of Contact: The Patient Advocate acts as a single point of contact for Human Resources professionals to resolve claim issues.
  • Shorter Duration: Our expertise and ability to speak the carrier’s language facilitates quicker resolution of problem claims.

 

Legislative and Industry Updates

To help you stay up-to-date on the issues and events that affect human resources professionals, C&B produces two publications.

Legislative Update provides you with the latest information on regulations that will have an impact on the benefits you offer employees. Each issue covers a single topic in depth (for instance, new COBRA rules) by giving you background on the issue, explaining the legislation in detail (including how it will affect your plans), and citing any actions you should take to be in compliance.

Industry Update carries news on changes in the marketplace. This publication covers such subjects as new carrier and vendor programs, changes in coverage or carrier policies, etc.

 

Post Retirement Benefit Obligation Studies

C&B can perform post retirement benefit obligation valuations required by FASB 106. We can also develop ways to reduce the cost of these benefits and estimate the impact of plan design changes on the value of the obligation.

 

C&B Consulting Group Benefit Plan Survey

To keep clients abreast of the latest trends in employee benefits, C&B surveys thousands of area companies on questions critical to our clients’ success every year. The survey examines cost issues, details contribution and quality of care information, and highlights important trends in employee benefits. All survey participants receive our Benefit Plan Survey Report that summarizes and analyzes the survey results.

Clients are invited to provide feedback regarding issues that concern them and to participate in our annual benefit survey. We will also meet to review the results so customers can have an accurate comparison of how their benefit plan matches up to peer employer groups and to compare the results of the survey with those of previous surveys.

 

C&B Consulting Group Client Council

All clients are invited and encouraged to participate in our Client Council Program. This program promotes interaction between C&B and our clients and helps shape the products and services that we deliver. We sponsor seminars on pertinent and timely topics suggested by our Client Council and develop products in response to client needs. The Client Council Program also provides access to our client base to network and compare ideas.

 

Employee Benefits C&B Supports

C&B Consulting can assist you with the full spectrum of employee benefits including:

  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Life
  • Long Term Disability
  • Short Term Disability/DBL/TDB
  • Long Term Care
  • Vision Care
  • Retiree Benefits
  • 401(k)/403(b)
  • Medicare Risk HMO’s
  • Section 125 Plans
  • Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Flexible Benefits
  • Voluntary Benefits
  • Payroll Deduct Auto & Homeowners
  • Pre-paid Legal
  • Employee Assistance Programs
  • Educational Benefits
  • Executive Benefits
  • Work/Life Benefits

 

Summary

C&B Consulting Group is committed to partnering with our clients. Because we view our relationships with clients as partnerships, we realize there are no true “standard” services. What is needed for one client may not benefit another. Therefore, we work closely with each client to provide the services and programs that will best suit their specific needs and concerns. Our involvement makes our clients lives significantly easier and provides them with a clear direction to successfully achieve their goals.