2024 HPS Schools Brochure

Benefits. Insurance.

A Single-Source Solution for

SCHOOLS

Table of Contents

04

About Higginbotham

06

About Higginbotham Public Sector

08

Our Expertise

07

Day One Services

12

Day Two Services®

15

Additional Resources

16

Benefits Administration

18

Commercial Insurance & Value-Adds

3

About Higginbotham

Higginbotham is a single-source solution for insurance, risk management, financial, and HR/employee benefits services.

The employee-owned firm was established in 1948 and today ranks by revenue as the nation’s 20th-largest independent insurance brokerage.

Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Higginbotham serves businesses and individuals through locations across the nation. The firm specializes in tailoring programs to meet each client’s unique needs, and it stands by those programs with its Day Two Services®, which provide proactive customer support through the life of each policy.

ONE OF THE

LARGEST

FOUNDED IN

1948

INDEPENDENT BROKERS IN THE U.S.

BEST

AGENCY TO WORK FOR

By Insurance Journal

3.4K+

EMPLOYEES OFFICES IN

17 STATES

CORE VALUES FAMILY

To Our Employees

97%

CLIENT RETENTION

EMPLOYEES

$10M

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

EMPLOYEE DONATIONS

3.5K+ To the Higginbotham Community Fund

ACCOUNTABLE To Our Clients

TEAMMATES To Our Carriers

GENEROUS To Our Communities

RANKED #1 5-Star Brokerage in the USA

By Insurance Business America 2024

EMPLOYEE OWNED 5

About Higginbotham Public Sector Higginbotham Public Sector (HPS), a specialty practice within Higginbotham, provides comprehensive insurance and employee benefits support that's specifically tailored for education and government institutional clients.

For more than 30 years, the firm that joined forces with Higginbotham to take on the HPS mantle — Financial Benefit Services of Richardson, Texas — advised such institutional clients in every aspect of employee benefits while developing innovative, proprietary enrollment, education, engagement, and administration solutions to help those clients attract and retain valuable public sector employees.

Now as part of Higginbotham, HPS stands ready to provide the full Higginbotham range of single-source solutions and support for institutional clients and their public sector employees in Texas and beyond — anywhere the Higginbotham name can be found.

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HPS by the numbers

1

Single-source solution

10+ 200+ 600+

Employee benefits cooperatives

Employees dedicated to public sector clients

Public entity clients

What sets HPS apart?

Choosing the right broker to navigate the complexities of employee benefits is crucial. While many brokers seem to offer similar services, Higginbotham Public Sector stands out with in-house services customized to support you in several unique ways.

Layered Service Approach

Enrollment Support

•

•

• • •

Licensed Consultants who advocate for you throughout the RFP process and renewals An Account Manager dedicated to your questions and annual enrollment Client Service Representatives to assist your employees with their benefits needs A dedicated Billing Representative to handle reconciliation and carrier invoices

•

•

Proprietary enrollment platform provides you with full control and flexibility to customize your enrollment experience Smartphone app built by HPS developers, offering employees 24/7 benefits information at their fingertips In-house billing services take care of invoices, reconciliation, and common remitter premiums so you don’t have to

Education Expertise For decades, HPS has distinguished itself as an expert in creating benefits solutions for school districts. We made our mark on the industry early on by becoming one of the first firms in Texas to provide an online enrollment solution to public entity employers. We craft custom healthcare, retirement, and voluntary benefits solutions tailored to the diverse needs of your employees.

In addition, we guide our clients through complex compliance issues — leveraging our extensive experience in designing and managing benefits programs that adhere to legal standards and address specific demands of school district workforces.

We provide specialized solutions that stay ahead of trends and enhance the satisfaction and retention of public sector employees. Our team’s goal is to optimize your benefits, maintain fiscal responsibility, and support you every step of the way.

Our layered service approach ensures you get superior service from dedicated HPS team members who are singularly focused on certain tasks.

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Year-Round Support • • • • • • • • • • • •

Safety/loss control Contract review Claims advocacy Risk management Information systems Employee benefits communications Health risk management HR technology Employee call center Section 125 administration COBRA administration Compliance

Licensed Benefits Consultant

Client Service Representative

Strategic insights and consulting

Hands-on customer service for your plan and your people

Account Manager

Billing Representative

Implementation, plan development, and enrollment coordination

End-to-end billing aspects, including reconciliation and payment processing

Day One Services: Benefits & Medical Consulting Identifying opportunities to develop the best solutions for you from day one From day one with your HPS team, we design programs based on the diverse needs of your employees and your budget. Thanks to established relationships with industry-leading carriers, we deliver the best and most affordable plan options for clients. We call these our Day One services, and they include everything you get from HPS from the very beginning: • • • • • • • •

Health insurance Supplemental health products Population health management Financial protection products Retirement savings programs Benefits cooperatives Property & Casualty insurance Executive benefits

Product Evaluation & RFP Analysis Our systematic Request for Proposal (RFP) process maximizes efficiencies to obtain the best products and prices available for you. You get a customized and thorough benefits analysis that makes decision-making more straightforward.

Our 5-Step Approach To meet your specific needs, Higginbotham Public Sector follows a comprehensive process that enables us to review, compare, and decide on appropriate plan designs. This model builds the foundation for the long-term success of your medical and healthcare programs.

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Benefits Consulting Finding the right benefits Our layered service approach ensures you get superior service from dedicated HPS team members who are singularly focused on certain tasks.

Benefits Practice Overview

Develop Benefits Strategy

​ ou need expertise and insights to best understand which benefits Y are right for your employees. We take you through the results of our comprehensive five-step approach to outline your current plan offering and discuss how we can tailor your benefits solutions to:

Based on a comprehensive plan review, you’ll get personalized recommendations to help move your team closer to its goals and develop an effective strategy. Depending on your specific needs, your focus areas may include:

• • •

• • • • • • •

Meet your employees’ needs Attract and retain employees Reduce your direct insurance costs

Supplemental Products In addition to standard health benefits, we use our expertise to meet your supplemental health needs. Rely on HPS to help you select the right coverages for your workforce — which may include: 10

Dental

Accident

Vision

Telehealth

Plan performance Consumer-driven healthcare plans Compliance requirements Healthcare reform requirements Pharmacy consulting (Rx) Benefits communications and education Enrollment technology and benefits administration

Critical Illness

Cancer

Hospital Indemnity

Medical Transport Services

Short Term Disability

Retirement Savings Plans

Long Term Disability

Life Insurance with Long Term Care Benefits

Legal Assistance Plans

Identity Theft Monitoring and Support

1

Medical Consulting Affordable, comprehensive benefits solutions

The HPS medical consulting team is dedicated to developing benefits solutions that fit your budget and your employees’ needs. Our health division has established relationships with major health insurance carriers and providers, allowing us to present you with choices that reduce premiums, offer out-of-pocket savings, and enhance plan options. You get programs designed around the diverse needs of your employees and your budget. Group medical plan funding mechanisms vary based on employer size and risk tolerance.

Product Evaluation PEO

Fully Insured

Outsourced HR Services

Fixed Premiums

Fully Insured with HRA

Fixed Premiums With a Self-Funded Deductible

Level Funding

Self-Funding (ASO)

Self-Funding (TPA)

Self-Funding (Captive)

Self-Funded With Fixed Premiums

Self-Funded Using a Major Carrier

Self-Funded Using a TPA

Self-Funded With a Captive Stop Loss

RBP

No Network Medicare Plus Pricing

Least

Amount of Risk

Most

$$

Price

$

Value (Cost) = Risk + Price

Saving for Retirement with RISE HPS created the Retirement Investments for School Educators (RISE) Program to give schools and districts a better path to retirement, providing robust education and tools to meet long-term financial goals.

RISE offers a cost-effective, service-focused savings program created specifically for your group. By providing a real-time view of the implementation process of your plan — as well as an array of investment options including mutual funds, target-date and risk-based funds, fixed income alternatives, and more — a quality savings program for your employees is within reach.

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Day Two Services® Immediately after you become our client, our Day Two Services activate to handle all the details — from enrollment to communications to billing.

Day-to-Day Team

Strategic Planning / Benchmarking Financial Planning Data Analytics Dedicated Account Team

12

Your HPS team will always go the extra mile to maximize your time and minimize hassle, even creating innovative solutions in response to your unique needs.

Population Health Management

Customized Programs Vendor Coordination Exercise and Sports Physiology Nutritional Sciences Social Work

Psychology & Mental Health Health Education Public Health Ergonomics & Musculoskeletal Health

Compliance

HR Technology

Compliance Consulting and Review Legislative, Regulatory, Political Updates Tactical Planning Customized Compliance Dashboard/Calendar

Manage RFP Process Oversee Implementation

HR Service Center

HR Resources

Communications

Other Resources

Stewardship Reports Dedicated Toll-Free Phone Number 140 Languages Supported 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CST Monday - Friday

Mineral Access to HR Consultants and Advisors Client Portal Brainshark

Customized Communications Brand or Reinforce Existing Brand Custom Landing Pages and QR Codes Mass Texting

International Coverage Pharmacy Consulting Actuarial Services

Built for the Public Sector At HPS, our experience has shown us that our public sector clients face unique challenges that are not shared by the private sector. That's why we never take a one-size-fits-all approach.

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We go a step further than traditional brokers because we develop proprietary tools and customize third-party solutions based on your particular circumstances — and provide all of these services in-house.

Affordable Care Act Compliance

Family Medical Leave Act Services

•

• •

• • •

• • •

Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Dependent Care FSA Premium-Only Plans FSA Debit Card

•

Identify Benefits Eligibility Coverage Tracking and Reporting Multiple Service Options Available

Regulatory Compliance Eligibility Determination Job Protection and Benefits Continuation

HSA / HRA

HR Services

Population Health Management

•

• • • •

• • • •

• •

Eligibility and Contribution Tracking Regulatory Compliance HSA Debit Card

HR Outsourcing HR Technology HR Consulting Payroll Services

Customized Programs Vendor Coordination Tools and Education Program Assessment

Reconciliation/ Consolidated Billing Proprietary reconciliation software and an in-house team reduce your billing

HPS Standout Services

Section 125 Administration

workload by handling invoices, reconciliation, and common remitter premiums.

COBRA Administration HPS offers a fully integrated, web-based system that gives you and your employees realtime access to COBRA benefit information while also ensuring compliance.

Benefits Education

Navigate online enrollment and employee benefits easily with our Benefits App. The user-friendly interface helps employees quickly find what they’re looking for and make their selections.

Helping your people utilize their benefits

App features include:

Having comprehensive benefits is one thing, but encouraging your employees to use them requires clear communication, easyto-use educational tools, and helpful customer service. HPS has created a suite of benefits education resources to keep your team aligned and provide the support they need.

• • •

Educational Tools • • • • • • • •

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Mobile App

A benefits website with plan information Educational videos Provider searches Forms Convenient links to your carrier websites Online training Interactive enrollment guides Email campaign templates to encourage employee enrollment

24/7 benefits access Push notifications Digital ID card storage

Ready

To Help Benefits CareLine During Open Enrollment, your employees will receive live support from our bilingual call center representatives.

Personalized help and support are just a phone call away to help with specific benefits questions and concerns.

Additional Resources •

Proprietary enrollment platform allows full control and flexibility to customize your enrollment experience

•

Smartphone app built by HPS developers offering employees 24/7 benefits information at their fingertips

•

In-house billing services take care of invoices, reconciliation, and common remitter premiums so you don’t have to

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Benefits Administration Simplifying the process of change Relationships are a foundational pillar of HPS. Your experienced and dedicated account team will be by your side to guide you through the complexities of employee benefits administration.

System Capabilities • • • • • • • • •

Carrier Evidence of Insurability (EOI) Payroll imports Enhanced reporting LEARNsynx user training Enroll and manage core and supplemental benefits Benefits website accessible 24/7/365 Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) to insurance carriers Data upload to your payroll system Robust reporting tools

AICPA SOC Secure System Data security and the protection of employees’ private health information is a constant battle. Our system is independently audited to carefully protect your people and help ensure secure data transmissions to insurance carriers and payroll systems.

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Online Enrollment Streamline employee benefits selections with our proprietary enrollment technology. Whether you’d like to increase benefits awareness, simplify enrollment, or improve administration productivity, HPS provides a comprehensive enrollment program focused on employee engagement and education.

THEbenefitsHUB Our exclusive benefits administration platform gives your employees a simple and easy way to navigate the benefits election process. Because we own and operate THEbenefitsHUB source codes, and we have a team of programmers, as well as EDI import and export personnel, we can create customized content for you.

Employees can enroll at their own pace with 24/7 access and support. Detailed plan information, rates, and informational product videos are just a few of the many tools available to help your employees make educated benefits selections.

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Commercial Insurance & Value-Adds Additional services designed to meet your various needs You receive support far beyond medical and benefits administration. We continue to expand our offerings to support your needs and desires to offer comprehensive coverage.

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Property & Casualty

Risk Management

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • •

Workers’ compensation General liability Cyber liability Errors & Omissions (E&O) Student accident Commercial property Automobile liability Special events liability Sexual misconduct liability Law enforcement professional liability Directors & Officers (D&O) Emergency events International operations

Safety and loss prevention Risk management information systems Contract review Claims advocacy Certificate validation 24/7 catastrophe support

HR Services • • • • •

HR consulting HR outsourcing Payroll services Onboarding services Compensation analysis

Custom solutions for a better workforce.

(800) 583-6908 2175 N. Glenville Drive | Richardson, TX 75082

www.higgpublicsector.com