Group Insurance

We endeavor to ask each client and prospect what keeps them up at night in their business life. Then we go to work on Lasting Solutions. The most common answer is the request for help in solving each employer's crisis in rising Group Health Care Benefits costs. We have developed some proven, powerful tools which focus on identifying and slowing the cost drivers, while increasing employer and employee satisfaction. Our main objective in offering this refreshed web site is to cause you call or contact us so we can begin to help.

Summit Financial Group, Inc. www.yoursummit.com

(Basic Services we Offer)

A. Employer Support and Education

• Develop benefits "philosophy" , long-range plans and objectives in conjunction with

           the employer, governing board, special investors, etc.

• Keep employer constantly apprised of new products and trends in

           health insurance and employee benefits industry.

• Provide "hands-on" assistance to implement the plan and modify as conditions change.
• Offer Stewardship Mechanism to include planning, implementation and effectiveness

           sessions with written deliverables.

B. Plan Design and Rate Negotiation

• Design a dynamic, fluid plan that meets benefit needs and budget considerations.
• Draft and distribute bid specifications to carriers.
• Analyze claims data and perform claim and benefits studies to determine actual level of claims run out, cost drivers and predictive modeling assistance.
• Negotiate renewal rates with current carriers including retention (administrative expenses), trend projections, claim reserves, service and technology expectations and communications needs.
• Compare renewal rates with bid responses and provide Employer with recommendations.
• Consider and compare possible plan design alternatives and potential premium savings versus Employee exposure and cost shifting.
• Evaluate alternative funding arrangement such as self-funding, minimum premium, etc.

C. Employee Administrative Services

         (see case studies www.yoursummit.com/cs_news_casestudies.html )

• Assist employees with any claim problems , which may occur.
• Provide ongoing assistance with billing and eligibility errors .
• Provide ongoing assistance with enrollment cards, ID cards, late enrollees, health statement questionnaires, etc.
• Offer cost effective, accurate, web-based enrollment, benefits and HR tool: www.benefitserver.com/demo
• Provide proper information for Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

D. Employee Education

• Assist in the annual open enrollment of group insurance plans.
• Assist in developing employee communication materials such as payroll stuffers, announcements, benefit outlines, special "talking" e-mails, custom "new hire package", including content for hands on orientation sessions, creation of a series of Benefits Communications Memos from upper management etc.
• Develop and manage employee and dependent educational sessions to include:
• News spots of interest i.e., Cost, Quality and Access issues and latest developments in improving benefits for People, Providers, Plan, Partner. Note: these can be delivered in the form of memos, flyers, e-mails, streaming video, web-spots on WFEC server or on

          Summit 's server.

• Offer SFG's "free" monthly, benefits industry Newsletter.
• Benefits fair including health assessments to increase constituent satisfaction.
• Lunch & Learn sessions with paper, CD-Rom, and floppy take-a-way's.
• Family Finance and Budgeting classes for all constituents. (Big stress reliever)
• Coping Classes designed from information gleaned from individual health assessment questionnaires and company wide (customized) Employee Benefits Survey results .
• Wellness and Behavior Modification offerings (can achieve proven results with ROI from $2.77 to $8.00 for every dollar spent on "Wellness".
• Tools to help constituents become much better "Health Care Consumers".
• How to ask the doctor questions?
• Managing the Rx equation in a very expensive world.
• Helping parents and grandparents with their own health care decisions.
• Teach constituents about the power of:

      Disease Management

      Case Management

      Historical Utilization Review

      Rx Management

E. Legislative and Compliance Issues

• Provide periodic updates on pending federal, state, and local legislative issues, which may affect the Employer.
• Offer proven, cost effective tools for HIPAA and Cobra compliance.
• Offer access to our Summit Financial Group web site for Education, Communication, Compliance and cost savings assistance.