Amy Webb of Saratoga Benefits and Paul Costello of Sciacca’s Upholstering & Design
Last year had started off with a bang for Sciacca’s Upholstering & Design Center in Riverside, NJ.
A third-generation, family-owned upholstery firm owned by Paul Costello and Sandra Sciacca, they had just celebrated their 70th anniversary and had recently moved from their Delran location to a more spacious and modern one in Riverside NJ to accommodate their growth.
They serve their clients in a variety of ways: residential/commercial upholstery, onsite clean for upholstery and window treatments, professional services, for law offices/dentist/doctor offices, as well as auto and marine.
While their business was growing, there was one area where they were having difficulty: finding health insurance for their 10 employees and two owners, Paul Costello and Sandra Sciacca.
Last November, their insurance broker informed them that their insurance program was cancelled – and there were no other options to choose from. Paul decided they would discontinue the health insurance for their employees and instead give each of them a raise so that they could purchase their own health insurance in the individual online marketplace (www.healthcare.gov).
Once Paul began to look into purchasing insurance for himself and his wife Sandra, he was quickly frustrated by the complexity of it.
“The site was impossible to navigate,” said Paul, “It was confusing – I couldn’t get answers. And it took days to get a response.”
He quickly realized that he was going to have to help all of his employees manage this maze as well. Unable to take on the time-consuming task of benefits administrator, he reached out to Amy Webb, president of Saratoga Benefits and fellow Burlington Regional Chamber of Commerce member.
Within three days of meeting with Amy, Paul had 5 quotes to choose from. As a small group he was able to find options that were unavailable in the individual online marketplace. And they were similar in pricing to what he was paying previously.
“Saratoga was responsive when I needed answers,” said Paul.
Plus, by providing health insurance for his employees, Paul was able to deduct it as a business expense – and their employees could also benefit from a pre-tax deduction.
Recently, Sciacca received a notice that, again, their insurance program, Aetna, is ending their program in New Jersey. But this time Paul isn’t worried. He knows that Amy’s team at Saratoga Benefits will be ready with options.
Frustrated by a lack of response from your insurance broker? Confused about coverage options? Call (856) 642-2949 or email Amy Webb (awebb@saratogabenefits.com) today with your questions or concerns.
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