Ares Benefit Group helps self-funded and level-funded employers compare medical stop-loss coverage, including stop-loss insurance Sun Life U.S. publishes for employer groups. The general explainer of what stop-loss is, and how it sits next to a self-funded medical plan, is already on stop-loss insurance. This page is the named-carrier companion for Sun Life. It is not a second copy of that explainer, not tax, legal, or insurance advice, and not an offer of coverage.
Ares is not appointed by or endorsed by Sun Life. We help employers compare the stop-loss and funding structures that are available for the census and the state. We will not restate Sun Life marketing totals, earnings claims, or savings figures as Ares's facts.
Request a proposal or call (813) 540-1299. Our agents are licensed in all 50 states.What stop-loss is, and how Sun Life describes it
In a self-funded health plan, the employer is responsible for covered claims, usually with a third-party administrator paying claims on the employer's behalf. Stop-loss insurance is the policy that limits that claim responsibility above agreed amounts. A Sun Life Health and Risk Solutions educational presentation dated April 4, 2025, describes stop-loss insurance as protection against the high-dollar cost-risk exposure of a self-funded health plan, covering very large claims beyond a deductible or attachment point so the employer can limit exposure. The same presentation contrasts a fully insured plan, a self-funded plan without stop-loss, and a self-funded plan with stop-loss, where the employer pays claims, administrator fees, and stop-loss premium, and has a capped maximum claims exposure.
Those are educational descriptions of the product type. The attachment point, the individual and aggregate limits, the contract terms, and the premium on a Sun Life quote are facts about that quote. We will not publish a typical deductible, a typical premium, or an example dollar amount from a marketing slide as if it were a standard Ares figure.
Sun Life's official employer stop-loss page is at sunlife.com/us/en/employers/products-and-services/stop-loss-insurance. Sun Life's employer products-and-services directory also lists medical stop-loss among the coverages it publishes for U.S. employers, alongside group dental, life, and disability, which are covered on Sun Life group benefits. We will describe the actual Sun Life stop-loss contract on the proposal, including whether the quote is a traditional employer stop-loss policy or another official Sun Life funding variation, rather than invent a product menu here.
Who it is for
Stop-loss is a product for employers that are self-funding medical claims, or that are looking at a packaged level-funded or self-funded design that includes stop-loss. It is not a fully insured small-group medical policy, and it is not an entry on Florida's 2026 small-group ACA carrier list. A Florida employer that wants a fully insured ACA small-group plan should start with Florida Blue, UnitedHealthcare, or AvMed. A Florida or other-state employer that is considering self-funding can still compare Sun Life stop-loss as the protection layer on that structure, subject to current underwriting and state rules.
Ares's practical core remains companies with 2 to 50 employees, and many self-funded and stop-loss quotes are a better fit for mid-size and large-group employers. We will not assume a very small group can be issued a stand-alone Sun Life stop-loss policy. Some packaged products already include stop-loss from another writer — Aetna Funding Advantage names Aetna Life Insurance Company as the stop-loss carrier, and All Savers Alternate Funding names All Savers Insurance Company or a UnitedHealthcare affiliate, depending on the state. Those packaged designs are alternatives to a stand-alone Sun Life policy, not competitors we will rank.
How we compare stop-loss writers
We can help you compare a Sun Life stop-loss quote with other official stop-loss options that apply to the case, including the stop-loss already built into a level-funded package you are also considering. The comparison points are the attachment points, the contract terms, how the policy interacts with the claim administrator, and the current underwriting, not a generic rank and not a marketing total. Cigna Level Funding officially describes integrated stop-loss as part of that product, which is another packaged form of the same idea.
At renewal, stop-loss is typically re-priced for the next policy year. We will put the current and alternative quotes on one benefits renewal or benefits RFP comparison when that is the work you have asked us to do.
What we need for a proposal
If you also want Sun Life dental, life, or disability, those are separate contracts, described on Sun Life group benefits. A stop-loss policy does not enroll employees in dental or life coverage, and a dental or life policy does not take the place of stop-loss on a self-funded medical plan. We can quote both in the same engagement when both apply.
We need a census, the current funding type and claim administrator if the plan is already self-funded, worksite states, the renewal date, and the claims information the stop-loss underwriter requires. Request a proposal or call (813) 540-1299.Frequently asked questions
Is Sun Life stop-loss a medical plan employees enroll in?
No. Stop-loss is insurance the employer buys to limit the claim responsibility of a self-funded health plan. Employees still use the medical network and ID card of the self-funded plan.
How is this different from a fully insured small-group policy?
In a fully insured policy, the medical carrier takes the claims risk in exchange for a premium. In a self-funded plan with stop-loss, the employer pays claims up to the attachment point, and the stop-loss policy responds above that point, as Sun Life's educational materials describe.
Is this available as a Florida fully insured small-group plan?
No. Stop-loss is not a Florida ACA small-group medical policy. Florida fully insured small-group starting points are Florida Blue, UnitedHealthcare, and AvMed.
Who else writes stop-loss on the packages you quote?
It depends on the product. Aetna Funding Advantage officially names Aetna Life Insurance Company. All Savers Alternate Funding officially names All Savers Insurance Company or a UnitedHealthcare affiliate, depending on the state. Cigna Level Funding officially describes integrated stop-loss. We will name the actual writer on each quote.
What information does an underwriter need?
A census, worksite states, and claims history for a self-funded or level-funded case, plus the current plan document and administrator information. We will tell you exactly what Sun Life is asking for on that case.
Does a Sun Life stop-loss policy change the medical network?
Not by itself. The network is part of the self-funded medical plan and its administrator. Confirm doctors in that plan's official directory. See how to check a group health plan network.
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