Williford Insurance Group at TS Designs

On Wednesday, January 28th we had a sort of Health Day at TS Designs.

We’ve chosen to move away from a typical company coverage plan to the Health Exchange that is now available as a part of the Affordable Care Act. This move offers more options and opportunities for our employees and we think it’s an important change to make.

“Moving to the Health Exchange allows some our employees to get insurance that were not eligible on our group plan. It helps us move closer to every employee having coverage, and subsidies will make plans more affordable for some.” — Tom Sineath, CEO

To help them understand all the ins-and-outs and to move forward with the process, we invited our good friend and long-time insurance representative, Kevin Williford, to sit with each individual and answer any questions. He along with a couple of members from his team came to spend the morning with us.

Insurance has always been an important company benefit offered by TS Designs. It’s one of the ways that the company supports its people and their impact on the business and in the community. Maintaining good health is a positive impact felt all around, in every aspect of life. Healthy people mean a more engaged work force in the building, and individuals who are more engaged with their family and friends when they leave the building.

TSD employees were interested – and eager – in having the opportunity to meet with representatives from the Williford Group. People always have questions when it comes to insurance. And if anything, the choice to move away from a company-based plan (limited options) to the Exchange, where everybody can find something specific for their needs, means that there were indeed many, many questions to address.

“We could have offered group insurance using one of the new exchange plans the way we’ve offered company insurance in the past. But because we’re such a small business, any company plan we offer has to be one-size-fits-all. And health coverage is anything but one-size-fits-all. Moving to the exchange will allow our employees to have something we’ve never been able to offer them: choice. They can pick a plan to their individual situation, resulting in the best possible coverage for everyone. And TS Designs will still cover half the cost in each employee’s weekly paycheck.” — Eric Michel, VP of Operations

Even though debate over the ACA continues, the grace period cut off date is only getting closer. By March 31st, each individual needs to have made a decision on how they plan to move forward.

We feel confident that we’ve given our employees every opportunity to learn about the changes ahead and explore their options with a professional close by to answer their questions, so that they can make the best decisions possible for their ongoing health care.

And we appreciate the continued guidance from our friends at the Williford Insurance Group and would highly recommend them to you if you’re looking for answers to your questions that may be piling up about the Affordable Care Act.