McCarthy Stevenot Agency is an independent Ohio health insurance agency founded in 1991. We help employers with 2–50 employees evaluate health insurance options, implement coverage, support employees, and review their plan each year at renewal.
Small business health insurance services should include more than comparing premiums.
We evaluate traditional ACA small-group plans, Ohio MEWAs and association plans, level-funded arrangements, and ICHRAs when appropriate. The options available to a business can depend on employee eligibility, participation, employer contribution, location, workforce needs, and underwriting where applicable.
Our work continues after enrollment. We help employers manage changes, answer employee questions, address carrier issues, and prepare for the next renewal.
Small Business Health Insurance Services for Ohio Employers
- Plan evaluation and comparison: We identify which small business health insurance options in Ohio are realistically available to the group, then compare the approaches that merit closer review. This may include ACA small-group plans, Ohio MEWAs and association plans, level-funded arrangements, and ICHRAs.
- Health insurance prescreening: When medically underwritten options are worth evaluating, we may use a health insurance prescreen to obtain an initial indication of pricing and determine whether a particular arrangement deserves further review.
- Enrollment and implementation: We coordinate the implementation process and help employers complete carrier paperwork, employee elections, and other enrollment requirements.
- Employee education: We help employees understand plan differences, provider networks, deductibles, copays, prescriptions, and how to use their coverage.
- Year-round service: We assist with new hires, qualifying life events, enrollment changes, billing questions, claims-related questions, and difficult carrier issues as they arise.
- Second opinions and broker transitions: We can review an employer’s current plan, renewal, contribution strategy, and service concerns without requiring an immediate change. If the employer later decides to appoint a different broker while keeping the current coverage, we can explain the Agent of Record process.
- Annual renewal review: Our small business health insurance renewal process includes confirming what changed, reviewing the effect on the employer and employees, evaluating realistic alternatives, and helping the employer decide whether a change is warranted. When rates increase, we also help separate carrier pricing from census, enrollment, age, contribution, and benefit changes.
For a broader explanation of the responsibilities employers should expect, see what a small business health insurance broker does before and after enrollment.
What Employers Can Expect From McCarthy Stevenot Agency
- Ohio small-business focus: Employers with 2–50 employees are the primary market we serve.
- Independent plan evaluation: We are not tied to one insurance carrier or one coverage approach.
- Direct agency involvement: Employers continue working with our agency through evaluation, enrollment, year-round service, and renewal rather than being handed off after the plan is implemented.
- Support before and after enrollment: Our work includes plan evaluation, implementation, employee support, ongoing service, and annual renewal review.
- Experience since 1991: We have worked with small employers throughout Ohio for more than three decades.
- Clear discussion of compensation: For most traditional small-group plans, broker compensation is included in the carrier’s premium. If a particular arrangement or service involves a separate fee, we explain it before the employer proceeds.
Help at Different Stages
Employers contact us from different starting points.
Some are offering health insurance for the first time. Others are approaching renewal, questioning a large increase, or wondering whether their current plan or service arrangement still makes sense.
If you are evaluating coverage or comparing medically underwritten options, a health insurance prescreen may be an appropriate next step.
If you already have coverage but are uncertain about the plan, renewal, or service you are receiving, you can begin with a second opinion on your current health insurance arrangement.
If a renewal increase is the immediate concern, our guide explains what to do when small business health insurance rates increase in Ohio.
Serving Ohio Small Businesses
McCarthy Stevenot Agency, Inc. is based in Southwest Ohio and provides small business health insurance services to employers throughout the state.
Many of our clients are in the Cincinnati and Dayton areas, but we use the same evaluation, service, and renewal process for employers across Ohio.
Common Questions
What small business health insurance services do you provide in Ohio?
Our small business health insurance services in Ohio include plan evaluation, carrier and funding-option comparison, enrollment support, employee education, year-round assistance, second opinions, broker-transition guidance, and annual renewal review.
We primarily serve Ohio employers with 2–50 employees.
Do you continue helping after the plan is implemented?
Yes.
Our service continues throughout the year and at renewal. We help with employee questions, enrollment changes, new hires, qualifying life events, billing questions, carrier issues, and preparation for the next renewal.
Can you help with claims, billing, or enrollment problems?
We can help investigate the issue, review available information, communicate with the carrier, and clarify the next steps.
The carrier remains responsible for claim determinations, but employers and employees do not have to navigate every problem without assistance.
Our Broker’s Desk article provides a real example involving a confusing carrier issue and the work required to determine what had actually happened.
Can you help if our business has never offered health insurance before?
Yes.
We can begin by reviewing the number of eligible employees, participation expectations, employer contribution, timing, and the coverage approaches available to the business.
Our Small Business Health Insurance Guide for Ohio Employers explains the broader starting points.
Can you review our current plan without requiring us to change coverage?
Yes.
A second opinion can begin with a review of the current plan, renewal, contribution strategy, available alternatives, and the service the employer is receiving.
Reviewing the arrangement does not require the employer to change carriers, plans, or brokers.
Can we change brokers without changing our current health insurance plan?
In many situations, yes.
An Agent of Record change generally changes the broker authorized to service the account rather than the current carrier or plan. Carrier and arrangement-specific procedures still apply.
Our guide to Agent of Record Letters in Ohio explains how that process may work.
Employee Health Insurance Notices
Depending on employer size, plan type, and circumstances, different federal and Ohio employee notices may apply.
Our Employee Health Insurance Notices for Ohio Employers page provides general information and links to additional resources.
This information is provided for general educational purposes and is not legal or tax advice.
Related Resources
- Small Business Health Insurance Guide for Ohio Employers
Review the principal coverage approaches, eligibility considerations, costs, and decisions involved in offering health insurance. - How to Choose a Small Business Health Insurance Broker in Ohio
Learn what to ask, how to compare agencies, and what service to expect after the initial quote. - What to Do When Your Small Business Health Insurance Renewal Increases in Ohio
See the questions and alternatives employers can evaluate after receiving a difficult renewal. - Agent of Record Letters in Ohio
Learn how an employer may appoint a different broker while keeping the current carrier and coverage in place.
Start With a Preliminary Conversation
If you are offering coverage for the first time, approaching renewal, or questioning whether your current arrangement still fits the business, the first step is a brief conversation about your employees, timing, current coverage, and concerns.
Call McCarthy Stevenot Agency at (513) 891-9888 or use our contact form to begin that review.
Depending on the situation, the next step may be a market comparison, health insurance prescreen, renewal review, second opinion, or discussion about changing the servicing broker.