Operating a small business means difficult choices, particularly regarding employee perks. You wish to control your expenses, remain competitive, and assist your team. The good news? You don’t have to choose between those goals. A cafeteria health plan—specifically, the BrightPath Advantage—offers a smarter, fully managed way to care for your team without adding complexity or cost.
More than just a traditional Section 125 plan, BrightPath Advantage combines Section 125 with two powerful components: a Preventative Care Management Plan (PCMP) and a Self-Insured Medical Reimbursement Plan (SIMRP). Together, they create one of the most compliant, benefit-rich programs available today, especially valuable for small business owners and health plan decision-makers who want to do more with less.
Let’s break down how it works and why it’s such a smart move for small businesses.
What Is a Cafeteria Health Plan?
A cafeteria plan—also called a Section 125 plan—lets workers use pre-tax money to pay for some qualified perks, including a health plan. This lowers payroll tax responsibility for companies and reduces taxable income for workers.
But while traditional cafeteria plans offer tax savings, they typically come with administrative burdens and limited scope. That’s where BrightPath Advantage stands out. It goes beyond the basics, bundling a range of impactful, compliant health benefits into a single, stress-free program.
Why Small Business Owners Should Consider BrightPath Advantage
As a small business owner, you’re constantly balancing priorities: controlling expenses, attracting great talent, and maintaining a supportive culture. The BrightPath Advantage plan helps you meet those goals in a single move.
Here’s how:
Business Benefits You Can Count On
- Save $600–$800 per employee, per year in payroll taxes
(That’s ~$68,000 in savings for every 100 employees on average) - No out-of-pocket cost to implement or maintain
- Reduce healthcare claims by an average of $1,400 over three years
- Boost retention and performance by offering a rare employee perk
- Fast 30–45 day rollout—fully managed with minimal lift on your end
- Immediate bottom-line impact with long-term value
For small businesses, every dollar counts. With BrightPath, those savings are real and repeatable.
A Stronger Offer for Your Team
Retaining employees has never been more important—or more challenging. Workers expect more from their employers, but many small businesses struggle to compete with corporate benefits packages. That’s where BrightPath Advantage delivers unexpected value.
Employee Benefits with No Trade-Offs
- No change to take-home pay
- $0 copay 24/7 Telehealth access—doctors, nurses, and certified wellness coaches
- Mental health, addiction, and counseling support
- Access to Mayo Clinic wellness tools and a personalized digital health dashboard
- Universal Life, Disability, and Critical Illness coverage
- Coverage enhancements for spouses and dependents
And the best part? Employees don’t pay anything out-of-pocket to receive these benefits. It’s an easy “yes” for teams—and a big reason more than 30,000 employees are already enrolled in BrightPath Advantage.
What Makes BrightPath Advantage Different?
Unlike many plans on the market, BrightPath Advantage doesn’t require you to switch health plan providers or make disruptive changes to your existing setup. Instead, it runs quietly in the background, providing measurable value without interrupting your current processes.
A Fully Managed, Fully Compliant Solution
BrightPath Advantage is:
- Completely turnkey—our team handles education, enrollment, compliance, and support
- Built on Section 125, PCMP, and SIMRP to maximize tax efficiency and benefit impact
- Proven to reduce claim frequency, which can help control plan cost increases.
- Structured for small business scalability—perfect for companies with as few as 10 W2 employees
This isn’t a plug-and-play plan. It’s a fully integrated, well-managed program designed for small businesses who want to make smarter choices for their teams—and their bottom line.
How the Tax Savings Work
Because the plan leverages Section 125, employees agree to have a small portion of pre-tax wages redirected into eligible benefit coverage, without reducing their net paycheck. This lowers your taxable payroll base, cutting your FICA and FUTA tax liabilities by hundreds per employee, every year.
Employees, in turn, get enhanced health support without spending more or losing take-home income. It’s a rare win-win that’s surprisingly underutilized in the small business world.
The Simplicity of BrightPath
We know small business owners are busy. You need solutions that solve problems, not add more to your plate. That’s why the BrightPath Advantage plan is designed to be:
- Simple to implement
- Easy to explain to employees
- Completely handled by our team from start to finish
From customized communication materials to ongoing compliance support, we make it effortless for you to offer serious benefits—without becoming a benefits expert yourself.
Why It Matters More Than Ever
Meaningful health benefits are a strong method to distinguish your company in the current limited labor market. However, for smaller businesses, conventional health plans are costly, difficult to understand, and sometimes unworkable.
All at no additional expense to you, BrightPath Advantage provides a more intelligent way forward that enhances employee well-being, lowers tax waste, and fosters long-term loyalty.
For small business owners and health plan managers looking to make a real impact without stretching their budgets, this cafeteria health plan delivers exactly what’s needed: clarity, efficiency, and value.
Ready to See the Difference?
Don’t let your business miss out on savings, or your team miss out on care. With BrightPath Advantage, you can do more for your people—and for your business—starting today.
Whether you’re exploring your first benefits package or upgrading an existing one, this cafeteria health plan offers the clarity, savings, and support small businesses need to thrive.
Book your 10-minute consultation and discover how this smarter cafeteria health plan can benefit your business.
