Exchange Data Seamlessly
The BENEFITFOCUS® Platform uses a one-to-many model for managing benefits. This means that employers can manage ALL of their employees’ benefits, and Benefitfocus will transmit benefit information to all of the associated carriers. The software supports enrollment for all health, life and disability benefits, as well as health savings accounts, wellness programs, retirement benefits, cafeteria programs, flexible spending, employee assistance programs and other special benefit programs. The Platform integrates with a variety of systems, including:
- Carrier membership systems for health and voluntary benefits enrollment
- Payroll and HR systems for paycheck deductions
- Banks for HSA enrollment
- Third party administrators for HRA and FSA enrollment
The Platform supports multiple data integration methods, including event-driven transactions, real-time Web services and XML or fixed-width file-based data exchange. The Platform not only provides convenient data exchange, but it also ensures employers and carriers that their data is secure and accurate.
Sophisticated Technology Provides Flexibility
The Platform’s sophisticated data exchange capabilities are flexible enough to work with a variety of systems with complex data exchange requirements. For example, we integrate with insurance carriers' member and billing systems, COBRA administration systems, and HR and payroll systems. Where these systems can’t be flexible, we can help. For example, the Platform can:
- Calculate and send an unlimited number of ID numbers that are required by your systems, such as package codes, plan IDs, group numbers and member IDs
- Hold transactions until X days prior to the effective date
- Send transactions that meet specific requirements to HR administrators, underwriters or membership representatives for online approval prior to transmission
- Split and combine transactions, if necessary
- Send current year transactions during open enrollment for the following year
- Generate human-readable versions to supplement electronic files
Accept Files from Employers in Any Format
For employers that have their own online enrollment system, Benefitfocus can provide a data exchange service to translate employer data into a carrier-preferred format. With this service, all of the employer's enrollment data can be imported into the membership system in the insurance carrier's preferred format. The technology ensures accuracy by adding validations, threshold safeguards and business rules during data transformation.
Benefitfocus translates the data, performs validations, applies employer-level and carrier-level business rules and generates reports before the outbound file is produced. This process ensures the files received from Benefitfocus contain accurate data in the right format.
NASCO Alliance Provides Pre-Built Certified Integration
NASCO and Benefitfocus have partnered to provide Blue Plans with a pre-built solution for online enrollment and billing. The certified data integration between NASCO’s membership system, MembersEdge®, and the Benefitfocus Platform allows Blue Plans to quickly bring Web-based enrollment and billing technology to their customers.
The integration allows Blue Plans to significantly reduce implementation and testing timeframes and provide their clients with a solution in a much more timely manner. In addition, this technology allows for significant scalability for Blue Plans as they add online enrollment and billing to multiple market segments.
Payroll and HR System Integration Improves Workflow for Employers
Paycheck deduction information
Payroll integration allows for maximum efficiency within the HR team. HR Administrators can import new hires, terminations and other demographic changes from the payroll system. During Open Enrollment and other designated times, employees and benefit administrators can then make benefit elections within the Platform, which enforces all business rules and calculates paycheck deductions. Paycheck deduction updates are then synchronized with the HR system, eliminating the need for dual data entry.
Employees can see the impact of benefit decisions on their paychecks in real time. They can also view their employer’s contributions to the total benefits package. When employees fully understand the value of their benefits, they are more likely to make informed decisions and truly appreciate the benefit investments their employer makes.
Benefitfocus can integrate directly with any payroll vendor, or employers can take advantage of our partnership with PayChoice, a provider of payroll software and services for small and mid-market companies. PayChoice software offers a suite of options including payroll, tax, checks, direct deposit and access to W-2 forms. Together, the Benefitfocus Platform and PayChoice provide a simple, accurate method to help employers make the most of both benefit enrollment and payroll processing.