What does CFH Insurance Consultants actually do?

We are an independent employee benefits consulting firm. We advise employers on group health, dental, vision, life, disability and voluntary benefits - plan design, funding, carrier and renewal negotiation, compliance, and the benefits administration that runs underneath all of it. The work is continuous rather than annual: the renewal is where it becomes visible, but most of it happens in the months either side.

How long have you been in business?

CFH has been operating since 2007. The people here have been in insurance considerably longer than the firm has existed, which is a different claim and worth keeping separate - the firm's own track record starts in 2007. The firm’s incorporation date is a matter of public record with the State of Michigan, if you want to check it.

Where are you, and where do you work?

Our main office is at 41000 Woodward Avenue, Suite 350 East, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, with additional offices in Colorado Springs and Houston. Michigan is the home market and where most of the work is, but our licensing follows clients beyond it, which matters when an employer's people are not all in one state.

Are you independent, or owned by a carrier or a national group?

Independent. No carrier owns us and no national brokerage sets what we recommend, which is the whole reason a recommendation from us is worth reading. It is a fair question to ask of anyone advising you on a plan, because the answer determines whether the advice can ever point away from a particular carrier.

What size employers do you work with?

From small groups through the mid-market, and the work looks genuinely different across that range - under fifty the levers are plan design, contributions and carrier; above it your own claims start driving the number and funding becomes a real decision. If you want the version specific to your size, the pages by company size lay out what changes at each band.

What industries do you work in?

A broad mix rather than one niche, with real concentration in a few - manufacturing, health care, professional services, mortgage lending and hospitality among them. Industry matters less than workforce shape: a business with variable-hour staff across several sites has more in common with another business like it than with a competitor in its own sector.

Are you licensed outside Michigan?

Yes. Licensing follows the client rather than the office, which is what allows an employer headquartered here to be served properly when its people are spread across several states. If you have employees somewhere specific, ask us about that state directly - it is a factual question with a factual answer.

What happens in a first conversation?

Twenty to thirty minutes, no proposal. You describe what you have and what the renewal looks like, and we tell you whether the number is in line with what comparable employers are being quoted or whether it is not. If it is fair, we say so. Nothing is sent afterwards unless you ask for it. If you are comparing firms first, how to choose an employee benefits broker in Michigan lists the questions to ask each one.

Do we have to be a client to ask you something?

No. A large part of what we do before anyone signs anything is answering questions from employers who are working something out - a compliance date, a renewal that does not read right, whether an arrangement someone is pitching them is real. If it takes a few minutes, it takes a few minutes.

We are not a third-party administrator. We find, vet and manage the administrators our clients use, which means the administrator answers to somebody on your side of the table rather than to itself. We are licensed insurance brokers, not attorneys or accountants - though CPAs and ERISA attorneys are available to clients through the firm for the questions that need them.

Health and Benefits Consulting for Michigan Employers

Employee Benefits Insights · August 27, 2026

An employer in Michigan who goes looking for a benefits partner generally wants advice from someone who truly grasps the workforce, the budget and the compliance duties at stake.

Key Takeaways

In practice, this kind of consulting means supporting employers as they build, price, run and keep legally compliant the health and benefits programs they offer.

Michigan employers increasingly explore alternative funding options to traditional fully insured plans to enhance control over their health benefits costs and improve plan flexibility.

Pharmacy benefit management accounts for a sizable slice of what a health plan spends.

It pulls group health insurance strategy, cost control and regulatory guidance into a single relationship, so an HR team does not have to stitch together answers from a carrier call center, a payroll vendor and a compliance attorney on separate calls.

CFH Insurance Consultants serves Michigan mid-market employers, typically companies of 50 to 500 employees, with health and benefits consulting. Below we cover what the work actually involves; where Michigan carriers such as BCBSM and HAP fit; newer structures like self-funded and level-funded plans; unbundled pharmacy benefit management; captive solutions; fiduciary compliance; and the qualities to look for in a partner who offers strategic advice all year long.

What Is Health and Benefits Consulting?

Put simply, a consultant helps an employer shape, price, run and keep compliant the health and benefits it offers. The scope takes in group health plan design, comparisons of carriers and networks, ancillary lines such as dental and vision, ways to contain cost, and the compliance obligations that come with offering coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA). A consulting firm that is independent of any single insurer is not tied to a sales quota, so what it recommends is driven by what suits the employer.

Core Components of Health and Benefits Consulting

Strategy and plan design matched to your workforce size, industry and budget
Negotiation with several carriers and networks, not one quote from one insurer
ACA, ERISA, and CAA compliance guidance, which covers employer mandate tracking and help with 1094-C/1095-C reporting
ICHRA and QSEHRA implementation for defined-contribution alternatives
Support through open enrollment and clear employee communication
Advocacy on claims and regular reviews of how the plan is performing
Year-round strategic advisory and fiduciary role support

Emerging Plan Structures: Self-Funded, Level-Funded, and Captive Options

Michigan employers increasingly explore alternative funding options to traditional fully insured plans to enhance control over their health benefits costs and improve plan flexibility.

Self-Funded Plans

With a self-funded plan the employer carries the financial risk of benefits and pays claims directly from its own money, instead of paying fixed premiums. That arrangement can trim insurer margin and premium taxes, and it opens up claims data that supports targeted cost management.

Pros: Possible savings, more freedom in plan design, visibility into claims data and no state premium tax.

Cons: More risk exposure, a requirement for stop-loss insurance and heavier administration.

Level-Funded Plans

A level-funded plan sits between self-funding and fully insured coverage. The employer pays one fixed monthly amount that bundles expected claims, administration and stop-loss protection, and if claims run low at the end of the year, some of the unused funds may come back.

Pros: Steady monthly cost, a chance of a refund, stop-loss protection and claims data access.

Cons: Renewals can swing, stop-loss carries a cost, and eligibility criteria can limit who qualifies.

Captive Insurance Solutions

Captive insurance programs allow groups of employers, often within an industry or geographic region, to pool their risk and form a collectively owned insurance company. This approach can provide greater underwriting control, customized benefits, and access to risk management services.

Pros: Risk is spread, savings are possible, plan features can be customized and governance improves.

Cons: Forming and running the captive is complex, capital is required and a long-term commitment is needed.

Unbundled Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) Carve-Outs

Spending on pharmacy benefits makes up a large part of what a health plan costs, and a growing number of employers are looking at unbundled or carve-out PBM arrangements for clearer pricing and tighter cost control.

Conventional PBMs frequently roll administrative fees, rebates and drug pricing into one number, which can hide what you really pay. An unbundled PBM breaks those pieces apart, so employers and their consultants can negotiate better terms and shape a pharmacy program around the workforce.

Employers considering PBM carve-outs should evaluate:

Transparency of pricing and rebates
Control over the formulary and how drug utilization is managed
Effect on the total cost of care, including medical pharmacy integration
Administrative and reporting capabilities

Fiduciary Compliance: Navigating ERISA, ACA, and CAA

Employers that sponsor group health plans are ERISA fiduciaries, which means acting prudently and in participants’ best interest. As rules have evolved under the ACA and the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), the compliance load has grown to include:

Plan administration and governance requirements
Notice delivery and documentation
Claims handling and appeals
Testing for employer shared responsibility and affordability under the ACA
Fee and service transparency required by the CAA

Consultants take on an important advisory role here, helping employers meet these fiduciary duties via plan design, vendor selection, ongoing monitoring and compliance audits.

Comparing Michigan Carrier and Plan Options

Michigan offers several major health insurance carriers, with options extending beyond traditional fully insured product lines to include self-funded and level-funded plans, as well as innovative captive models supported by select carriers or consortiums.

Plan/Carrier Feature	BCBSM	HAP	Priority Health	Self-Funded / Level-Funded	Captive Insurance
Network Coverage	Broad statewide, multiple regions	Strong HMO in Southeast Michigan	Regional network with competitive pricing	Varies by third-party administrator network	Custom negotiated and controlled by captive members
Plan Flexibility	Standard fully insured product lines	Focus on managed care HMO options	Emphasis on flexibility and wellness programs	Highly customizable, employer-driven	Flexible, member-driven plan design
Funding Structure	Fully insured	Fully insured	Fully insured with some alternative funding options	Self-funded or level-funded with stop-loss	Self-insurance via captive vehicle
Regulatory Oversight	State and federal insurance regulations	State and federal insurance regulations	State and federal insurance regulations	ERISA applies to self-funded; state laws vary	Governed by ERISA plus captive regulations
Pharmacy Benefit Management	Typically bundled PBM	Bundled within plan offerings	Offers unbundled PBM options	Often choose unbundled PBM partners	Custom PBM arrangements negotiated

Why Michigan Employers Choose Independent Health and Benefits Consulting

Independent health and benefits consulting firms are typically compensated by carriers through standard commission structures rather than by the employer directly, which is worth understanding but does not change who the advice is built around: the employer’s workforce and budget, not a single insurer’s target sales mix. That independence is what allows a consultant to walk into a renewal conversation and genuinely compare options rather than defend one.

Moreover, modern consulting partnerships provide year-round strategic advisory, including cost trend analysis, emerging regulatory updates, and proactive fiduciary guidance — essential components for middle-market employers balancing complexity against in-house resource constraints.

Health and Benefits Consulting and ACA Compliance

Treating compliance as an add-on misses the point; it sits at the center of the work. An Applicable Large Employer, meaning one with 50 or more full-time-equivalent employees, must report under ACA Sections 6055 and 6056, can owe employer shared responsibility penalties where coverage falls short, and has to run an affordability test whose threshold is reset every year. Pairing a dedicated ACA compliance review alongside plan design work helps Michigan employers avoid penalties that can reach significant dollar amounts per employee.

How to Choose a Health and Benefits Consulting Partner: A Checklist

Independent access to multiple carriers, not a single-insurer sales relationship
Demonstrated ACA, ERISA, and CAA fiduciary compliance expertise, not just plan placement
Local Michigan market knowledge, including regional network strength for carriers like BCBSM and HAP
Experience with mid-market employers of a similar size to yours
Expertise in alternative funding arrangements including self-funded, level-funded, and captive insurance
Understanding of unbundled pharmacy benefit management carve-outs and strategic vendor management
Clear, transparent compensation structure they are willing to explain
Year-round strategic advisory and compliance support, not just a renewal-season phone call

Frequently Asked Questions About Health and Benefits Consulting

What is health and benefits consulting?

It is professional guidance for employers on designing, pricing and managing health plans and wider benefits packages while meeting ACA, ERISA and CAA requirements. Expect carrier comparisons, plan design, fiduciary oversight and continuing administration support.

Do independent consultants work with carriers like BCBSM and HAP?

Yes. Independent consultants commonly hold appointments with several licensed Michigan carriers, so they can set options such as BCBSM and HAP beside one another and beside other statewide and regional carriers, and are not confined to one insurer’s plans.

What size businesses benefit most from health and benefits consulting?

The sweet spot is the mid-market employer, usually 50 to 500 employees: benefits decisions carry real financial weight, the ACA employer mandate applies in full, and there may be no in-house benefits team.

How is a health and benefits consultant paid?

The usual arrangement is a standard commission paid by whichever carrier the employer ends up choosing, much as a seller pays a real estate agent. Ask any consultant you are considering to explain how they are paid.

Ready to Discuss Your Health and Benefits Strategy?

Contact CFH Insurance Consultants at 248.370.8853 or book a free consultation to explore health and benefits consulting services tailored to your Michigan business needs.

CFH

CFH Insurance Consultants is an independent employee benefits consulting firm. We help employers manage cost, compliance and renewals, and we work in teams for proper coverage of every account.

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