Know your status.
ALE status generally starts at an average of 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalents, in the previous calendar year. Related employers may count together; seasonal-worker and new-employer rules can matter.
The squeeze is real
You want to do right
by your team.
And your business.
Another premium. Another plan comparison. Another employee asking what you offer.
You’re trying to be a good employer while protecting the business that pays everyone. The hard part is knowing which benefits are worth the commitment—and which gaps still remain.
Sound familiar?
- When you offer too little“Are we giving people enough reason to stay?”
- When the quote arrives“Can we keep paying this next year?”
- When the details get technical“Is this real medical coverage—or something more limited?”
When the question goes beyond benefits
Could benefits be part of your retention problem?
Explore the bigger picture of why people join, stay, or leave.
Here’s where it gets clearer
Start with the problem.
Then choose the benefit.
For The Benefits helps you connect your team’s needs with available options and the cost to your business. Choose what’s weighing on you most.
Make the first step a manageable one.
Explore telehealth for access to eligible virtual care and group life for financial protection. We’ll compare available costs, eligibility, and limitations so you can choose a starting point with your eyes open.
Help me plan my first benefits program ↗The benefits pyramid
Know what each level gives you.
Know what it leaves out.
Access to a doctor, medical insurance, and broader coverage solve different needs. Use this guide to ask better questions before you commit.
Select a level · Broader benefits toward the apex
Convenient access
Telehealth
Help employees connect with providers for eligible virtual care. Useful on its own as a supplemental service, or alongside medical insurance.
The question to ask:
What happens when an employee needs care beyond a virtual visit?
Illustrates coverage breadth, not a price ranking or required buying sequence. Minimum value is a standard a group plan may meet; upper tiers can overlap. MEC alone does not establish minimum value or affordability. Review actual plan terms and employer requirements.
Benefits decisions. Financial consequences.
Could your benefits gap
become an ACA penalty?
If you’re an Applicable Large Employer, offering a benefit isn’t the whole question. What you offer, who receives the offer, and what employees must pay can affect your exposure.
Know your coverage.
Offering minimum essential coverage to at least 95% of full-time employees and their dependents addresses one potential payment. Employees outside that offer—or coverage lacking minimum value or affordability—can still create exposure to another.
Know the trigger.
Either employer shared responsibility payment requires at least one full-time employee receiving a Marketplace premium tax credit. Workforce size alone does not trigger a payment.
Let’s review your starting point and identify the coverage and affordability questions that need attention.
Help me understand my ACA exposure ↗Telehealth alone does not resolve these requirements. A plan’s name is not proof of compliance. IRS coverage guidance · IRS ALE status guidance
Care. Coverage. Protection.
Benefits with a purpose.
01
Telehealth
Make getting care
less of an obstacle.
Eligible care by phone or video helps make access more convenient. We’ll explain the services, fees, and limits of the available program. Telehealth membership is not insurance.
02
Group health insurance
Understand the coverage
behind the premium.
Review provider networks, covered services, deductibles, and contributions. See how available medical plans fit your people and your budget before making a commitment.
03
Group life insurance
Help protect the people
your employees go home to.
A covered employee’s death can leave a family facing financial pressure. Group life can provide a benefit to designated beneficiaries, subject to policy terms. Explore employer-paid and voluntary options where available.
Meet Earl
Let’s make your next
benefits decision clearer.
A practical conversation about your people, your priorities, and your budget.
Serving Texas employers, including small businesses, nonprofits, and home health and hospice providers.
A clear next step
Let’s put the options
and the numbers
on the same page.
Bring your questions and your budget concerns. We’ll work through:
- 01What you want your benefits to accomplish.
- 02Available options, costs, and important limitations.
- 03What to do next, including eligibility and enrollment steps.
Before you decide
Get answers to the hard questions.
What if a traditional group health plan stretches our budget?
We can review available options and contribution arrangements. Telehealth and group life may address specific needs, but they don’t replace comprehensive medical insurance. We’ll make those differences clear.
What if employees already have health insurance?
Start by reviewing what they have and what your current benefits include. A separate telehealth program may duplicate existing services; group life addresses a different need.
Does choosing a higher tier settle our ACA obligations?
No tier label establishes compliance. Actual coverage, affordability, the employer’s offer, and applicable employer rules must be evaluated. A broader plan does not create a separate penalty exemption.
Can we review what we already offer?
Yes. Bring your current plan information and renewal concerns. We can compare your goals with the coverage, costs, and available alternatives.
Your next move
Start with the question
keeping you stuck.
Tell Earl what you’re trying to offer—and what you’re worried it will cost.
A few details give us a starting point. We’ll follow up to discuss your options.