Employee Benefits Broker for Mid-Size Texas Employers (50+ Employees)

Medcore Brokerage is an employee benefits broker for Texas employers with 50 or more employees. We handle renewal strategy, funding options, ACA compliance and in-person bilingual enrollment, from McKinney since 2012. This page explains what changes once you pass 50 employees and what a broker should be doing for a company your size.

What Changes When a Texas Employer Passes 50 Employees?

Three rules start to matter, and a fourth becomes much more useful. Together they are the reason a mid-size group needs a different approach than a 10-person company.

What Should a Mid-Size Employer Expect From a Benefits Broker?

At this size, collecting quotes once a year is not enough. These are the things that should be happening on your account:

• Renewal work starts 120 to 180 days out, before the carrier’s renewal letter arrives, so there is time to act on it.
• Your claims report is requested and read every year. It shows whether an increase is justified and whether a different funding approach would cost less.
• Carriers and funding options are compared, not just renewed. That includes fully insured, level-funded and self-funded plans. See our guide to level-funded vs self-funded plans.
• ACA tracking and filings are handled, including who counts as full-time and whether your coverage meets the affordability test.
• Employees get real enrollment help. We meet with employees in person, in English and Spanish, and run enrollment online through Employee Navigator.
• Service continues after open enrollment: claims problems, new hires, terminations and compliance questions through the year.
• You know how your broker is paid. Ask any broker, including us, to put it in writing. Here is how employee benefits brokers get paid.

Which Funding Options Are Realistic at Your Size?

From 50 to about 200 employees, the real choice is usually between a fully insured plan and a level-funded plan. Level-funding gives you a fixed monthly bill, claims reporting and the chance of money back in a good year. At 200 or more employees, traditional self-funding with stop-loss insurance becomes realistic, because claims are steadier and you can choose each vendor separately. The right answer depends on your claims history and cash reserves, which is why the claims report comes first.

What Do We Ask Before We Quote?

We can tell you quickly whether we can help if you have these ready:

• Your renewal date, and when the renewal notice arrived
• The size of the increase you were given
• Your current carriers and plans
• Your most recent claims report, if you have one
• Total employees, how many are on the plan, and where they are located
• The enrollment and payroll systems you use
• Why you are looking, and what you would change
• Whether another broker is already quoting your group

That last one matters. Carriers release one set of rates for a group, so several brokers approaching the same carriers get the same numbers and slow the process down. If you are thinking about changing brokers, read when to switch employee benefits brokers first.

Mid-Size Employer Benefits: Frequently Asked Questions

What counts as a mid-size employer for health insurance in Texas?

There is no legal definition of mid-size. The lines that matter are 50 full-time equivalent employees, where the ACA employer mandate begins, and 51 employees, where Texas treats you as a large employer. We use mid-size to mean roughly 50 to a few hundred employees.

Do we have to offer health insurance once we reach 50 employees?

Under the ACA, an employer with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees must offer affordable coverage to its full-time employees or risk a penalty. Texas has no separate state requirement.

Can we see our own claims data?

Yes, if your plan is fully insured — Texas law requires your carrier to provide a claims report within 30 days of a written request. If you are level-funded or self-funded, that reporting depends on your agreement rather than the statute, so ask your carrier or administrator what it provides. Either way, your broker should be requesting it for you every year.

When should we start working on our renewal?

For a group with 50 or more employees, 120 to 180 days before the renewal date. That leaves time to review claims, collect carrier bids and prepare employees.

Do you work with employers outside Dallas-Fort Worth?

Yes. We are based in McKinney and work with employers across Texas and Oklahoma.