Employers

Employers without Group Plans

Defined Contribution Plans

Learn how defined-contribution health plans (HRAs) can save your company thousands each year per employee over traditional group plans.

Getting Started with Defined Contribution ZaneHRA

Get step-by-step instructions on setting up your own HRA to provide inexpensive health benefits to your employees.

Dental, Vision & Wellness HRA

Encourage employees to stay healthy by offering first-dollar coverage for dental, vision, chiropractic, etc.

Employers with Group Plans

Deductible-Gap ZaneHRA

Save $2000/employee on your group plan by raising the Deductible and adding ZaneHRA and ZaneAMC.

New-Hire ZaneHRA

Save $300-$1,000/month on every new employee by extending the waiting period and offering ZaneHRA to cover the gap in coverage.

Dental, Vision & Wellness HRA

Encourage employees to stay healthy by offering first-dollar coverage for dental, vision, chiropractic, etc.

COBRA-Alternative ZaneHRA

Save money and protect your group plan by offering a COBRA-Alternative ZaneHRA instead of expensive, temporary COBRA coverage.

Retirement ZaneHRA

Save money by giving employees over 40 a financial incentive to opt out of the group plan by offering a Retirement ZaneHRA.

Helping Employees With Preexisting Conditions

Some form of state-guaranteed coverage is now available for employees with preexisting medical conditions in all 50 states, regardless of income.

Testimonials

Read how Zane Benefits has helped other employers.

In the News

CNN Live! on HRAs

CNN

"Individual insurance is by and large the way to go for most people, but most people are clueless about how to buy individual insurance, The big change is that this year a company can give you an allowance and say 'Go buy your own [individual insurance], tax-free, and I'll reimburse you for it.'"

Cut Health Care Costs With Individual Plans

Wells Fargo

"Through HRAs, you can offer 'defined contribution healthcare,' giving your employees a fixed amount of money to buy their own policy," Pilzer says.

Paul Zane Pilzer Checks the Pulse of Healthcare Insurance

MCNews

"Healthcare costs currently exceed profits for the Fortune 500. Why be in business? If healthcare costs go up 15% a year, even if a CEO can improve company profits 12% a year, it's not enough."

Group Coverage Too Pricey?

BusinessWeek

"Workers with serious illnesses will pay more than their colleagues, but business owners no longer have to worry that switching to individual plans will leave some employees uninsured."

Hands On Health Care

Inc. Magazine

"Paul Zane Pilzer, an economist and author of The New Health Insurance Solution, argues that with savings like that, employers should move toward canceling their group policies and encourage all of their employees to purchase their insurance individually."

You Can Provide Healthcare Benefits

Inc. Magazine

"In a defined contribution plan, you provide your employees with a tax-free allowance (contribution) to spend on their own healthcare—at an annual fixed cost that you control. Employees use this allowance to pay for the premium on an individual/family health insurance policy."

For Employers with Group Plans
New-Hire ZaneHRA Defined Contribution Plan

Save $300-$1,000/month on every New Employee with a New Hire ZaneHRA

Step 1: Extend the Waiting Period on your group plan and offer new employees short-term individual policies funded by a ZaneHRA.

Step 2: Employees use their ZaneHRA funds to purchase individual short-term policies. Short-term policies typically cost 1/4 the price of group coverage because they can’t be renewed past 6-12 months.  ZaneHRA can also pay medical expenses not covered by short-term policies that would have been covered by your group plan.

Step 3: Employees who stay longer than 6-12 month automatically enroll in your group plan at the end of their (longer) waiting period.

The Bottom Line: Your company saves $300-$1,000/month on each new hire while you protect your existing group plan from people joining your company for the wrong reason.

Benefits of a New-Hire ZaneHRA

  • Companies with high turnover (20%-50%) experience enormous savings on enrollment costs by only enrolling loyal employees (after 6-12 months) in their group plans.
  • Existing employees benefit from not having new employees joining their company just to get health benefits.
  • Waiting Periods are excluded from HIPAA Continuous Coverage rules—new employees with preexisting conditions still qualify for coverage from your group plan (after 6-12 months).
  • New employees can purchase short-term policies online or via telephone and get instant coverage, even before being hired.
  • ZaneHRA allows seamless management of your New Hire ZaneHRA program and easy access by employees and managers.

Savings by Offering/Extending 180-Day Waiting Period (2006)
Single Family
Employer-sponsored (2006) $375 $1,167
Short-term high deductible $50 $124
Savings (per month) $325 $1,043
Savings (6 months) $1,950 $6,528