CHOICE Administrators® Launches Choice Builder – the First Ancillary-Only Benefits Program of Its Kind for California Employers

2009-11-10 19:09:03 -

CHOICE Administrators : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. ^®, a Word & Brown company : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. , today announced the launch of its newest program, Choice Builder, which packages benefit plans from nationally-recognized dental, vision, chiropractic, and life carriers into one program and offers them to California employers with 2-99 employees via one consolidated monthly bill.

“This is the first and only program of

its kind in California,” said Ron Goldstein, CHOICE Administrators’ president. “Employers are looking for this type of program so they can continue to offer robust benefits to employees in a tough economy, but skip the administration costs and headaches that often accompany working with multiple carriers.”


Goldstein oversees CHOICE Administrators, which operates several consumer-driven health care programs for employer groups of all sizes in California and serves more than 160,000 members through nearly 10,000 employers.

CHOICE programs, such as Choice Builder, enable business owners to control their health care budgets through defined contribution and single-source administration while simultaneously allowing employees to pick from a variety of medical and/or ancillary insurance plans.

Employers who participate in Choice Builder may offer their employees any one or more of the following carriers, yet pay only one monthly bill: DeltaCare^® USA, VSP, EyeMed, Pan American Life, American Delticare, Ameritas Group, Assurity, Landmark Healthcare, and Madison National Life Insurance Company.

Employers can offer these benefits to employees in many ways, including.



Employers can choose to fund employee benefits through defined contribution. Defined contribution allows employers to contribute a set monthly amount or percentage toward employees’ benefits. If employees choose options that cost more than the employer is contributing, the employees pay the difference.



Employers can also choose to offer benefits to employees on a voluntary basis. This allows employers to provide ancillary benefit options to employees without incurring any of the associated financial responsibility. Employees who choose to enroll in voluntary benefits still have the power to choose their benefit plans, but they are responsible for 100 percent of the premiums. Voluntary benefits are only available to employers who have a minimum of 10 eligible, full-time employees – at least five of whom must enroll in the program.


Employers can choose to do a mix-and-match of both employer-sponsored and voluntary benefits. For example, employers can contribute money to employee dental benefits, but offer vision as a voluntary benefit.

“It’s simply time for a program like this,” Goldstein said. “California employers need an opportunity to save money and their employees shouldn’t suffer a reduction in benefits just because times are tough.

Choice Builder is a practical solution.”


About CHOICE Administrators^®


CHOICE Administrators^®, a Word & Brown company, is based in Orange, Calif. It is the nation’s leader in developing and administering employee-choice health benefit programs for employer groups of all sizes. Serving more than 160,000 members through nearly 10,000 employers, CHOICE Administrators enables business owners to control their health care budgets through defined contribution and single-source administration, while allowing employees to pick from a variety of health insurance plans.

CHOICE Administrators’ programs include CaliforniaChoice^®, CaliforniaChoice 51+, Kaiser Permanente Choice Solution, HSA California^®, and Choice Builder – consumer-driven health care programs for small- and mid-sized employer groups; and Contractor’s Choice^®, a unique program for employers on public works projects.

Visit www.choiceadmin.com : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. for more information.

CHOICE Administrators^®Melissa Suggs,

Marketing and Communications Manager714.564.4896 msuggs@wordandbrowncompanies.com : mailto:msuggs@wordandbrowncompanies.com