Small businesses in Ohio face unique challenges when it comes to providing affordable, high-quality healthcare for employees. That’s where the SOCA Benefit Plan administered by Anthem comes in.
In this episode, Matt sits down with Lori Conine, Director of Individual and Small Group Sales for Anthem Ohio, and Jeff Williamson, CEO of Consoliplex Health Plan Management, to break down how the SOCA Benefit Plan gives small businesses the purchasing power of a large employer by pooling resources.
This conversation offers valuable insights into one of Ohio’s most successful benefit programs:
- How the plan offers competitive rates and access to Anthem’s nationwide network.
- The role Consoliplex plays in simplifying compliance, reporting, and administration.
- Innovative tools and features that come with the plan, like virtual care available through the Sydney Health app.
- Eligibility requirements and FAQs from small businesses considering the plan.
Plus, Lori and Jeff answer the all-important question: Who really is the greatest rock and roll band of all time?
If you're a small business in Ohio looking for a comprehensive and economical healthcare solution, the SOCA Benefit Plan is certainly worth exploring. Visit 844MedOhio.com to learn more and complete a contact form.
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Episode Transcript:
Matt Appenzeller:
Hello and welcome to the Chamber On! podcast, the go-to podcast for small employers and local Chambers of Commerce in Ohio. I'm your host. Matt Appenzeller, President and CEO of the Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance, more commonly known as SOCA.
We're an alliance of 130 chambers in Ohio, and today we're diving into a high-impact benefit for small employers with two of the key people who make this possible, of course, I'm referring to the SOCA Benefit Plan administered by Anthem. It's been a game-changing healthcare option for small businesses in Ohio. I'm thrilled to introduce our guests today who are not only partners, but also friends. Lori Conine, Director of Individual and Small Group Sales for Anthem Ohio, and Jeff Williamson, CEO of Consoliplex Health Plan Management, welcome to the show.
Jeff:
Thanks, Matt.
Lori:
Thank you, Matt.
Matt:
So let's get started with a broad overview and Lori, let's if you could, start us off. Can you explain what makes the SOCA Benefit Plan, administered by Anthem, a unique offering for businesses in Ohio?
Lori:
Definitely, sure thing. So the SOCA Benefit Plan, it's specifically tailored for small businesses in Ohio with two to 50 employees, so small groups and unlike traditional insurance plans, it is a self-funded multiple-employer welfare arrangement. Some people may call that a MEWA, which allows businesses to pool together as a larger group. The way this is set up, it helps mitigate risk, and it results in more stable and competitive rates, plus businesses will get access to our full national healthcare network, and it's really the largest out there.
Matt:
Yeah. So the basic idea is, pulling resources like that gives small businesses a huge advantage. They have the same advantage that a large business would have, you know, pulling those resources. So, can you elaborate on, you know, access and coverage features of the plan?
Lori:
Definitely, so members of the SOCA Benefit Plan, they enjoy access to Anthem, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, extensive network, which includes millions of doctors and hospitals, both locally and nationwide. Inside the plan, we offer a wide range of plan options from both PPOs and HMOs, and this ensures businesses can choose what suits them best. Plus, our partnership with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association means that we have robust benefits and cost savings, so someone can access a doctor or a hospital anywhere in the United States.
Matt:
That's very cool, and the results so far have been impressive. Jeff, let's have you jump in here and talk about Consoliplex’s role in the plan. So Jeff, your founder, George Stadtlander, originally approached SOCA about this concept over a decade ago. So, can you share how your organization supports the plan and its members?
Jeff:
Yeah, absolutely. Let me start by saying that Consoliplex was founded by George with a purpose of providing high-quality, affordable health benefits for small businesses. That's why we're here, and that's why one of his first calls was to you Matt. But pursuit of that led us to partner with organizations like SOCA, like Anthem in creating the SOCA Benefit Plan for small businesses here in Ohio, and it's been over a decade. Now, crazy to think it's been that long. So you asked about our role. So our role is to provide the necessary compliance, accounting, banking, Treasury, reporting and other advisory services to you and the trustees of the of the benefit plan, and we do that to ensure that all of the state and federal regulatory requirements are met and now financial transactions are taken care of securely, and providing that transparency to the business about what we're doing and peace of mind for those small businesses that are participating.
Matt:
Yeah, it's peace of mind for us too. It's, you know, we would not be able to do this by ourselves. So it's great to know that there's, you know, solid backbone supporting these businesses and supporting us as well. So, you know, in practical terms, though, how does Consoliplex help ease the administrative burden for small business owners?
Jeff:
Yeah, it's a really good question. So we strive to simplify that Health Plan Administration for businesses, and we do that by offering, like a really a turnkey compliance solution, we delivered through our dedicated team of employees that we have that are primarily based here in the state as well. So in addition to handling most of the required compliance reporting necessary to participate in a MEWA program, self-funded MEWA program, our team provides answers to questions from the employers themselves or from their brokers if they call in and resolve those issues very swiftly and quickly, we help guide employers through tricky things like Cobra. And state continuation to make sure that they're following the right rules there and whatever other assistance is needed, we want to ensure and allow these business owners to focus on running their business and not worrying about compliance with some healthcare plan that they had to participate.
Matt:
That's right. Efficiency is key, just I'll jump in here. And we had a situation just last week where one business in the plan was being bought out by a different employer, and they wanted to know, hey, what are all these, you know, form 5500s floating around here. And of course, your company has been helping deliver that communication to the employer. So let's dive into some of the additional benefits that small businesses can enjoy with the SOCA benefit plan, like things like virtual care. So Lori, can you help us out with that aspect of things?
Lori:
One of the standout features is the virtual care that's available through the Sydney Health app. Employees can have video visits or even chat with a doctor anytime, for little to no cost. Some of the tools include symptom checker and drug pricing, and this empowers employees to make more informed healthcare decisions.
Matt:
I like the focus on empowerment and flexibility for each user. I just have to say, like as each generation becomes increasingly dependent upon personal devices. Lori, how important has the Sydney app become to employees and their dependents on the plan?
Lori:
That's a great comment. And I think all of us have some type of cell phone, and it's probably in our hands at all times. And I think that you know, with the availability of the Sydney app right on your phone, depending on if you're an employee that works first shift or even third shift, you're able to access information related to your plan anytime. And if you have over age dependence, maybe you have kids that are 20 years old and they're at college, they can have the Cindy Sydney health app on their phone, and they could do a doctor visit right there. They could determine which doctor is in the network. Maybe your college child goes to college in another state they're not in Ohio. It's a great way for someone to access information on their plan. 24/7.
Matt:
That’s a great point.
Jeff:
And I'll tell you, Matt, as a small business ourselves, Consoliplex, we don't just manage these plans. We are a SOCA customer, and I've been using that app for years now, and I love it. Everything at your fingertips for us to be able to see our, you know, explanation of benefits, to be able to look up the provider network, it's been a very valuable tool for our employees as well.
Matt:
And that trend’s only going to continue, right?
Lori:
And I, I think having your ID card right on your phone, what's better? You don't have to be digging through your wallet or anywhere, your ID card is right there. So any doctor you go to urgent care, if you had to go to the emergency room, it’s there for you.
Matt:
That's right. So let's, let's tackle eligibility. So Jeff, who qualifies for the SOCA Benefit Plan. And you know, are there any special requirements?
Jeff:
So eligibility is open to small businesses with two to 50 employees, so we're on that small set. And even though that segment of the market is covered across all the plans that we manage, including SOCA, we really have, especially in that two to 10 size. Our program is really, really successful with those small, small businesses that just don't have the time to deal with some of the complexities. And so it works really, really well. But we're the program is open from two up to 50 employees, and they have to have their corporate headquarters, or at least the predominance of their employee population based here in Ohio, to participate in our plan, they have to join the Chamber of Commerce and through us, our partnership with with saka and the Alliance of chambers that we partner with, you have to be a member in good standing of that chamber. It's authorized to offer the plan. Even sole proprietors, meeting certain criteria, can also be eligible. That provides even more flexibility for business owners on the smallest size that there are.
Matt:
Yeah, it's a great opportunity for small employers who want to offer health insurance to their employees. So Lori, how about, how about the questions that businesses frequently ask, you know, when they're considering joining what? What kind of questions do you hear? Or the brokers hear?
Lori:
Right, so frequently businesses are inquiring about the stability of rates. They also wonder what the requirements are to participate in the plan. And with the SOCA Benefit Plan, the rates are competitive and stable due to collective claims risk. And then as far as participation, we do require that at least 75% of net eligible employees would be covered. And what that means? It means all full time employees working 30 hours a week or more, minus any valid waivers. So perhaps someone is covered by a spouse, we would take that out and get to those net eligibles. And then, as the employer, they do require to participate with a minimum contribution of 50% of the single rate, or 25 and 25% of the total rate.
Matt:
Very cool. Thank you, Jeff, I want to jump back to Consoliplex for just a second. So is this the only program that Consoliplexworks with? Or do you provide Plan Management Services in other markets? And if so, you know, how does, how does the SOCA Benefit Plan compare to those?
Jeff:
So, as we mentioned, nearly a decade, over a decade ago, now, we started this, this company, with this goal of helping small businesses. This is what we do, Matt, we are Health Plan Management. That's our sole business right now. We work predominantly with MEWAs like this And while it all started here in Ohio, that way back when we work with over a dozen similar programs in nine total states now, and we cover over 300,000 members in our markets that carry a health card with one of the our MEWA partners on it, but the SOCA Benefit Plan with nearly 7000 small business employers in it as of today, and almost 85,000 members participating in it, this is our absolute largest plan. It was one of our first really large-scale plans we're most proud of. Don't tell the other states, we're most proud of this plan, and it's clearly a flagship for us.
Matt:
Very cool. It's been a great partnership so far. So, you know, one thing I want to touch on, excuse me, with, with Lori here, is that, you know, we have in any kind of partnership, right? You have to have the brand, which we have, the Anthem brand, you have you have to have the product, but then you also have to have the distribution. And we've been able to distribute this plan through hundreds of brokers across the state. So Lori, can you just kind of tell us what our broker coverage is in the state, and you know how all of that is working in with regard to the plan.
Lori:
So the sales process really is strictly through brokers. Only. The employers find a broker in, typically in their area, but they could choose a broker anywhere, and we have brokers statewide. The majority of the brokers are in the larger metropolises, but there are brokers all over the state that work with us. This is full open distribution, and with the partnership of our brokers and our sales team here at Anthem, we have been able to push this message out to small employers across the state and just continue to grow year over year.
Matt:
Yeah, it's been cool. It's been a great partnership. So Lori and Jeff, we're out of time. Thank you for an enlightening discussion. You know, the SOCA Benefit Plan has been an invaluable option for a lot of lot of small businesses out there.
Jeff:
No, we're happy to be here. It's it's always great talking about the plan, and like I said, we're all very proud of the success that it's had and the growth it's going to continue to have for years to come.
Matt:
Very cool.
Lori:
Absolutely agree. Thank you so much for having us.
Matt:
Yeah, you're welcome. So to everyone tuning in. If you're a small business in Ohio, looking for a comprehensive and, you know, economical health care solution for your employees, the SOCA Benefit Plan is certainly worth exploring. Please visit 844medohio.com which will take you to a landing page on our website where you can learn more and you can complete a contact form, and someone will be contacting you about that. But Jeff and Lori, before I let you go, right, everybody on the show needs to answer a very important question. So Lori, we'll start with you ladies first, who is the greatest rock and roll band of all time? Is it the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, or Led Zeppelin?
Lori:
Tough question, I'm gonna go the Beatles.
Matt:
Jeff?
Jeff:
So, so as a child of the 80s, I didn't grow up listening to either of those three directly. But of course, I know all their music. I have to agree with Lori.
Lori:
Thank you, Jeff.
Jeff:
Because, because I love Lori, but also, I would say that the influence the Beatles had on the genre, the depth of their library, of everything, to me, just takes them to the top. But I will say this, I've usually heard this question only about Beatles or Stones. Okay, I've never had the Led Zeppelin angle put onto that question before, and while, I was never a huge Zeppelin fan, because I grew up a little bit later, they influenced most of the bands that I do like. So it's a little bit of a toss-up, but I still got to go with the Beatles.
Matt:
You can make a compelling argument for all three, which is why we asked the question. So again, Lori and Jeff, thanks for joining today. We have two Beatles. And of course, I'm a Zeppelin guy. Thanks to our listeners, keep rocking and rolling in your businesses and everyone, Chamber On!