Ares Benefit Group helps employers compare Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements with a group health plan, and then select administration that fits the design. An ICHRA is a federal reimbursement arrangement, not a carrier product. The rules — classes, notices, substantiation, and how an ICHRA interacts with premium tax credits — stay on the live ICHRA page. QSEHRA rules stay on that page, and the two designs are compared on ICHRA vs QSEHRA. This page is about the administrators who help you run the arrangement once the design is clear.
It is not tax, legal, or insurance advice, and it is not an offer of coverage. We do not invent client counts, savings percentages, or a "best administrator" rank. Ares is a benefits advisor. We help you design the arrangement, compare it with a small-group plan or other structures, and then work with an administrator that fits. We are not appointed by or endorsed by any administrator named here.
Request a proposal or call (813) 540-1299. Our agents are licensed in all 50 states.What an administrator does
An ICHRA or QSEHRA has legal and operational work around it: plan documents, the employee notice, enrollment in individual coverage, substantiation that the person has qualifying coverage, and reimbursement of eligible premiums and, if the employer allows it, other eligible medical expenses. An administrator's software and services are built to carry that operational work. The employer still sponsors the arrangement and still sets the contribution, the classes, and the effective date. Federal rules, not the administrator's brand, decide what is allowed.
You do not have to use a third-party administrator to offer an ICHRA in the abstract, but most employers prefer one because the notice, substantiation, and reimbursement work is detailed. Start with a proposal so the design is clear, then select administration that fits. Calling an administrator first, before the classes and the contribution are set, often reverses that order.
Take Command, Thatch, and PeopleKeep, in official wording
Take Command. Take Command describes itself as QSEHRA and ICHRA administration software, and says it handles enrollment, compliance, and employee support while the employer sets the budget. Official product pages describe QSEHRA administration for small companies with up to 49 employees, and ICHRA administration for employers of any size, including use as a group-plan alternative or alongside group health insurance.
Thatch. Thatch's official employer documentation says Thatch administers the ICHRA (also called a CHOICE Arrangement). The employer sets a monthly pre-tax health budget; employees choose individual health plans; leftover budget, if the employer turns that feature on, can be used for eligible expenses. Thatch says it enrolls employees, coordinates payments and reimbursements, generates compliance reporting, and answers employee questions. Thatch also describes itself as broker of record for the employees' individual health plans. Justworks officially lists Thatch as the integrated partner for its CHOICE (formerly ICHRA) reimbursements, which is why some employers meet Thatch inside a PEO as well as on a standalone ICHRA.
PeopleKeep. PeopleKeep describes ICHRA administration software that helps employers reimburse individual premiums and other eligible medical expenses. Official pages describe employee shopping and attestation, expense review for IRS compliance, and generation of legal plan documents to help the employer comply with IRS and ERISA rules. PeopleKeep says organizations of all sizes can use an ICHRA, and that employers can create classes such as full-time, part-time, seasonal, salaried, non-salaried, and state-based.
Other administrators may be added later only from their official sites. We will not invent a fourth brand here.
How administration sits next to a group plan or a part-time class
Federal ICHRA rules allow an employer, in permitted classes, to offer an ICHRA to one class of employees and a group medical plan to another. That is a common design for part-time employees, for a multi-state workforce, or when some worksites are a better fit for a Florida Blue, UnitedHealthcare, or AvMed group plan than for individual coverage. Take Command officially describes ICHRA administration as something that can be used alongside group health insurance. We will only recommend a split that the ICHRA class rules actually allow.
A QSEHRA is a different design, with its own eligibility cap and contribution limits, explained on QSEHRA. Take Command officially describes QSEHRA administration for companies with up to 49 employees. PeopleKeep also administers QSEHRAs, in its broader HRA materials. Confirm the product (ICHRA or QSEHRA) before you compare administrators.
What Ares still does
Ares compares the structures — a fully insured group plan, a SHOP policy, a level-funded plan, an ICHRA, or a QSEHRA — recommends a design, and helps you put it in place, including Section 125 questions that sit next to an HRA. The administrator then runs enrollment, substantiation, and reimbursement on that design. If an applicable large employer is using an ICHRA toward the coverage requirement, we will keep that federal test in the conversation; the administrator does not replace it.
What we need for a proposal
We need a census, worksite states, the current plan or HRA if there is one, the renewal date, and whether you want a standalone ICHRA, a QSEHRA, or an ICHRA next to a group plan for another class. Request a proposal or call (813) 540-1299.Frequently asked questions
Do we need an administrator to offer an ICHRA?
The federal rules do not name a required vendor, but most employers use an administrator for notices, substantiation, and reimbursements. Start with a proposal so the design is clear, then select administration that fits.
What does Take Command do?
Take Command officially describes QSEHRA and ICHRA administration, including enrollment, compliance, and employee support. QSEHRA administration is described for companies with up to 49 employees; ICHRA administration is described for employers of any size, including use alongside a group plan.
What does PeopleKeep do?
PeopleKeep officially describes ICHRA administration software for reimbursing individual premiums and eligible medical expenses, with employee attestation, expense review, and plan documents.
What does Thatch do?
Thatch officially administers the ICHRA: the employer sets a health budget, employees choose individual coverage, and Thatch handles enrollment, payments, compliance reporting, and employee support.
Can an ICHRA run next to a group plan for another class of employees?
Yes, when the federal class rules allow it. See ICHRA and part-time employee benefits.
Who should we call first, Ares or an administrator?
Start with a proposal so the design is clear, then select administration that fits.
Ready for a proposal?