Archive for May 2017

Home Archive for May 2017

When it comes to medical plans, there are certainly a lot of things to consider. It can be hard to make certain decisions about what health plan is best for you. But you never have to fear with Benistar. We offer consulting and administration services for retirees over 65. Here is a little insight it what it all means.

The whole point of our consulting and administration services is to personally provide you with the needed retiree medical and prescription drug plans. Often times these situations can be mishandled when they handle retiree plans too generally. Everyone is unique, so therefore our implementation process begins with getting to know your situation.

Aside from personal consultation, we pride ourselves on how we can make the whole process of receiving retiree benefits a whole lot easier. For instance, we assist the plan sponsor draft an announcement that goes to the retirees. When we go through the enrollment process, we make sure to do so with the carriers and CMS.

Another golden benefit of working with us is our customer service. The people at customer service are the unsung heroes of all companies, since they are able to articulate the plans of the company to the clients. For our customer service staff, they carry extensive knowledge of retiree medical and prescription drug programs and practices. They are perfect representatives of the Benistar managers.

One of the largest benefits that come when joining Benistar is the relief that comes with knowing that your retiree medical health plan is in good hands. Neither you, nor your family have to deal with any technical hassles that comes with going with other retirement companies. The key for us is to treat you as a human being, not as another name on a piece of paper.

When it comes right down to it, Benistar’s managers and staff are all about solving your problems within your Medicare situation. So if you are a retiree over the age of 65, you don’t have to go at it alone. Call us for more information on how we can begin medical consultation for your retirement health plan.

Resumes ONLY – NO Calls or Visits – should be sent to:
BENISTAR Admin. Services, Inc.
Attn: HR Dept/SF-AB
542 Hopmeadow St., PMB 175
Simsbury, CT 06070

Benistar Job Listings

Customer/Client Services Dept:

The Customer Service person should have customer service experience and excellent communication skills both with phone calls and through email. The member base is mainly retirees which requires patience and a positive attitude. Reps should have knowledge of Medicare & Part D plans. They should also be problem solvers who can be the liaison between the members and pharmacies as well as other carriers to resolve claim and prescriptions issues. Multi-tasking, documentation and follow up skills are a must. Reps should have basic computer skills for database & website navigation, word and excel.

Eligibility Dept – Data Entry/Customer Service:

The Eligibility person should have basic computer skills, database, data entry, website navigation, word and excel. Accuracy, following up, documentation and multitasking skills are a must. It will be important for them to research and problem solve for resolution of eligibility issues. They will need to have excellent communication skills both with phone calls and through email, since they will be dealing directly with the groups we service. They will also be required to handle eligibility customer service calls as well as help answer all phones and forward calls as needed. The member base is mainly retirees which requires patience and a positive attitude.

Billing Dept:

A candidate should have basic computer skills with the ability to do email, data entry, moderate excel and word skills as well as website navigation. Working with numbers, being detailed and accurate, following up, documentation and multitasking skills are a must. The candidate will need to be able to work in a team environment as well as individually. It is important for the candidate to have the ability to research and problem solve. The member base consists of retirees so it is very important to have a positive attitude, be patient and understanding and have strong communication and phone skills.

.Net Developer:

Scope of Services

Benistar Administrative Services, Inc. is looking to engage the services of a .Net Developer. The scope of services required for the position includes:

Mastery level experience in enterprise level or higher development activities.
Demonstrated software engineering experience utilizing Microsoft .NET development in C#, ASP.NET, MVC, JavaScript focusing on AngularJS, and Entity Framework.
Develop using Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 - 2015, with C# language.
Capable of developing object oriented specialty frameworks.
Coding applications & reports using various technology and tools – including MVC, ASP.Net, VB.NET, C#, XML, SSRS, and SSIS.
Creation of stored procedures for accessing SQL Server 2012 databases.
Ability to write clear and concise technical implementation documentation and comment developed code accordingly.
Verbal communication skills to explain and transfer knowledge both informally and at design and code review meetings.
Written communication skills to prepare regular periodic status reports.

Minimum Qualifications

The minimum skills and experience levels required for a candidate to be considered for this position include:

Mastery level experience in enterprise level or higher development activities
Extensive knowledge of creating standards throughout an enterprise system.
Minimum of four (4) years of experience using developing Win Forms and ASP.NET applications using C#.

o Knowledge of and experience of software design patterns, including MVC, MVP and MVVM.

Experience using Team Foundation Server source code repository.
Minimum of four (4) years of experience development coding applications using SQL Server.
Proven ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
Ability to work well with a team of developers and business analysts.

A little background on Don Trudeau and Benistar:

Don Trudeau is the CEO of Benistar, a leading provider of medical benefits for retirees. The company primarily caters to the 65-and-above age group. It provides a wide range of design, installation and administration services to clients from all over the country, with particular focus on medical and prescription drug plan administration.

Benistar maintains an extensive network of partner firms and providers. Among these are top brokers and consultants, who help expand the range of services Benistar provides and ensure consistent quality. These firms help provide a variety of medical and prescription plans for public companies and privately-held firms, labor unions, city and county government organizations, educational institutions, and religious organizations.

Currently, Benistar provides retirement plans, retiree health plans, and administration services for more than 1,200 sponsor firms all over the country. The sum total of premiums that the company administers amounts to more than $ million annually.

Benistar’s range of services is divided into three major categories: group retiree medical benefits, prescription drug solutions, and consulting and administration services. Its group retiree medical benefits program is designed to help clients pay for expenses that are recognized by Medicare, but do not qualify for coverage under Parts A and B of the plan. The company’s prescription drug plans for retirees fall under the Employment Group Waiver Plans or EGWPs set up for groups belonging to Medicare Part D. Its consulting and administration services are designed to help those in the post-65 age group with analyzing their current retiree programs with regard to their feasibility, and then coming up with solutions by which their existing plans could be improved.

These services have been developed over Benistar’s 35 years of operation, and all are delivered to the highest standards of quality and professionalism.

Interview with Benistar's Don Trudeau:

1. Where did the idea for Benistar come from?

There was a real shortage of high-quality medical plans available in the late 1970’s, and the few that were actually available were excessively high premiums. There wasn’t much in the way of companies or individuals providing such services in those days and I felt that I could address a very real need back then.

2. What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

My day usually starts with a cup of coffee and checking my emails. Then I head to the office and attend a couple or more meetings. The day will probably end in reading an interesting book. I stay productive by planning my day in advance or making a checklist.

3. How do you bring ideas to life?

First, I write them down using a note-taking app or simply a piece of paper and a pen. Then I do some research and study all the information I get. After that, I talk it out with people I trust.

4. What’s one trend that really excites you?

Technology excites me a lot. It just keeps changing and getting better and better. Life could even be completely different in 10 years or so.

5. What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I’m not sure if you can classify this as a habit, but being curious and persistent helps me find new ideas and ways to do things more efficiently.

6. What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?

I worked in retail a very long time ago. It helped me realize that nothing comes easy. Sometimes you just have to do the crappy things you don’t want to and move on with life. Eventually it gets less difficult.

7. If you were to start again, what would you do differently?

I am very happy with where I am now. I wouldn’t want to go back in time and change anything. Everything that came before has helped me reached my current place.

8. As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I recommend that everyone find the time to read. I read a lot. Reading helps you discover new perspectives and ideas.

9. What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.

Asking questions. Asking friends, colleagues, partners, and customers. Sometimes the only way to find answers is to ask questions. You can’t do everything alone.

10. What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

I once tried to do too many things at once. I thought I could handle all of it but I found that there’s a limit to what anyone can do. As much as possible, I try to focus on one thing now and make sure it’s all good before I go to the next.

11. What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers? (this should be an actual idea for a business, not business advice)

A good business idea would be an app that reconstructs your sentences to make them sound more appropriate according to the subject and context of the conversation. This might help us avoid misunderstandings and conflicts.

12. What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why? (personal or professional)

$100 on dinner with family I hadn’t seen in a long time. I had a great time catching up.

13. What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?

Flow is one of my favorite software programs. It’s a task management software that makes things easier for you.

14. What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

I would recommend 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. It’ll teach you how to get more things done in less time.

15. What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others? (include websites, blogs or Twitter profiles, etc – please don’t include yourself).

https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson

http://gallaugher.com/

http://stephanbodian.org/

For more information on benistar and Don Trudeau visit the official Benistar website.

There are four main parts of Medicare: A, B, C, and D.