Our Client Success Stories

Helping Build Organizations Worth Committing To.^TM

Fickewirth Benefits Advisors is always searching for ways to improve the quality and delivery of employee benefits that you provide your employees. Here are some noteworthy successes we've been able to deliver for a number of clients. How can we help you?

Cost Savings

• Due to Fickewirth's knowledge of rate trends and familiarity with specific anomalies of the client, we successfully negotiated annual rate guarantees or decreases for a client four years in a row in spite of carrier requests for increase. Cost savings for their dental and vision plans alone were over $125,000 for this Ventura County client.
• Created an Administrative Services Only (ASO) direct-reimbursement PPO dental plan that was offered alongside a self-funded direct-reimbursement dental plan, in additional to fully-insured DPO and DMO plans. ASO PPO dental plan resulted in network savings of 50% for subscribers and plan, while maintaining the flexibility of a direct reimbursement plan. 
• Assisted client with selecting and implementing a new dental plan that simplified the benefit administration of out-of-state employees and incorporated a highly utilized local provider into the network, resulting in a reduction of overall costs. New dental plan resulted in an average employee cost savings of 30%.

Benefits Administration

• Steered a large group client in Los Angeles through the selection process and implementation of a benefits administration system, eliminating the cost of using a third-party administrator. Project included managing RFPs and software demonstrations, startup cost negotiations with insurance carriers and determining a clear breakdown of eligibility, enrollment and termination parameters. Cost savings with the use of this new benefits administration system were projected at $150,000.

Account Management

• Fickewirth has been able, numerous times, to bridge the knowledge gap and step in as a resource for experienced exiting HR/Finance employees and their new and not yet fully-trained replacements. This is a greatly appreciated service especially when dealing with compliance and health care reform regulations.

Health Care Reform

• Assisted a fully-insured client in understanding their responsibilities under Health Care Reform and any potential penalties they could incur. Helped client create a budget in preparation for 1/1/14 by performing an in-depth audit that included benefits, contributions and eligibility. HCR penalties of $279,000 will be avoided as soon as HCR is enforced.

Marketing

• Designed and executed a complete marketing strategy to promote a client's Employee Benefits division by creating its own brand identity that included a new logo, email / direct mail / social marketing campaigns and printed collateral. New marketing initiative coincided with the launch of a new online benefits enrollment system.

Heath and Wellness

• Negotiated cost factor reductions for a self-funded client in Venice, California whose employees and dependents participated in biometric screenings and completed health risk assessments. Carrier also agreed to pay the biometric screening costs.
• Implemented a body scan benefit for a large group in Los Angeles with notably higher-than-average, unhealthy lifestyles. Added benefit is expected to reduce future claims as plan participants who take advantage of this exam generally make positive and  life-saving changes in their behavior when their health status is authenticated by a scan and interpreted through in-depth physician meeting.