Monarch Benefits Insurance Services

08/31/2026

Many Medicare beneficiaries enroll in a health plan and simply allow it to renew year after year. While that may seem like the easiest approach,...

08/28/2026

A $103,718 hospital bill. Five nights of care. Two spent on a gurney in a hallway. And after insurance? $1,200 out of pocket: plus a reported $500 billing error.

A TikTok creator with Crohn’s disease shared the bill, offering a surreal reminder: “covered” does not always mean “fully paid.”

For health insurance for self employed individuals, the monthly premium is only one piece of the puzzle. Before you need care, review:

• Your deductible and coinsurance
• Your out-of-pocket maximum
• In-network hospital and specialist access
• How claims, billing questions, and errors are handled

The right plan is not just about the price: it’s about understanding how the plan pays when the bill is anything but ordinary.

Monarch Benefits Insurance Services can compare options and help you evaluate the details before a medical surprise becomes a financial one. Request a comparison to get started.

08/28/2026

08/25/2026

Many Medicare beneficiaries enroll in a plan and then rarely think about it again until the next Annual Enrollment Period. However, your Medicare...

08/18/2026

Turning 65 is an important milestone, especially when it comes to your healthcare. While many people become eligible for Medicare at this age, what...

08/17/2026

1 in 8 standard prior authorization requests denied. In the ACA Marketplace, the rate was 18%.

That’s according to KFF’s analysis of 2025 data across major insurers:

• Medicare Advantage: 12% denied
• Medicaid managed care: 14% denied
• ACA Marketplace: 18% denied

The absurd part? Even when denials are appealed, many are later overturned: yet the process can still create delays, paperwork, and unexpected out-of-pocket friction for patients and employers.

This is where thoughtful benefits design matters.

SIMERP is a Section 105 preventive care program that can help employers reimburse qualified employee out-of-pocket medical expenses when properly structured and paired with an ACA-compliant medical plan. It does not change a carrier’s prior authorization decision or replace health insurance. It can, however, provide an additional layer of support when navigating the financial impact of healthcare.

At Monarch Benefits Insurance Services, we help employers evaluate benefit strategies designed to protect employees from insurance extremes: not simply hand them another form to complete.

Request a comparison to see whether SIMERP may fit your organization’s benefits strategy.

Source: KFF analysis of 2025 prior authorization data, published August 13, 2026.

08/17/2026

SELF-EMPLOYED?
Healthy?
Paying a fortune for health insurance?

You may have access to health coverage using a national Cigna PPO network that you haven’t been shown before.

For self-employed individuals, business owners, independent contractors, consultants, and families, health insurance can be one of the largest monthly expenses: especially when coverage is purchased without an employer plan.

If you’re generally healthy and paying $1,500–$3,000+ per month, it may be worth comparing your current coverage with other options.

Qualified applicants may find:
• Access to doctors and hospitals through a national PPO network
• A potentially lower-cost alternative to their current individual coverage
• More options than they realized were available

This is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and eligibility requirements apply. We do not assume you qualify: we compare your situation and explain what may be available.

Send us your age, ZIP code, and who needs coverage, and we’ll help you see whether a comparison makes sense.

08/11/2026

Starbucks is reportedly trimming GLP-1 weight-loss coverage beginning in October as costs rise. Meanwhile, Bank of America says it spends more than $250 million a year on GLP-1 medications for employees.

That is not a benefits strategy. That is the healthcare budget doing a dramatic reenactment of a seesaw.

For employers, the choice can feel absurd: cut coverage and frustrate employees, or keep coverage and watch pharmacy spending climb. But there may be a smarter lever than gutting the benefits program.

SIMERP, a Section 105 medical reimbursement plan paired with a compliant wellness program, can help employers use available F**A tax savings to fund qualified medical and preventive-care expenses: potentially including costly, plan-eligible care such as GLP-1 treatment: while preserving a competitive benefits package.

The goal is not “cover everything” or “cover nothing.” It is designing a compliant funding strategy that supports employees and respects the bottom line.

Monarch Benefits Insurance Services can help employers evaluate whether SIMERP fits their benefits strategy.