The Overview:
Employee health benefits are transforming with the advent of Benefits-Captive-as-a-Service™ (BCaaS). This innovative approach combines the financial transparency and control of self-insurance with the protection of the fully insured status required to remain ERISA-compliant, empowering employers to make informed choices when managing their employee benefits programs.
Why it matters: Benefits-Captive-as-a-Service™ (BCaaS) is a new take on traditional insurance captives. The BCaaS model is engineered to provide large-market employers with access to funds and the financial agency they need optimize their employee Total Rewards strategy without added risk or cost. In this blog post, we will delve into what BCaaS is, how it functions, and why it might be the strategic advantage needed to combat rising healthcare costs and protect the heart of your company- your employees.
What is BCaaS?
At its core, the BCaaS model allows companies to enter the world of captive insurance without the need to establish their own captive entity. This is achieved by leveraging the infrastructure and services of a reinsurance provider who offers the captive framework as a service. BCaaS is designed to deliver the benefits of a captive insurance program, which includes cost savings, improved risk management, and tailored benefits packages, with convenience and support associated with traditional health insurance delivery systems.
How Does BCaaS Work?
BCaaS providers create a shared captive insurance structure that multiple companies can join. This shared structure often covers supplemental health insurance products such as:
Critical illness coverage
Accident insurance
Dental and vision plans
Other specialized medical coverage options
As participants in the BCaaS, companies pay premiums into the collective captive, providing coverage for their employees. The BCaaS model includes administrative service components, such as:
Risk assessment
Underwriting
Claims processing
Regulatory compliance
Advantages of BCaaS:
Cost-Efficiency: BCaaS provides more value for employers versus a legacy Supplemental Health Plan by unlocking and re-allocating funds previously retained by the insurance ecosystem for fees, commissions, and other expenses. The ability to reduce or eliminate excessive carrier and administrative fees unlocks dollars, which can then be reinvested in the optimization of employee benefits.
Customization: BCaaS provides the transparency of self-funded plans so employers gain the ability to make informed choices to customize benefit plans according to the specific needs of a company’s workforce.
Risk Management: Because the BCaaS functions as a reinsurance provider, participating companies cede all risk to the captive. Additionally, companies can benefit from enhanced risk control due to collective insights into the performance of the health plans and shared learning experiences among the captive members.
Regulatory Support: With BCaaS, the complexities of regulatory compliance are handled by the service provider, easing the burden on companies that may need to gain in-house expertise.
Is BCaaS Right for Your Company?
Implementing BCaaS can benefit large-market employers seeking an alternative to traditional health insurance. It’s particularly suited for businesses that seek more control over their benefits expenses but find setting up a standalone captive prohibitive in terms of cost and complexity.
Conclusion:
Employees First's Benefits-Captive-as-a-Service™ is a transformative approach that aligns with the evolving needs of businesses to provide competitive, cost-effective, and customizable employee health benefits. As the demand for more agile and responsive health benefits solutions grows, BCaaS stands out as a viable option for companies aiming to optimize their employee benefits programs, without added risk or cost.
Ready to learn more?