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.

What Counts as a "Preventive Service" Under Your Plan (and Why It's Free)

Service 1st Benefits

4 days ago

2 min read

Certain visits and screenings are covered at no cost to you — no copay, no coinsurance, not even your deductible. Here's what actually qualifies, and the one detail that can turn a free visit into a billed one.

The Three Categories That Qualify

Federal law requires non-grandfathered plans to cover three categories of preventive care with zero cost-sharing: services and screenings that carry an "A" or "B" rating from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (things like blood pressure screening, cholesterol screening for certain ages or risk levels, and certain cancer screenings), immunizations recommended by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and additional preventive care for women and children recommended by the Health Resources and Services Administration.

The specific lists are set by those federal bodies and can change over time — federal vaccine recommendations in particular have shifted recently — so it's worth confirming a specific service with your plan before you go.

What "Zero Cost-Sharing" Actually Means

Zero cost-sharing is a real zero — not a discount. No copay, no coinsurance, and no deductible applies, even if you haven't met your deductible for the year yet. The one condition: it has to be delivered by an in-network provider. Out-of-network preventive care isn't guaranteed the same treatment.

The Catch: When a Preventive Visit Becomes a Diagnostic One

This is the detail that catches people off guard. If you bring up a new symptom, or your doctor addresses an existing condition during that same annual visit, that part of the appointment can get billed separately as diagnostic care — subject to your normal copay, coinsurance, or deductible. The preventive portion stays free; the problem-focused portion doesn't.

Why This Isn't a Billing Mistake

Providers use a specific coding modifier to split a visit into its preventive and diagnostic components when both happen in the same appointment. It looks like your "free" visit suddenly generated a charge, but it's usually because something beyond routine screening actually happened during it — not an error.

What to Actually Do

Know that a preventive visit is free specifically for the preventive part. If you want to raise a separate concern, that's completely reasonable to do — just know it may come with its own charge, and it's worth asking upfront if you're unsure whether something you want to discuss falls outside routine screening.

Final Thoughts

"Preventive care is free" is true, but it's free for a specific, defined set of services — not a blanket pass on your deductible for anything discussed during that visit. Knowing where that line sits is what keeps an annual physical from turning into a surprise bill.