09/07/2023

CCAO Launches County Benefits+ Partnership

The County Commissioners Association of Ohio is thrilled to announce the launch of a pioneering initiative aimed at enhancing the lives of the county workforce in Ohio. County Benefits+, is a new partnership between CCAO and Aflac. Through this partnership, assisted by NACo’s Public Promise Insurance, county leaders and their employees will now have access to Ohio's premiere supplemental benefits program.

In an era where attracting and retaining talent has never been more challenging, County Benefits+ goes beyond a traditional supplemental benefits program by offering an all-encompassing solution that caters to the specific needs of both the county workforce and the leadership that support them. With the increasing costs of healthcare in America, supplemental benefits are built to help employees cover unforeseen expenses that a core medical benefit offering may not. These unforeseen medical events often add financial hardship to the lives of county employees and their families.

Executive Director, Cheryl Subler, praised the partnership “County Benefits+ represents an exciting collaboration between our organization and the largest supplemental benefits provider in America, Aflac. Members of the county workforce are asking for these supplemental benefits, and through this program, we aim to help counties attract and retain their employees. By combining our resources and the Aflac expertise, we have built a program that provides exceptional supplemental benefits to support county employees. This program was built solely for the 88 counties in Ohio and we are thrilled at the program that we have structured.

Highlights of the "County Benefits+" program include:

• Wide Range of Voluntary Supplemental Benefits: Benefits that employees can elect to offset additional costs associated with Critical Illness, Accidents, Cancer Diagnosis, Hospital Stays, Pet Insurance, ID Theft, and Life Insurance. These provide cash payments that cover expenses such as copays, deductibles, and other unforeseen expenses.
• State-wide Underwriting: Aflac has agreed to a strong state-wide plans and rates for the state of Ohio specific to county governments. This reduces the hassle of obtaining quotes and pulling large amounts of data for voluntary benefits.
• No County Costs: The benefits program is voluntary with each employee purchasing only the products they want.
• One-on-One Enrollment Support: Every county employee will have an opportunity for a face-to-face or virtual discussion with a certified enrollment counselor.
• HR Team Support: The program includes an administration, billing and payroll support feature. In addition, the certified enrollment counselors are able to assist HR teams with driving home key messages during their one-n-one consultations.
• Enhanced Communication: Communication materials and education campaigns are very easy to provide to your staff.
• County focus: This program is built 100% for the county workforce. It is built to strengthen the benefits package your county is already offering and support your teams in the battle to attract and retain talent.

Please take this opportunity to assess the value that a new or revised supplemental benefits program can bring to your county team.