Spring 2026
Client Cloud (powered by Zywave)
As part of our service model, clients receive access to Zywave Client Cloud, a comprehensive online portal that serves as an extension of your HR and benefits team. The platform offers compliance resources, customizable employee communication materials, HR tools including a confidential hotline, benefits education and training videos, and on-demand access to legislative updates, helping your organization stay informed and better support your employees.
Reminder: Summary Plan Descriptions & Plan Documents necessary
Since its passage in 1974, ERISA requires employers with a benefit plan to maintain and distribute a Summary Plan Description (SPD) & Plan Document. While the likelihood of being found without them is minimal, failure to have and provide these documents to employees (or to government agencies if audited) could result in a substantial penalty. Many companies mistakenly assume that insurance contracts, certificates of insurance, benefits summaries and/or SBCs fulfill the ERISA requirements, but they do not include the required provisions that protect the employer completely. Typically, these documents would be written by an Attorney or Third-Party Administrator. Stumm Insurance may be able to help resolve this problem using an ERISA-compliant system that can create a customized “Wrap” SPD and Plan Document for your company, which wraps around your existing insurance carrier documents to comply with ERISA. Please contact your Stumm Representative to initiate a discussion on steps to be taken if you do not have these documents currently or may have outdated documents.
Looking to Enhance Your Benefit Offerings for Free?
Staying competitive in today’s talent market requires robust, creative benefits. While many companies offer standard non-medical, ancillary benefits such as Dental, Vision, Life, and Disability insurance, you can stand out by introducing modern, employee-paid Worksite products such as Accident, Critical Illness, or Hospital Indemnity plans. These additional benefits can be offered at zero cost to your business, and many insurance carriers offer “package discounts” when you bundle multiple lines of coverage. As a result, almost 40% of Stumm clients have added this benefit, up from 20% back in 2020. If you’d like to explore these options contact your Stumm Insurance Service Team to discuss your goals and request a customized proposal.
ICHRAs
By now you may have heard of an ICHRA (Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement). This more recent approach to offering medical insurance to employees is a far departure from providing access to a group medical plan. An ICHRA fully replaces a group medical plan and instead is a vehicle allowing an employer to reimburse employees for individual health insurance. In general, the employer determines a monthly reimbursement allowance amount. Employees then purchase qualifying individual health insurance coverage, and their portion of the premium is the difference of the gross insurance premium minus the employer’s monthly reimbursement allowance.
While there can be some advantages to this approach for the employer such as a more predictable budget towards offering health benefits, ICHRAs come with many cons as well. Employee education, compliance, limited access to comprehensive plans & Provider networks and timing are some of the challenges employers face when shifting to the ICHRA approach.
Interested in learning more? Let your Stumm Insurance Service Team know if you’d like to engage in a further conversation as to if/how an ICHRA may be a consideration for your business.
Upcoming Holidays
Please note that Stumm Insurance is “closed” on certain Holidays throughout the year. Your Stumm Insurance Service Team will not be readily available on these dates during this 3rd quarter:
09/07/26 Labor Day