MyChoice offers benefits resource to employers and workers regardless of whether employer offers health plan

INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstPerson Advisors, an Indianapolis-based firm providing benefit, wellness and HR advisory services, today unveiled MyChoice, powered by Maxwell Health's technology platform, which will allow employers to continue to act as a health benefits resource to employees even if the employer doesn't provide health care coverage.

MyChoice combines FirstPerson's services and expertise with a technology platform developed by Maxwell Health, a leader in health benefits access systems. The program allows employers of any size to offer insurance and financial products, best-in-class wellness products and subscription services to employees regardless of whether employees get benefits through the employer or through public exchanges.

With MyChoice, employees will receive access to a range of plan options and have the ability to choose the ones that work best for them. In addition, they'll enjoy online and mobile access to benefits information and enrollment assistance, and access to a Care Line for ongoing information and support.

"In today's changing benefits marketplace, many employers are finding it's better for them and their employees if they reduce or eliminate traditional health benefits offerings," said FirstPerson founder and CEO Bryan Brenner. "While this can be beneficial for employees, it can leave them without a trusted resource for health benefits information and support.

"MyChoice lets employers continue to act as a resource of information and services that helps employees and their families deal with the often-daunting world of health benefits," Brenner added.

Over the past few decades, as Americans became accustomed to receiving their health benefits through the workplace, they also came to rely on employers for access to information, guidance on benefits decisions and assistance in dealing with insurers and healthcare providers. While some employers might be happy to abandon this role, Brenner says others will lament the loss of a key component in the employer-employee relationship, and the reduced ability of employers to encourage healthy choices among employees.

In terms of the employee-employer relationship, FirstPerson Advisor Mark Minner compared the current shifts in health insurance to the way retirement benefits changed a few decades ago. Previously, workers relied on employers to provide and manage retirement benefits. As the marketplace moved away from pension plans and into individual 401(k)s and IRAs, employers found ways to act as resources to their employees in order to ensure their long-term security. With MyChoice, Minner added, employers can find a similar role regarding their employees' health insurance.

"Conscientious employers will want to continue to serve as a connection between their employees and health benefit services and information," Minner said. "People will always be an employer's largest investment, and good employers want to do all they can to help and support that investment."

Under MyChoice, employers can:

    --  enroll in and manage all health benefits
    --  gain access to a private online benefits exchange, including traditional
        and defined contribution
    --  gain access to full market of insurers and plans to maximize savings
    --  offer time- and money-saving employee support
    --  deploy a mobile app
    --  Reduce paperwork
    --  Access a dashboard to track employee engagement and spending
    --  add payroll (at a small additional cost per month)
    --  integrate a turnkey wellness programs
    --  offload benefits administration and compliance

At the same time, employees get:

    --  access to an intuitive marketplace of plans to shop for personalized
        benefits
    --  a web portal for paperless enrollment and access to all benefits
        information
    --  a mobile app to access and use their benefits whenever and wherever they
        are
    --  a Care Line for ongoing support

Employers interested in learning more about MyChoice should contact Mark Minner at [e-mail] or 317.218.1504.

ABOUT FIRSTPERSON

FirstPerson is an Indianapolis-based professional advisory firm that helps employers create places where people want to work. With a team of experts in benefits, human resources, compliance and wellness, FirstPerson develops employer strategies tailored to each client's needs, culture, and goals. FirstPerson is a locally owned private company with Indianapolis roots dating back to 1968. For more information, please visit www.firstpersonadvisors.com.

ABOUT MAXWELL HEALTH

Maxwell Health, a fast-growing industry leader in health IT, is the first Health as a Service platform. This revolutionary operating system for employee benefits engages employees, incentivizes a holistic view of health, and provides a centralized place to access health and benefits services, including telemedicine; child, senior, and home care subscriptions; healthcare concierge services; healthy meal delivery subscriptions; identity theft protection and resolution services; biometric screenings; and prescription optimization services.

Maxwell's web portal and mobile app enhances the benefits experience by leveraging data from multiple sources, meaning better, more informed health solutions. Benefits brokers, TPAs, carriers, and other vendors license Maxwell's technology to use with their employer clients.

For more information about Maxwell Health, please visit www.maxwellhealth.com.

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SOURCE Maxwell Health; FirstPerson