Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/718029
40 WINES&VINES September 2016 SPONSORED CONTENT N ovato, Calif.—In the midst of unsustainable increases in healthcare costs, administrative complexities brought about by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and competi- tion to keep great employees, wine industry employers are faced with significant challenges. Late in 2015, employers with be- tween one and 50 staff members were hit first, required to convert their employ- ee benefit and health insurance pro- grams to meet ACA requirements. Plans cost more, and benefits shifted signifi- cantly. Come Jan. 1, 2017, employers with between 51 and 100 employees, who received a one-year extension, will need to be ACA compliant as well. Experts predict that 66% of companies with between 51 and 100 employees will face increases of 10% or more in 2016/2017, with some experiencing increases as great as 50% to maintain similar plans. Wine industry employers want to take care of their workers, but it takes experts to help navigate the compli- ance pitfalls and mitigate cost increases. Woodruff-Sawyer Has Answers Woodruff-Sawyer, a San Francisco-based insurance brokerage firm, which services the wine industry from its North Bay office in Novato, CA, has more wine-relat- ed clients than any brokerage firm in the industry. Understanding the challenges wineries and wine-related businesses face, Woodruff-Sawyer developed a creative solution to address these issues. Wine Industry Employee Benefits Collective The Wine Industry Employee Benefits Collective (WIEBC) is a collaboration between Woodruff-Sawyer, leading insurance companies, compliance and technology providers, wine-related business owners and executive staff to control costs, improve efficiency and maintain benefit levels for employees. It provides companies: • Large group status and the ability to lock in rates and plan options guaranteed; • Leverage that comes from the power of a larger purchasing collective that provides preferred pricing with top health and welfare insurers (up to 40% off market rates); • Industry benchmarking providing the most robust, timely benefits and compensation benchmarking specific to wine industry employers; • Compliance and ongoing support to ensure you are informed and meet legislative and regulatory changes; • Simplified administration including online enrollment, sophisticated decision support, consolidated billing and eligibility, and ACA reporting; • Multi-touch and customized employee communications are available in both English and Spanish to meet the specific needs of a diverse workforce; • Robust Wellness programs leveraging best-in-class vendors and community resources. One winery client with about 125 employees saved 12% in medical costs in its first year in the program and had no cost increase in the second year, resulting in savings of $200,000. Woodruff-Sawyer "My entire team is right here in Northern California wine country, living and working among our clients in Sonoma and Napa counties. So we're immersed in this industry and have come to understand it well," says Chris Reiter, Senior Vice President, Employee Benefits, and one of the firm's leading winery advisors. Reiter and his team leveraged the firm's extensive knowledge base of insurance and employee benefit plans as well as their expertise with ACA regulations and matched it to the needs of vintners, growers and related organi- zations to arrange the best possible plans at the best rates for wine industry clients. "One of the most significant changes with ACA is the elimination of large- group status or composite rating in favor of age-related coverage of individual employees and their dependents," Reiter explains. "Couple that with the dramatic plan design reductions and limitations placed on doctor choice, employers and their employees are faced with paying more for less. The WIEBC program empowers wine industry clients to avoid these unfortunate circumstances and market forces." CAWG Retirement Plan Sponsorship With its strong ties to the wine industry, Woodruff-Sawyer has developed benefi- cial relationships and creative solutions such as the development and manage- ment of the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) Multiple Employer Plan (MEP) 401(k) retirement offering. With CAWG as the group sponsor, all member companies large and small are eligible to offer retirement plans to employees with considerable reduction of costs, administrative process and compliance oversight. This fall, wine industry employers will be reviewing their employee benefits plans and bracing for a new year under the ACA. Contact an expert today to see if WS&Co.'s WIEBC and/or CAWG MEP 401(k) program are right for your com- pany and its employees. Contact Chris Reiter at creiter@wsandco.com to learn more. Woodruff-Sawyer 88 Rowland Way, Ste. 180 | Novato, Calif. | 94945 Phone: (415) 878-2460 | Web: wsandco.com Employee Benefits Solutions for Winery Woes