The Whole Benefits Program, Built to Recruit, Retain, and Comply.
A coordinated employee-benefits package, designed and administered
Building a competitive benefits program means assembling medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and voluntary coverages into one coordinated package — not buying policies one at a time. Where group life is a single benefit, life and health is the whole employee-benefits program a broker designs, funds, enrolls, and administers, with group life as one piece of it.
Done well, that program is central to attracting and keeping talent while controlling cost and meeting real compliance obligations. Done poorly, it overspends, leaves coverage gaps, and exposes the employer to ACA, ERISA, and COBRA penalties.
What a Life & Health Program Includes
A full benefits program brings several coverages under one design:
Group Health (Medical) — The core benefit — network-based HMO, PPO, or high-deductible plans, often paired with an HSA or FSA.
Dental & Vision — Preventive and restorative dental tiers and vision coverage for exams, lenses, and frames.
Group Disability — Short-term and long-term income replacement when an employee can't work.
Supplemental / Voluntary Benefits — Accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity cash benefits that fill medical out-of-pocket gaps.
Group Life & AD&DEmployer-paid and voluntary life coverage included as part of the umbrella.
Individual Life & Health — Coverage for owners, part-timers, and small groups where group plans don't fit, including Medicare and marketplace options.
Key Considerations
The details across these coverages are where cost and gaps live:
Disability plans carry elimination periods and duration and replacement-percentage limits, and there can be a gap between short-term and long-term coverage
Employer-paid disability benefits are taxable, while employee-paid-with-after-tax-dollars benefits are tax-free — a key design lever
Supplemental benefits pay on top of medical, but disability often coordinates with other income
Health-plan cost is driven by annual renewals, network adequacy, prescription coverage, and deductible exposure
The funding model chosen determines how much claims risk the employer carries
Who It's For
The right program depends on employer size and risk tolerance:
Small and mid-size employers wanting predictable cost through fully-insured plans
Small-to-mid employers wanting some savings upside through level-funded plans
Larger employers with the scale to self-fund and capture savings and transparency
Employees wanting comprehensive coverage, with supplemental benefits helping against high deductibles
How Plans Are Structured
Funding and enrollment mechanics anchor the program:
Fully-insured plans charge fixed premiums and put claims risk on the carrier
Self-funded plans pay claims as incurred with stop-loss protection, offering the most savings and transparency
Level-funded plans charge a fixed monthly amount and may refund a surplus if claims run low
Employers typically share the employee-only premium and less of the dependent premium, with voluntary lines employee-paid
Waiting periods, annual open enrollment, qualifying-life-event changes, and pre-tax premiums through a Section 125 plan govern participation
Real-World Scenarios
An employee out six weeks after surgery receives short-term disability after the elimination period, with long-term disability picking up if they remain out
An employee diagnosed with a critical illness receives a lump-sum cash benefit on top of their medical coverage
A hospital stay pays a fixed admission and per-day cash benefit the employee applies to deductibles
A level-funded group with a low-claims year receives a surplus refund a fully-insured plan wouldn't provide
Why Thoughtful Plan Design Matters
Benefits are both a talent strategy and a compliance exposure, so design matters:
A well-designed package is central to attracting and retaining talent, with voluntary benefits broadening it at little employer cost
Matching the funding model to the group's size and risk tolerance controls premium and claims exposure
ACA, ERISA, COBRA, and HIPAA obligations carry real penalties that correct documents and filings avoid
A broker structures funding, plan design, and contributions, markets to carriers, runs enrollment, and keeps the plan compliant year-round
Compliance Context
The ACA employer mandate requires applicable large employers — generally those with 50 or more full-time and full-time-equivalent employees — to offer affordable, minimum-value coverage to at least 95% of full-time employees and their children, with IRS reporting, or face penalties. ERISA governs most welfare benefit plans with a plan document and summary plan description and fiduciary duties, COBRA requires continuation coverage for employers with 20 or more employees, and HIPAA governs protected health information and special enrollment. Section 125 enables pre-tax premiums, mental-health parity applies, and state mandates add continuation and disability requirements in several states.
Our Approach
At Cory Washington & Co., we build the whole benefits program as one coordinated system — matching the funding model to your size and risk tolerance, designing medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and voluntary coverages that fit your workforce, and running enrollment, service, and renewals while keeping the plan compliant with ACA, ERISA, and COBRA. We treat benefits as a talent strategy, not a checkbox. It includes and coordinates your group life plans and complements our risk management services.
Our goal is a benefits program that helps you compete for talent, controls cost, and holds up to compliance scrutiny.
All benefit descriptions on this website are provided by Cory Washington & Co. LLC strictly for general informational purposes. They are not intended to be, and should not be relied upon as, legal, tax, financial, or insurance advice. The information presented is general in nature and does not guarantee the availability, terms, conditions, or scope of any plan or coverage. Actual coverage is determined solely by the specific plan documents and policy language issued by the insurer and remains subject to underwriting and eligibility. Nothing on this website creates or implies an agent-client relationship, binds coverage, or alters any existing plan. Cory Washington & Co. LLC expressly disclaims any liability for actions taken, or not taken, based on the content provided here. For advice regarding your particular situation, please consult directly with a licensed professional at Cory Washington & Co. LLC or another qualified professional, and always review your plan documents in full.
See what to confirm in a life & health benefits policy — what's standard, what's often limited, and what to add if needed — plus the gap most often missed, in the Life & Health Benefits Policy Feature Checklist.
Complete the Life & Health Benefits Supplemental online in a few guided steps, download the fillable PDF, or browse all applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get life & health insurance plans through Cory Washington & Co.?
Request a quote or contact our team. We start with a short conversation about your operations, analyze your exposures, then negotiate life & health insurance plans across multiple carriers that compete for your account and present options with the trade-offs explained. Cory Washington & Co. LLC is licensed in all 50 states.
What does life & health insurance plans cost?
There is no flat rate. The cost of life & health insurance plans reflects your industry, your size (payroll and revenue), your claims history, and the limits and deductibles you choose. We market your account to multiple carriers, compare the real quotes side by side, and explain what is driving each number so you can weigh coverage against price with confidence.
Is life & health insurance plans required?
Requirements vary. Life & health insurance plans may be mandated by statute, or required under your contracts, leases, or loan agreements — and in many cases it is simply prudent given the risks involved. We look at your specific obligations and exposures, then recommend the coverage and limits that fit.
What if another agency has already declined or non-renewed my coverage?
Difficult, specialty, and previously-declined placements are a core part of our work. We access excess & surplus (E&S) and specialty markets that many generalist agencies cannot, and we explain the trade-offs clearly so you can decide with confidence.
Available in all 50 states. See how requirements differ in California, Texas, Florida, New York, or choose your state.