Level-Funded & RBP Plans Save Up to 30% vs. Traditional Insurance Serving TN, AL, GA, FL, TX, SC, NC, MS, LA & All 50 States 15 Years of Industry Experience Independent & Unbiased Consulting Level-Funded & RBP Plans Save Up to 30% vs. Traditional Insurance Serving TN, AL, GA, FL, TX, SC, NC, MS, LA & All 50 States 15 Years of Industry Experience Independent & Unbiased Consulting
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Benefit Packages — 2 to 250 Employees

Employee Benefit Packages That Save Small Businesses Up to 30%

Traditional group health insurance is designed to benefit the carrier — not your business. Ascend helps growing employers break that cycle with level-funded and reference-based pricing plans that put control back in your hands.

Why Growing Businesses Lose Every Renewal Cycle

For employers with 2–250 employees, the traditional fully insured plan is the default — but compared to fully insured alternatives, a level-funded health plan delivers significant cost savings. Here's what's actually happening to your money every year — and why level funded health plans are becoming the preferred alternative to traditional health insurance plans for employers of all sizes.

Premiums Rise Regardless of Your Claims

Even if your employees have a healthy year, your renewal still goes up. You never see the upside — only the downside.

Zero Transparency Into What's Driving Costs

Traditional carriers don't share your claims data, making smarter decisions at renewal impossible.

Rising Costs Kill Your Ability to Compete for Talent

When healthcare costs eat into profits, there's less money for salaries and benefits — and top talent walks.

Three Plan Types. One Clear Recommendation.

We offer all three plan types and specialize in finding the right fit for your business. Level-funded plans deliver predictable costs with surplus refunds. RBP plans offer maximum freedom with no network restrictions. Both deliver significant savings over traditional insurance.

Reference Based Pricing plans
Reference-Based Pricing (RBP) Plans
Maximum flexibility — see any provider, anywhere
Maximum Freedom & Savings

Reference-Based Pricing is a powerful cost containment strategy that eliminates the inflated chargemaster game entirely. Instead of paying a discounted percentage of an artificially inflated hospital price, RBP reimburses providers at a transparent percentage above Medicare rates — typically 130–150%.

Employees can see any licensed provider in the country with no network restrictions — no referrals, no in-network limitations, no surprise bills from out-of-network providers. RBP plans consistently trend at 5% or more below traditional PPO cost increases year over year.

Stop-loss insurance is built into every RBP arrangement, giving employers predictable maximum exposure with none of the carrier markup. Claims data is fully transparent, giving you visibility that traditional plans never provide.

See any licensed provider — no network restrictions nationwide

Medicare-based reimbursement — transparent, fair pricing for every medical service

Stop-loss protection included — caps employer exposure on every claim

Full claims transparency — complete visibility into what's driving costs

Trends 5%+ below PPO — year-over-year cost advantages vs. traditional plans

No chargemaster markup — eliminates inflated hospital pricing entirely

Traditional fully insured plans
Traditional Fully-Insured Plans
The default option — available but rarely the best choice
Available — Not Our Specialty

We offer traditional fully-insured group plans and will always present them as an option — but for most employers with 2–250 employees, they are not the most cost-effective choice.

With traditional insurance, the carrier pools your employees with thousands of others, prices the risk conservatively, and keeps the profit when claims come in lower than projected. You have no visibility into claims data and no ability to benefit from a healthy workforce.

That said, traditional plans can be the right fit in specific situations. Our job is to give you an honest, unbiased analysis and recommend the plan type that actually serves your business best.

Simple administration — carrier handles all claims processing

Predictable costs — fixed premium, no claims risk to employer

Premiums rise every year regardless of your group's claims history

Zero claims transparency — carrier keeps your data

No surplus refund — carrier keeps all profit from low-claim years

We Help You Choose the Right Plan — Not Just Any Plan

Benefits consultant meeting with business owner
5
Step process to find
your perfect plan

Not every employer is the right fit for every plan type on day one. Our job is to give you an honest, data-driven recommendation backed by 15 years of industry experience.

1

Review Your Current Plan & Claims History

We start by understanding what you're paying now and where the cost drivers are.

2

Analyze Workforce Demographics & Risk Profile

We look at your group's size, age distribution, and health profile to find the right model.

3

Design a Custom Plan with Stop-Loss Protection

We build a plan tailored to your workforce with appropriate stop-loss thresholds.

4

Shop Multiple Carriers for Best Pricing

As an independent consultant, we compare across top-rated TPAs to secure the best deal.

5

Ongoing Review & Annual Optimization

We monitor your plan throughout the year and bring data-driven recommendations to every renewal.

Your Employees Keep the Access They Need.

Both plan types give your employees broad access to quality care — just structured differently.

Level-Funded Plans

Access through the nation's largest PPO networks — same doctors and hospitals your employees already use.

UnitedHealth Cigna Aetna PHCS
RBP Plans

No network restrictions — employees can see any licensed doctor or hospital in the country. Transparent Medicare-based pricing with no chargemaster markup.

Any Doctor. Any Hospital. Nationwide.

How the Three Plan Types Stack Up

See exactly how level-funded and RBP plans compare to traditional group insurance across the factors that matter most.

Feature Level-Funded Reference-Based Pricing Traditional Insurance
Pay only for actual claims
Surplus refund if claims are low
Claims data transparency
Predictable monthly payments
Stop-loss protection includedBuilt-in
Customizable plan design
No network restrictions
Medicare-based pricing
Access to major PPO networksNo Network — See Any Provider
Potential savings vs. traditionalUp to 30%Up to 30%+Baseline (higher cost)

Find the Right Package for Your Business

Every package is layered in a specific order so each piece works together — giving your employees significantly better benefits while keeping your net cost at or below what you spend today.

Ascend Starter

Affordable Group Coverage for Small Teams

For businesses with 2 to 9 W2 employees working 30 or more hours per week.

Plan Type
Level Funded
Predictable monthly costs
Employees
2–9
W2, 30+ hours/week
Available
All 50 States
Plan availability varies by state

What's Included — 2 Layers

1
Level Funded Health Plan

Group health coverage built for micro-businesses — no participation minimums that lock most carriers out. You pay a fixed monthly amount split between a claims fund, stop-loss insurance, and admin fees. If your group has a healthy year, you may receive a refund on unused claims fund dollars at year end.

Stop-loss protection — caps your maximum claims exposure from day one
Potential surplus refund — unused claims fund dollars returned at year end
Same PPO access as traditional insurance — same doctors, same hospitals
2
Voluntary Benefits

Employee-paid supplemental coverage that rounds out your benefits package — helping you compete for talent without adding employer cost. Available options include:

Dental & Vision
Life & Disability — term life, short & long-term disability
Accident & Critical Illness
Hospital Indemnity
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Ready to Stop Letting Your Premiums Climb Every Year?

Get a free, no-obligation analysis. We'll show you exactly what a level-funded or RBP plan would look like for your group.