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Voluntary Benefits Add Employer Appeal at No Cost to Them

02/19/15

Author: SuperUser Account/Tuesday, February 17, 2015/Categories: Bulletin News

With the economy on the upswing, employers find it increasingly necessary to attract and retain valuable employees. Not long ago, employees stayed in a job because of the health and life insurance benefits or the tight job market. Now, they have greater freedom to look elsewhere. This leaves employers to grapple with how to attract and retain good people without spending a lot of money.

Workplace benefits remain a powerful force for attracting and keeping employees happy and productive. Senior leaders have noticed that when employees are free from the worry of health care and financial planning, they are more productive, innovative, and creative. But securing and administering benefits can be expensive. Benefits averaged about a third of employees’ total compensation in 2014, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.1

That’s why ADP TotalSource® has partnered with longtime employee benefits provider Mercer Health & Benefits Administration to offer TotalChoice™ Voluntary Benefits supplemental health insurance, which can help to pay some your worksite employees’ out-of-pocket costs not covered by their medical insurance. We offer these plans without you having to shoulder the cost of premiums, administration and record-keeping.

To give worksite employees the opportunity to secure total healthcare coverage on a single occasion, TotalChoice™ Voluntary Benefits supplemental health insurance plans are only when the worksite employee is newly eligible and during the Open Enrollment. As an added incentive, employees can sign up for certain TotalChoice™ plans during Open Enrollment without answering any health-related questions.

The following supplemental health insurance plans are available for signup during Open Enrollment only. Employees can use payments from these plans as they wish:

  •    Hospital Indemnity Insurance— Pays employees a lump sum they can use for any reason when they’re hospitalized
  •   Critical Illness Insurance—Pays employees up to $20,000 if they are diagnosed with a covered illness such as cancer, heart attack or stroke
  •   Accident Insurance— Provides a payment if an employee suffers an injury in a covered accident

Additionally, these TotalChoice Voluntary Benefits are available for employee signup during Open Enrollment: 

  •    Voluntary Term Life Insurance—Provides reasonable death benefit levels without needing to answer health questions under certain circumstances
  •    Legal Services—Greatly lowers employees’ costs for securing professional attorneys for everyday legal matters

The TotalChoice Voluntary Benefits package also includes several additional financial protection plans, which employees can enroll in at any time. As with supplemental health insurance, client companies pay nothing for premium payment, administration and record-keeping:

  •  Group Universal Life Insurance—In addition to death benefits, includes a cash fund that earns interest  on a tax-deferred basis (After an employee’s new-hire eligibility period, medical underwriting is required)
  •  Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance—Pays beneficiary if the employee dies, and the  employee if he or she suffers a covered injury in a covered accident
  •  Auto and Home Insurance3—Mercer’s unique comparison engine lets employees compare their  policies with top-rated provider quotes and switch coverage on the same phone call
  •  Individual Short Term Disability Insurance—Can replace a percentage of income if an employee becomes disabled by a covered accident or illness and is unable to work
  •  Identity Theft Protection—Detects fraud early and helps restore an employee’s identity if ID theft  occurs
  •  Pet Insurance—Helps with the expenses of keeping employees’ cherished family members happy and  healthy

Employees can select which plans they wish to enroll in, as well as benefit levels. A survey by TNS Omnibus found that almost 9 in 10 employees said it was important to customize their benefits.2 Group rates keep costs low, and premiums are handled through payroll deduction to spread out the payments.

Want more information about ADP TotalChoice Voluntary Benefits? Call (800) 557-1038, Monday–Friday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm ET, or visit MyTotalSource.com: Click Myself > Benefits Resource Center > TotalChoiceTM Voluntary Benefits.

Note: Worksite employees eligible for the TotalChoiceTM Voluntary Benefits program are those who work a minimum of 20 hours per week and have completed 90 days of employment with their employer.


[1] Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Employer Costs for Employee Compensation – September 2014,” http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm

[2] Benefit News, “Survey Finds Majority of Employees Want Customizable Benefits” http://ebn.benefitnews.com/news/survey-finds-majority-of-employees-want-customizable-benefits-2731070-1.html

[3] Home insurance is not available in FL. Home Insurance may not be part of MetLife Auto & Home’s benefit offering in FL and MA.


Prepared for ADP TotalSource®

ADP and ADP TotalSource are registered trademarks of ADP, LLC.

Program Administered by Mercer Health & Benefits Administration LLC

AR Ins. Lic. #303439  |  CA Ins. Lic. #0G39709 | In CA d/b/a Mercer Health & Benefits Insurance Services LLC

70837 M3524 (2/15) Copyright 2015 Mercer LLC. All rights reserved. CE-13876 (1-15)

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