Frequently Asked Questions

Explore FAQs about Meridio, our health plans, and our approach to helping businesses simplify benefits.

About Meridio

How long has Meridio been in business?
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Meridio has been helping businesses simplify health benefits since 2018. We are focused on providing more affordable coverage options backed by personalized support every step of the way. Learn more about Meridio here.

Why do businesses choose Meridio?
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Businesses choose Meridio for more affordable health benefits, simplified administration, and personalized support. We make it easier to offer coverage without adding complexity.

Does Meridio serve businesses nationwide?
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Yes. Meridio is headquartered in New York City and serves businesses nationwide. Meridio's fast-growing team is located across the US.

Can Meridio help businesses with employees in multiple states?
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Yes. Meridio supports multi-state teams with health benefit solutions designed to provide consistent support and coverage options across locations.

How is Meridio different from brokers, PEOs, and other benefits providers?
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Unlike many traditional benefits providers, Meridio focuses on serving smaller businesses (typically under 100 employees) and pairs more affordable health benefit options with ongoing, dedicated support for easier management.

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Is Meridio an insurance carrier?
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No. Meridio helps businesses identify the right health benefits for their team based on their needs, budget, and goals. We also handle enrollment, implementation, and ongoing support to make benefits easier to manage.

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What is the difference between traditional health insurance and Meridio?
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Meridio provides a simpler approach to health benefits with flexible coverage options, transparent pricing, and dedicated support. We help businesses navigate benefits without the complexity of traditional models.

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What types of businesses use Meridio?
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Meridio supports small and fast growing businesses (primarily below 100 employees) across all industries and types of teams including W2 full-time and part-time employees, 1099 contractors, seasonal workers, and multi-state teams.

How does Meridio make health benefits easier to manage?
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Meridio combines simple technology, dedicated support, and streamlined administration to make benefits easier for businesses and employees to understand, implement, and manage.

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How can I learn more about Meridio's Health Benefits solutions?
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Connect with our Sales team anytime by filling out the contact form on our website: https://www.getmeridio.com/talk-to-meridio-sales

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How can I contact Meridio support?
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Contact Meridio Customer Care at 212-634-9389 or customercare@getmeridio.com. Our team is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM ET.

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Working with Meridio

What support does Meridio provide to business owners and operations teams?
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Meridio helps simplify every step of the health benefits journey. From choosing the right plans to enrollment and ongoing administration, our team helps you navigate benefits decisions, compliance needs, and team questions.

Does Meridio help with benefits administration and compliance?
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Yes. Meridio helps businesses simplify health benefits administration and stay ahead of compliance requirements with dedicated support throughout plan implementation, enrollment, and ongoing management. Learn more about benefits compliance in the Meridio post: Employee Benefits Compliance: What Businesses Need to Know.

How does Meridio handle annual health benefit renewals?
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Meridio provides ongoing renewal support to help businesses review health plan options, understand changes, and make informed decisions for the year ahead. For more information on open enrollment, read the Meridio post: Health Benefits Open Enrollment: Best Practices for Your Team.

How quickly can a business set up health benefits with Meridio?
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Meridio simplifies setup with guided implementation, enrollment support, and dedicated assistance throughout the process. Timing depends on your business needs and selected plan options. Depending on plans chosen, set-up can be as quick as 4-6 weeks.

How does Meridio help with employee benefits enrollment?
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Meridio supports businesses and employees throughout enrollment with guidance, resources, and access to Benefits Guides to help answer any questions and manage the enrollment process for you.

Does Meridio share data with payroll systems?
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Meridio is designed to simplify benefits administration, whether or not a formal payroll integration is needed. During onboarding, we work with each business to align contribution setup, billing, and participation tracking with their existing processes.

How does Meridio help employees understand their benefits?
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Meridio makes benefits easier for employees to understand through simple plan information, enrollment support, and access to Benefits Guides who can answer questions throughout the year.

How do my employees enroll in benefits?
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Once your business signs on with Meridio to offer health benefits, your Meridio rep will send you a custom TeamHub link for your team’s digital enrollment site. From there, employees can review plan options, compare coverage, and schedule an appointment with a Benefit Guide to enroll.

What happens when an employee joins or leaves mid-month?
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Let Meridio know right away with the employee’s name, email, and hire or termination date. Coverage and billing follow a first-of-the-month cycle, so confirm proration rules with your Meridio contact.

Meridio Plans

What health benefit plans does Meridio offer?
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Meridio offers flexible plans designed to meet the different business needs of our customer base. Options range from more affordable preventive coverage starting at $190/month to expanded, more comprehensive plans. For more information, see our plans page.

Does Meridio offer ACA-compliant health plans?
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Yes. Meridio provides ACA-compliant health benefit solutions and guidance to help businesses meet requirements while offering valuable coverage to employees.

How much can businesses save with Meridio health benefit solutions?
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Meridio helps many organizations reduce healthcare costs by 20-30% annually. Savings depend on the organization's current plans, workforce, and benefit goals.

Can businesses offer health benefits without a minimum employee requirement?
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Yes. Meridio offers plan options with no minimum group size required, making it easier for businesses to provide benefits regardless of team size.

What should I consider when comparing plans for my Employees?
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Start with what fits your budget, then look at how each plan would work for your team. Here are some suggestions on what most Employers compare:
•  Your cost: how much you plan to contribute toward each employee’s coverage, and what that leaves employees to pay from their paychecks
•  Your employees’ costs: the deductibles, copays, coinsurance, and out-of-pocket maximums they’d pay when they get care
•  Participation requirements: whether a plan requires a minimum number of employees to enroll
•  Who you want to cover: which employee groups to offer coverage to, especially if your team has different roles, schedules, or locations
•  Network: whether doctors and hospitals near your employees are included, especially if your team is spread across states
•  Yearly limits: how many visits, scans, or hospital days each plan covers
•  Prescription coverage: how each plan handles brand-name and specialty medications
•  Number of plan options: whether one plan works for your whole team or offering a few lets employees choose for themselves
•  HSA eligibility: whether to include a plan that works with a health savings account (HSA)
•  Add-on coverage: dental, vision, and other benefits you may want to offer alongside medical coverage
•  How your team uses healthcare: their ages, whether many cover family members, and how often they tend to see a doctor

Can I speak with someone before choosing which plans I offer my Employees?
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Yes. You can book a one-on-one call with a Meridio benefits strategist to review your plan options and find what works best for your team and your bottom line.

Are dental and vision coverage available?
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Yes. You can offer your employees dental coverage through Delta Dental and vision coverage through VSP.

What is the main difference between an HSA plan and a copay plan?
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The tradeoff is between lower premiums and more predictable costs at the time of care. An HSA-eligible plan typically has a lower premium and a higher deductible, so employees pay the full cost of most care until they meet the deductible. They can use an HSA to cover those costs with pre-tax money, and in-network preventive care is still covered at no cost. A copay plan typically has a higher premium, with set, predictable copays when employees get care. Speak to a benefits strategist to review options best suited for your team.

Rules & Requirements

Do employers have to offer health insurance?
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Not if you have fewer than 50 full-time and full-time-equivalent employees, according to Federal Law. At 50 or more, the ACA requires you to offer affordable coverage or risk penalties. Some states, like Hawaii, have their own requirements. Many employers below the federal threshold offer health benefits as a way to help attract and keep good employees.

Do we have to offer health benefits to part-time employees?
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Generally, no. The ACA’s employer requirements apply to full-time employees, defined as those working 30 or more hours per week. You can choose to include part-time team members, as long as you set clear eligibility rules and apply them consistently.

What are the ACA rules for businesses with fewer than 50 employees?
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You aren’t required to offer health coverage, and you generally don’t file the ACA employer reports required of larger employers with more than 50 full-time equivilent employees. If you do offer a health plan, it needs to meet ACA standards, and offering one can come with tax advantages.

What changes when we hit 50 employees?
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If you average 50 or more full-time and full-time-equivalent employees during a calendar year, you become an Applicable Large Employer (ALE) the following year. As an ALE, you’re required to offer affordable, minimum-value coverage to at least 95% of your full-time employees and their dependents, and to file annual ACA reports (Forms 1094-C and 1095-C).

Can we set a waiting period before new hires get benefits?
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Yes. The ACA caps waiting periods at 90 days. Many employers start coverage on the first of the month after 30 or 60 days of employment. Whatever you choose, apply it the same way to every eligible team member.

Can I give employees a stipend to buy their own health benefits coverage?
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Yes, but how you set it up matters. Through a formal health reimbursement arrangement (HRA), the money is tax-free for you and your team. A plain cash stipend is taxed as wages. Set up correctly, an HRA can be a flexible alternative to a group plan.

Can an Employer contribute different amounts for different groups of employees?
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Yes. You can set contributions by employee class, such as managers and hourly staff, as long as the classes are based on legitimate job categories and applied consistently. Many employers contribute a flat dollar amount and let employees pay the difference to upgrade to a richer plan or add dependents.

Will switching health benefits coverage mid-year hurt employees who have met their deductible?
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It can. Deductibles generally don’t carry over to a new plan, so employees may start over. Timing the switch carefully, such as a January 1 start, can limit the impact. Some contracts run 15 months, which delays the next deductible reset.

General Questions

How can businesses offer health benefits without a large budget?
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Meridio helps businesses of all sizes offer affordable health benefits with flexible plan options and transparent pricing. We work with our customers to find coverage that fits their needs without unnecessary costs. For more information on cost-effective health insurance, read our guide to cost-effective health insurance plans.

What is the best health insurance option for small and growing businesses?
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The best option depends on your team, budget, and goals. Meridio helps businesses evaluate coverage options and choose plans that provide the right balance of affordability, flexibility, and support. Discover possible strategies on How to Choose the Right Health Benefits for Your Business

Why are traditional health benefits so expensive for smaller businesses (under 100 employees)?
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Traditional health benefits are often expensive because costs are tied to rising healthcare prices, annual premium increases, administrative expenses, and carrier underwriting. Smaller businesses also have less purchasing power, making it harder to negotiate competitive rates while still meeting employee expectations and compliance requirements. Explore Meridio's plan options to see how we help solve these challenges.

What is Hospital Indemnity?
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Hospital indemnity is a supplemental plan that pays cash directly to employees if they’re admitted to the hospital. It works alongside their health plan, and employees can use the money for deductibles, copays, or everyday expenses like rent, groceries, or childcare.

What is Critical Illness coverage?
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Critical illness coverage pays employees a lump sum if they’re diagnosed with a serious condition. The full benefit applies to a heart attack, stroke, invasive cancer, major organ transplant, or end-stage renal failure, with a partial benefit for coronary artery bypass surgery or carcinoma in situ. Employees can also receive a small benefit once a year for completing a health screening.

Take the Next Step

Whether you know what type of health benefits you’re looking for or you’re just starting to explore, our team can assist you. Schedule a call with us today.

Book a needs assessment