Ask 10 employers about their “pain points” with employee benefits. You are likely to hear more than 10 complaints. Many will overlap. Some may differ. Your compiled list might mention a range of topics, including:
- premiums
- employer share of cost
- employee share of cost
- provider networks
- copays
- coinsurance
- employee choice
- flexibility
- transparency
- customization
- administration
- communications
What can you do? We have five suggested ways to tackle client pain points and address their issues and concerns head-on. Embracing these strategies will also help you boost business retention.
1: Make it easy for an employer to get started.
Applicable Large Employers (ALE) probably understand their obligation to offer health insurance to employees. However, smaller business owners and managers may not. You can help prospects and clients understand their responsibilities under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Specifically, the ACA’s Employer Shared Responsibility Provision (ESRP) requires businesses with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) to offer affordable, minimum value health insurance coverage to full-time employees and their dependents. A full-time employee is an employee who works, on average, at least 30 hours per week or 130 hours per month. FTEs includes employees who are not full-time individually but whose combined hours are equal to a full-time employee.
The ACA requires coverage be made available to at least 95% of full-time employees and dependents (children under 26). “Affordable” means the employee’s contribution for self-only coverage cannot exceed 9.02% of household income. An employer can use an IRS safe harbor like W-2 wages, rate of pay, or the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to determine affordability.
To provide minimum value, a health plan must coverage at least 60% of the cost covered health services. A Bronze metal tier plan pays 60% of health plan costs, leaving the insured to pay 40%. GoodRx talks more about ACA metal tiers in its post, What Are the Four ‘Metal’ tiers of Affordable Care Act Health Plans?
An ALE could face penalties if no coverage is offered. If coverage offered is not affordable. Or if it does not offer minimum value. For more about ACA employer penalties, please refer to the Society for Human Resource Management post on the topic.
2: Help non-ALEs understand the advantage of offering employee benefits.
Even if they are not required to offer health insurance, there are multiple other advantages for employers and employees. Here are five:
- Employer tax benefit: Businesses are usually able to deduct the cost of health insurance as a normal business expense. (Ask your accountant or tax advisor for details.)
- Employee retention: Offering health insurance and other employee benefits can help businesses attract and retain employees.
- Improved employee health: Offering health insurance helps employees maintain and/or improve their health and reduce long-term health care costs.
- Enhanced employee job satisfaction: When employees feel valued, that can boost morale and increase their commitment to their job and their employer.
- Reduced absenteeism/increased productivity: When employees are healthy, they are more likely to show up for work. That can lead to increased productivity.
3: Help your clients understand ways they can save.
Help your clients understand their available options and possible ways to save on their premium. For example, discussing their coverage options. These might include PPOs, HMOs, and High-Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs) paired with a Health Savings Account. It could also include fully insured plans, self-funding, level funding, etc. Many business owners and managers do not know or understand how their plan choice can affect their costs. Group size, too, is a consideration. If you work with Word & Brown, ask your rep about the full roster of carriers, plan types, and coverage options available in California and Nevada.
Dig deep to get to know your groups, so it’s easier to find a solution that balances protection and costs.
Don’t overlook value-added extras that may be included or available as options. For example, many of W&B’s carrier partners offer wellness, telehealth, and other benefits that go beyond traditional health insurance. CaliforniaChoice, the multi-carrier, employee exchange from CHOICE Administrators, offers multiple “extras.” Benefits include discounted pet insurance; tickets to zoos, movie theaters, and water and theme parks; savings on travel; gym memberships; and Rx savings, too. CaliforniaChoice also offers Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Premium Only Plan (POP) services, and COBRA or Cal-COBRA billing services. Ask your W&B rep or CHOICE Administrators rep for more information.
4: Continuing Education helps you and your clients.
Serving the unique needs of your clients necessitates being up to date on the products, services, and carrier offerings available. W&B can help you there, too. We offer a range of courses in rotation, frequently updating and replacing them. A current listing can be found at wordandbrown.com/courses. All courses offer Continuing Education (CE) Credits for resident California brokers. We also host an annual CE event known as the “Week of Webinars” (WOW). This gives brokers the opportunity to earn up to half of the state’s required annual CE Credits in just seven days. In 2025, we offered 12 new courses as part of WOW.
We publish regular columns by Paul Roberts, REBC. He is W&B’s Senior Director of Education & Market Development. The posts address compliance and related topics of interest to brokers. Paul speaks often at industry group events hosted by regional chapters of the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals (NABIP) and the California Agents and Health Insurance Professionals (CAHIP).There are 11 California NABIP chapters, while there are three NABIP chapters in Nevada.
5: Ongoing customer service and communication are key.
You already know how important it is to provide outstanding service to prospects and current customers. Employers who don’t feel supported or appreciated are often the first to walk away. (Why would they want to stay if they feel disconnected?) The same is true for employees, who may express their lack of support with their employers.
When your clients have questions about their coverage, renewal options, and how to make changes, , it’s critical that you promptly respond. Statista reported in 2020 that 12% of Americans consider “lack of speed” their biggest customer service frustration. Benefits Pro reported in 2025 that one-fifth (20%) of employers cite low employee satisfaction as a top reason for switching health plans.
A great way to ensure you’re reaching out is through your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform. We’ve promoted CRM for years as an essential component of a sound marketing and outreach strategy.
Plus, we’ve published other blog posts on CRM, including 7 Tips on Choosing the Right Technology Stack for Your Insurance Business and Ranking the Best CRM Options for Insurance Brokers.
A great way to ensure you’re reaching out is through your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform. We’ve promoted CRM for years as an essential component of a sound marketing and outreach strategy.
Plus, we’ve published other blog posts on CRM, including 7 Tips on Choosing the Right Technology Stack for Your Insurance Business and Ranking the Best CRM Options for Insurance Brokers.
Happy clients, higher retention
When your clients are getting the attention they expect, that helps drive higher retention. Remember, it’s more cost-effective to retain a current client than acquire a new customer. Happy clients also provide positive feedback and potential referrals. That can fill your pipeline for years to come.
If you’re already working with W&B, ask us how our diverse portfolio, award-winning team, and commitment to unparalleled service can help you address more clients’ needs. If we’re not working together yet, it’s easy to get started. Fill out our online form or call (800) 869-6989.
