New Laws Give Employees Money to Buy Individual Health Insurance
Zane Benefits, Inc. (http://www.ZaneBenefits.com) helps employers take advantage of new IRS laws (Section 125 and Section 105) that allow employers and employees to contribute tax free dollars to individual health insurance costs. Zane Benefits' solution involves a switch to employer-funded individual health insurance in which each employee receives a tax-free monthly allowance to purchase their own individual policy.
Individual health insurance used to be expensive and hard to get. However, due to health insurance reforms, individual policies are now more affordable and accessible. For example, insurance companies must now accept children regardless of preexisting conditions, and guaranteed acceptance is being extended to all citizens over the next few years. Additionally, a new federal risk pool is now available for anyone who cannot find health insurance on the individual market.
Many employees are able to buy individual policies for less than the monthly amount funded by the company. The allowance can also be used for eyeglasses, dental care and other medical expenses. Today, there are various ways for all employees to get some kind of health coverage through state and federal programs.
Zane Benefits (http://www.ZaneBenefits.com) offers two options (“ZaneHRA” and “ZanePOP”) to employers that want to make the switch to employer-funded individual health insurance.
ZaneHRA, which is a defined contribution health plan, works best for companies that want to offer health benefits, but cannot offer group health insurance due to high cost or participation requirements. With ZaneHRA, employers offer a defined contribution health plan in which they make available monthly contributions ("allowances") that employees choose how to spend. Employees can use their monthly "ZaneHRA Allowance" to reimburse their individual health insurance costs and eligible medical expenses 100% tax free.
ZanePOP, which is a premium-only-plan for individual health insurance, works best for companies that do not offer health insurance or have employees who are not eligible for a group health insurance plan. With ZanePOP, employers allow employees to reimburse themselves for individual health insurance costs using pre-tax salary. Employees typically save 20-40% on their insurance premiums. Employers save an additional 7.65% in FICA taxes on all reimbursements.
According to Rick Lindquist, who manages Zane Benefits’ affiliate distribution, “an employer can setup a ZaneHRA or ZanePOP plan in 10 minutes online. Once the plan is setup, it takes less than 5 minutes per month to administer because we integrate with the company’s existing payroll service.”
Zane Benefits has built a web-based training program to help insurance agents and CPAs learn the new rules. “Our products are distributed in all 50 states by independent licensed insurance brokers. However, many agents do not realize individual health insurance can be reimbursed tax free. We are working hard to educate brokers on these new products so that they can help their clients.”
For more information, visit the Zane Benefits website at http://www.ZaneBenefits.com.
