COBRA Press Release
Certified COBRA Administrator CobraGuard Inc. Awarded Contract with State of North Carolina
Overland Park, Kan., Sept. 17, 2012: After a transparent and highly competitive bid process, the North Carolina State Health Plan Board of Trustees awarded benefits administration contracts to five companies, including Kansas City-based COBRAGuard. The state provides benefits for approximately 664,000 people. With this decision, it expects to save $22.4 million, roughly 19 percent, compared to last year.
COBRAGuard will take over as the state’s new COBRA administration partner effective July 1, 2013, and will serve for a contracted term of three and a half years. The company will provide a full range of COBRA administration and direct billing services. The contract is valued at approximately $1.2 million annually. “We are delighted to be chosen as North Carolina’s COBRA administration partner,” COBRAGuard President Robert Meyers said. “Our goal is to help the state save time and operate efficiently, while delivering exceptional service and secure online account access for COBRA participants. The state was able to drive down costs by splitting the administration contract between several highly efficient, niche-focused companies. Other public entities should consider North Carolina’s innovative strategy.”
In addition to having full access to COBRAGuard’s internal development team for assistance with building customized COBRA data output feeds and reports, public entities also enjoy a dedicated COBRAGuard account specialist, and free access to the COBRAGuard’s online compliance resource, www.COBRAAnswers.com.
COBRAGuard has a long history of successfully serving public entities. The company serves more than 1,000 cities, counties, municipalities, school districts and universities across the nation, with the addition of North Carolina. In 2011, the company announced the formation of a public entity division. Meyers serves as a councilman for the city of Roeland Park, Kan., so he has firsthand understanding of public entity challenges and a unique desire to help them thrive. “At COBRAGuard, we don’t see ourselves as vendors,” Meyers said. “We are highly engaged and adaptable problem solvers who extend the capabilities of the organizations we serve.”
Outsourcing benefit management is becoming more common, said Jan White, president of the Society for Human Resource Management of Greater Kansas City. White also is HR director for the Visiting Nurse Association of Kansas City. “COBRA is just one of those regulations that a lot of people find cumbersome to manage, and if you can outsource it, that frees you up for other tasks,” White said in the September 7 edition of the Kansas City Business Journal.
“Public and private organizations understand that it’s inefficient to continuously invest in the training, legal review and documentation needed to properly administer COBRA,” Meyers said. “It’s considerably more cost-effective to outsource COBRA administration to experts – particularly now that we’re operating in the age of health care reform with a constantly evolving landscape.”
About COBRAGuard Inc. COBRAGuard Inc. is a certified COBRA administrator (CCA), helping employers control risks and liabilities, prevent adverse claims, and save time and money. For more information, visit the company’s website at http://www.cobraguard.net.
COBRAGuard will take over as the state’s new COBRA administration partner effective July 1, 2013, and will serve for a contracted term of three and a half years. The company will provide a full range of COBRA administration and direct billing services. The contract is valued at approximately $1.2 million annually. “We are delighted to be chosen as North Carolina’s COBRA administration partner,” COBRAGuard President Robert Meyers said. “Our goal is to help the state save time and operate efficiently, while delivering exceptional service and secure online account access for COBRA participants. The state was able to drive down costs by splitting the administration contract between several highly efficient, niche-focused companies. Other public entities should consider North Carolina’s innovative strategy.”
In addition to having full access to COBRAGuard’s internal development team for assistance with building customized COBRA data output feeds and reports, public entities also enjoy a dedicated COBRAGuard account specialist, and free access to the COBRAGuard’s online compliance resource, www.COBRAAnswers.com.
COBRAGuard has a long history of successfully serving public entities. The company serves more than 1,000 cities, counties, municipalities, school districts and universities across the nation, with the addition of North Carolina. In 2011, the company announced the formation of a public entity division. Meyers serves as a councilman for the city of Roeland Park, Kan., so he has firsthand understanding of public entity challenges and a unique desire to help them thrive. “At COBRAGuard, we don’t see ourselves as vendors,” Meyers said. “We are highly engaged and adaptable problem solvers who extend the capabilities of the organizations we serve.”
Outsourcing benefit management is becoming more common, said Jan White, president of the Society for Human Resource Management of Greater Kansas City. White also is HR director for the Visiting Nurse Association of Kansas City. “COBRA is just one of those regulations that a lot of people find cumbersome to manage, and if you can outsource it, that frees you up for other tasks,” White said in the September 7 edition of the Kansas City Business Journal.
“Public and private organizations understand that it’s inefficient to continuously invest in the training, legal review and documentation needed to properly administer COBRA,” Meyers said. “It’s considerably more cost-effective to outsource COBRA administration to experts – particularly now that we’re operating in the age of health care reform with a constantly evolving landscape.”
About COBRAGuard Inc. COBRAGuard Inc. is a certified COBRA administrator (CCA), helping employers control risks and liabilities, prevent adverse claims, and save time and money. For more information, visit the company’s website at http://www.cobraguard.net.
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