First Financial Group of America  

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At First Financial Group of America, we work hard to simplify the benefits process for you and your employees. We are a full-service agency with a dedicated home office team, salaried account representatives and established relationships with vendors. This allows us to provide support from the beginning to the end. Our goal is to help you design a benefits portfolio that makes sense, is affordable, and most importantly, protects your employees and their families.

Read below for an overview of First Financial's services.

• Benefits Consulting: We help you with all aspects of benefit plan design, communication needs and employee education through our comprehensive, integrated approach. Our leveraged buying power, expansive menu consisting of medical benefits and supplemental insurance products allow you to customize your portfolio so that it serves your unique needs. 
• Administrative Solutions: Our full range of services such as online billing, record keeping and program evaluation will keep your organization’s benefits running smoothly and efficiently. Request a demo of our benefit management software to see how well it streamlines your process.
• Enrollment Services: We are with you every step of the way to educate and assist, whether it’s in person, online or via phone. Education is an important component of selecting the right benefits, which is why we offer a variety of options available to help educate your employees so they can choose the plans that meet their needs. 
• Medical Consulting: We provide expert guidance and consulting packages to help you understand where your current health plan is headed and how it may be affected by the ACA and rising health care costs. Let us be the resource you need to keep your plan manageable and affordable.
• Investment Options: With people living longer, healthier lives, employees can plan for a comfortable retirement with one of our quality retirement plans.

Contact us to learn more!

 Videos

 Press Releases

• Alternative Medical Plan Options And How It Affects You (Dec 02, 2021)

  A hot topic of conversation lately has been Texas school Districts of Innovation (DOI) researching alternative options to TRS ActiveCare. Many of these districts are looking for guidance from a knowledgeable insurance provider to understand requirements and the implementation process. It can be a confusing subject, so we are here to simplify it and answer a few of the most common questions we hear. In this article, we will discuss alternative medical plan options and how it affects you and your employees.

  Q: What is a District of Innovation?

  A: The 2015 Texas Legislature amended Chapter 12 of the Texas Education Code allowing school districts with at minimum an acceptable academic rating to innovate in several areas of the code that have hindered district goals. A DOI plan term is allowed to last up to five years and schools were allowed, after following a specific process, to include all or part of the areas of innovation prescribed by the amendment.

  Q: Why would a district pursue options outside of TRS ActiveCare?

  A: Many districts may not want to look at other options or alternative plans. For many districts, TRS ActiveCare will prove to be the most effective option to provide health care coverage to their employees.

  The interest by districts into what these latest developments are all about stems from an interest in making certain that everything has been done to help employees access affordable and effective healthcare coverage. Schools have to compete for talented employees just like any other employer. They are competing with other area employers, as well as other school districts, and health insurance can be a serious consideration for that potential employee.

  Q: How can First Financial Group of America help me?

  A: First Financial has been involved in helping school districts with their self-funded medical plans for more than 30 years and we are here to help you through this process. We have been there for Texas schools and this latest initiative from day one and we have a solution for you today. Both El Paso ISD and Raymondville ISD are First Financial clients for Section 125 Cafeteria Plan and enrollment services. Therefore, we have been involved in facilitating and supporting districts with these latest DOI developments since their inception.

  First Financial has engaged key partners in our market to provide access to the best and most immediate solutions available to Texas schools.

  • We are proud to be partners with Dr. Maze and ESC Region 12 who have launched the Universal Benefits Consortium (UBC), a program that has leveraged buying power to provide a full suite of self-funded and fully-insured medical options. First Financial is the only TPA with access to the UBC, which means we are in the ideal position to assist you today.
  • We help districts request data from TRS and track the progress of that data being released.
  • We will provide a free evaluation of a district’s medical plan options.
  • Our Benefits Consulting division was specifically created to provide First Financial school districts with access to the best medical consulting partners and the most cost-effective solutions available. We will help with your claims data, your District of Innovation plan and provide a free consultation.

  Q: When should I get started?

  A: You can start any time. A District of Innovation plan is necessary to provide the basis for offering an alternative. This can take some time and should be in line with district goals and initiatives.

  While a plan can be developed without claims data, it could help provide a district with the most accurate and informed options. As such, we take the approach of requesting information from TRS. Recently, TRS has begun providing districts with a process, by which they will be allowed to access their proprietary data.

  Once you have looked at claims combined with good demographic data, it may prove TRS ActiveCare is the best option for the district. Many people we talk to are interested in moving forward with an alternative only if the district can offer something tangibly better than what is already available through TRS – not just an alternative for the sake of offering an alternative. That’s why it is helpful to discuss district goals and the process.

  As a company involved from the start, First Financial will update you on the current state of affairs and provide you with the tools and information you need to be successful going forward.

  To schedule an appointment, contact Scott Elgin, Texas State Manager, at scott.elgin@ffga.com.

• New Enrollment Assistance Center Keeps Customers And Employees Safe (Dec 02, 2021)

  Summer is the time of year that First Financial holds Open Enrollment – a period of time that a majority of customers enroll in their benefits. During enrollment, our representatives typically conduct one-on-one meetings with customers to discuss benefit options and answer questions. However, because COVID-19 continues to run rampant in our communities, First Financial was faced with a major challenge this year.

  How do we maintain the personal interaction our customers appreciate while keeping everyone safe?

  The answer was easy.

  First Financial needed to put measures in place to protect our customers and employees during this time. One such step included creating a new Enrollment Assistance Center that would allow Open Enrollment to continue as planned – including the live support customers need – but without in-person contact.

  Enrollment Assistance Center

  When COVID-19 first reached the United States, we quickly created an Enrollment Assistance Center (EAC) to provide enrollment support in a safe, effective manner. We knew that many of our customers would be either working from home or choosing to social distance. Yet, we wanted to make sure they were able to enroll in their benefits during their employer’s scheduled enrollment period. Additionally, we needed to provide a way for them to speak with a representative so that any questions or concerns could be addressed beforehand.

  The EAC is a telephone-operated system that allows customers to connect with a First Financial representative when they are ready to enroll in their benefits. Because the interaction takes place over the phone, both our customers and employees are at ease knowing they are protected from the coronavirus. Plus, customers are able to speak with a live representative at a convenient time for them.

  A Success Story

  The EAC is a brand-new service for us, but we have seen early success. In fact, Calcasieu Parish School Board (CPSB) in Louisiana was one of the first clients to use the EAC and reported this year being the best completion rate they’ve ever seen.

  Not only were they one of the first EAC clients, but it was also the first year First Financial hosted their products on our portal. Additionally, CPSB’s schools closed one week after their Open Enrollment started. There were challenges early on, but together with CPSB, we handled them with ease.

  “COVID-19 has presented huge challenges for school districts across this nation.  Solutions have been hard to come by during these fluid times.  Thankfully, the call center was a solution for our employees.  It far exceeded our expectations,” said Skylar Fontenot, Risk Manager at CPSB.

  Fontenot also praised the account managers and client service specialist assigned to CPSB who work closely with the school group to ensure successful enrollment.

  “We ended up with a 99.70% completion – that is by far the best we have ever done. Rebecca Hanagriff went above and beyond…her number one goal was to make our jobs/live easier. The account managers worked tirelessly on the phones to get our employees enrolled – all while adapting to a ‘new’ way of enrollment,” Fontenot continued.

  Covering All Bases

  In addition to the EAC, First Financial is fully equipped to help you have a successful enrollment. From excellent customer service and administrative support to product education and enrollment, we are ready to handle whatever curveballs come your way.

  Read about our enrollment services and also more feedback about our Enrollment Assistance Center.