How does Service 1st Benefits support my business during open enrollment?

We personally manage the entire open enrollment process — from educating employees to handling enrollment forms and answering plan questions. Our goal is to make open enrollment smooth and stress-free for everyone.

Can employees contact you directly for help?

Yes. Employees can reach out to us anytime for questions about claims, coverage, ID cards, or plan details. We act as your team’s benefits partner, not just your broker.

What size businesses do you work with?

We specialize in serving small and medium-sized businesses, typically ranging from 1–200 employees. If you’re growing or planning to expand, we help scale your benefits as your team grows.

Do you handle communication with insurance carriers for us?

Absolutely. We take care of claims issues, employee changes, renewals, and any carrier communication so you don’t have to spend hours on hold.

Do you offer voluntary or supplemental benefits?

Yes. We can provide optional add-ons like disability, accident, or critical illness insurance to enhance your benefits package at little or no cost to the employer.

What types of group benefits do you offer?

We provide comprehensive group health, dental, vision, and life insurance options for small and medium-sized businesses. We help you compare plans, handle enrollment, and manage carrier communication.

What information do you need to provide a quote?

We typically need: Number of employees Basic employee census (age, gender, ZIP code) Current plan (if applicable) Desired benefits or coverage goals We keep the process as simple as possible.

Do you charge fees for your services?

No. Our services — including plan comparison, open enrollment, and year-round support — are provided at no additional cost to your business.

ICHRA vs. Group Health Insurance: Which Fits Your Business?

Charlie Hopgood
1 day ago
2 min read

An ICHRA lets you give employees a fixed monthly allowance to buy their own individual health plan, tax-free. Group health insurance gives everyone the same employer-sponsored plan. Neither is universally better — it depends on your team.

How an ICHRA actually works

An Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) is an employer-funded account. You set a monthly allowance — by employee class, if you want (full-time vs. part-time, for example) — and employees use it to buy their own plan on the individual marketplace or off-exchange. You get predictable, capped costs. They get to choose a plan that fits their situation, not a one-size-fits-all option.

How traditional group health compares

With group health, you select one or a few plans, and everyone enrolls into those same options. It's simpler to administer in some ways — no need to help each employee shop individually — but your costs move with claims experience and renewal increases, and employees have less choice.

When ICHRA tends to fit better

Your team is spread across different counties or has very different coverage needs (some single, some with large families)
You want firm, predictable monthly costs instead of exposure to renewal swings
You're currently offering no coverage at all and want to start without taking on full group-plan risk

When group health tends to fit better

You want to offer one strong, consistent plan as a recruiting and retention tool
Your team is concentrated enough that a group plan's pricing is competitive
You already have level-funded options available that give you cost control without giving up a group plan structure

The real comparison isn't cost — it's fit

Both structures can be cheaper or more expensive depending on your specific group's demographics, location, and current plan. The mistake is picking one based on a headline and skipping the actual comparison against your census.

Get the comparison run on your numbers

The only way to know which fits is to run both scenarios against your actual employee census. Talk to Service 1st Benefits and we'll model out ICHRA, group, and level-funded side by side so you're deciding on real numbers, not a guess.