CaliforniaChoice helps California small businesses expand employee benefit options for employees. The program, known for its freedom and flexibility, is also affordable for employers. Beyond health care, CaliforniaChoice offers employers business management services at no added cost.

The CaliforniaChoice Business Solutions Suite includes:

• Human resources support
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) for employees
• Premium Only Plans (POPs) for employees
• Cal-COBRA or Federal COBRA billing

In addition, CaliforniaChoice provides Payroll Services through Heartland Payroll Solutions, Inc. that you can integrate with your benefits for free.

ONLINE HR SUPPORT CENTER

The Online HR Support Center incudes 24-hour access to information on critical state and federal employment laws. It also features a database of frequently asked questions and answers to common human resources issues.

The HR Support Center backed by Mineral includes:

• A library of employee handbooks, company policies, job descriptions, and HR forms
• Summaries of state and federal laws that may affect your staff
• A glossary of commonly used HR terms and definitions
• Tools and information specific to Leave of Absence, Hiring, Performance Management, and Termination

FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS (FSAs)

For groups of 15 or more employees, CaliforniaChoice offers you no-cost FSAs. An FSA allows your employees to set aside a part of their salary, on a pre-tax basis, to pay for eligible health care-related expenses. Employees pay less in taxes, while also lowering your required FICA contributions.

Items eligible for reimbursement or payment through an FSA include:

• Medical expenses like copays, coinsurance, and deductibles
• Dental exams, cleanings, x-rays, and braces
• Vision exams, contact lenses and supplies, eyeglasses, and laser eye surgery
• Prescription drugs and insulin
• Chiropractic and acupuncture services
• Qualified over-the-counter health care items like athletic and orthopedic braces and support, blood glucose monitors and testing strips, blood pressure monitors, pregnancy and fertility kits, thermometers, walking aids and wheelchairs, and more

PREMIUM ONLY PLANS (POPs)

Section 125 Premium Only Plan services are available, too. CaliforniaChoice covers your initial set-up cost for your POP. Employees can then pay their share of premiums for their Medical and Dental coverage with pre-tax dollars. This lets employees take home more of their paycheck dollars. In turn, your taxable payroll decreases – saving you on FICA and Workers’ Compensation expenses.

COBRA BILLING SERVICES

With CaliforniaChoice, COBRA-related activities are also included at no cost.

Based on your group size, you’ll receive Cal-COBRA services (for groups with 1-19 employees), or federal COBRA services (for groups of 20 or more employees), when an eligible enrollee loses coverage because of a qualifying event, including:

• Employment termination
• Employee death
• Reduction of work hours
• Divorce or legal separation
• Eligibility for Medicare
• Loss of dependent child status

Services available include COBRA participant invoicing, premium collection and remittance, and processing eligibility changes for non-payment of premium.

PAYROLL SERVICES

Heartland Payroll Services can be combined with your health benefits. Any payroll changes you make are communicated in real time to CaliforniaChoice. This allows you to:

• Reduce administration
• Avoid premium overpayments on terminated employees
• Avoid missed coverage windows for new hires

Available payroll services include:

• Direct deposit: A secure, convenient, and cost-effective alternative to paper checks
• Free employee payroll portal: A secure platform to view and print pay stubs and W-2s, update information, and access important company documents
• Outstanding service from a dedicated payroll specialist
• Customized payroll reports: Get regular Payroll Summaries, Registers, Tax Reports, and Employee Pay Stubs; create custom reports the way you want
• Liability elimination: Generate tax, quarterly, and annual reports; take advantage of guaranteed-accurate and timely deposits, filings, and promptly returned calls

HOW TO LEARN MORE

CaliforniaChoice offers affordable health insurance coverage and more. It’s available to employers in California with up to 100 employees. To get a quote for your business, talk with your health insurance or employee benefits broker. If you don’t already have a broker, we can help you find one.