The EBS Bridge Program™ is a way for employers to continue to provide valuable benefits to their employees in a cost-effective way.

• Up-front savings to the employer

• No internal policy limits or exclusions (no surprises in coverage)

• Assignment of benefits allows for payment to be made directly to medical provider (covered employees do not have to pay the provider and then wait for reimbursement)

• Unused claim funds belong to employer [Learn More…]

Employer sponsored medical benefits are typically provided by one of two methods, fully insured or self-funded. With the fully insured approach, the employer contracts with an insurance company to provide the benefits.

The employer does not assume any risk for payment of medical claims, but instead pays a monthly premium to an insurance company based on rates that are set once a year. The terms of eligibility and coverage are set forth in a policy issued by the insurance company.

With the self-funded approach, the employer provides benefits with its own funds, instead of contracting with an insurance company. The employer assumes the risk for payment of claims.   The terms of eligibility and coverage are set forth in a plan document executed by the employer. Most employers contract with a third party administrator, or TPA, to handle the day to day operations of administering the plan such as claims payment. The financial risk associated with self-funding can be mitigated by purchasing stop loss coverage from an insurance company. Stop loss policies typically provide for risk retention limitations both on a specific claim and aggregate claims basis.