Straight answers on our broker-exclusive model, ACA compliance plans, self-funded health plans, Group GAP, voluntary benefits, enrollment, and how to get started.
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Northgate Benefit Group, LLC is a managing general agency (MGA), wholesaler, and benefits program manager headquartered in Florida. We work exclusively through licensed brokers and benefits consultants to design and administer benefit programs — MEC/MVP ACA compliance plans, true self-funded health plans, Group GAP insurance, and voluntary benefits — for variable-hour, part-time, seasonal, 1099, and full-time workforces.
No. Northgate distributes exclusively through licensed insurance brokers and benefits consultants. If you're an employer interested in our programs, we'll connect you with a licensed broker partner.
Northgate operates exclusively through broker partnerships — it does not sell directly to employers. Brokers and benefit consultants collaborate with Northgate to provide their employer clients access to MEC plans, accident insurance, and GAP supplement plans within the captive structures Northgate administers.
Partners benefit from competitive commissions, dedicated account support, and access to Northgate's comprehensive enrollment and claims administration platform. Our model is purpose-built to complement, not compete with, existing broker relationships — especially in employer-sponsored benefits.
Group GAP insurance is an essential component of major medical benefit plans — it helps fill the financial gap between what a major medical plan covers and what an employee actually owes out of pocket. When a covered member faces a hospital stay, surgery, or other high-cost claim, their base medical plan — particularly a high-deductible plan — can leave them responsible for a significant deductible, coinsurance, and copays that can accumulate into the thousands.
Group GAP offers reimbursement for eligible out-of-pocket expenses, either up to the deductible or, depending on the plan design, up to the maximum out-of-pocket limit — effectively reducing or even eliminating that financial exposure.
Our supplemental benefit programs — including GAP coverage, hospital indemnity, critical illness, and accident insurance — are designed to complement your existing major medical plan, not replace it.
These benefits, which include limited medical options, qualify as excepted benefits under ACA regulations — meaning they do not interfere with your current MEC plans or trigger additional compliance requirements.
MEC (Minimum Essential Coverage) plans satisfy the ACA's Employer Shared Responsibility Penalty A — they provide preventive care and defined benefits at a low cost. Minimum Value (MVP) plans are designed to meet the ACA minimum-value standard for Penalty B protection, provided coverage is also affordable under the applicable IRS safe harbor. Many groups layer both across employee classes.
A true self-funded health plan lets an employer fund claims directly rather than paying fixed premiums to a fully-insured carrier — typically with an embedded GAP layer and stop-loss protection to control volatility. It gives eligible groups more transparency and cost control while still delivering comprehensive coverage, administered through established TPAs.
Employers use MEC (Minimum Essential Coverage) plans to satisfy the ACA employer mandate for variable-hour employees who average 30+ hours per week and therefore count as full-time under §4980H.
A MEC plan is the lowest-cost way to make a qualifying offer of coverage and eliminate the §4980H(a) penalty — $3,340 per full-time employee in 2026 — without funding a full major medical plan.
Yes. MEC plans are frequently paired with supplemental and limited medical coverage. The MEC-plus-supplemental model ensures ACA compliance while providing employees meaningful financial protection — the base MEC plan makes the qualifying offer, and layered GAP, accident, hospital indemnity, and critical illness benefits fill in real-world out-of-pocket exposure.
Limited medical plans, which can include accident insurance, are suitable for employees lacking access to benefits like major medical coverage — especially part-time, variable-hour, or seasonal workers.
These MEC plans offer affordable first-dollar coverage for routine medical services and can effectively bridge the gap during waiting periods before an employee qualifies for major medical eligibility.
A group captive is a member-owned risk-sharing structure that lets participating employers share in the underwriting results of their benefit programs. Within this structure, each employer maintains a dedicated cell within the captive, allowing for tailored solutions rather than a one-size-fits-all pool.
Northgate Benefit Group utilizes a Tennessee-domiciled group captive structure to provide this model specifically for MEC plans and supplemental health plans.
In a fully-insured arrangement, favorable claims experience becomes the carrier's profit. In a group captive, disciplined plan governance and better-than-expected claims flow back to the participating employers rather than being retained by an outside carrier.
Combined with the dedicated-cell design, this gives employers greater transparency, more control over plan costs, and the opportunity to share in surplus — turning cost control into a long-term financial advantage instead of an annual renewal surprise.
Enrollment runs through Northgate's benefits enrollment platform. Plans are configured before enrollment opens, each employee is guided through their elections, and confirmed elections move downstream to payroll and carriers through established feeds — no manual re-keying. See the Platform page for the full walkthrough.
Northgate programs are purpose-built for variable-hour, part-time, seasonal, 1099, and full-time workforces — including multi-location hourly employers and high-turnover industries such as hospitality and food service, healthcare staffing and home health, retail, logistics and warehousing, light manufacturing, and transportation. The plans are designed to fit lean HR teams without adding regulatory exposure.
The employer remains solely responsible for its obligations under the ACA, ERISA, and other applicable benefits laws — including employee notices, offers of coverage, and IRS reporting. Northgate and the participating carriers assume no liability for those obligations. We provide the plan structures and the eligibility data files; employers should consult their own qualified legal, tax, and benefits advisors.
If you're a broker or consultant, request information and we'll set up your appointment and RFP process — bring census and current plan details and we'll build a proposal. Appointed brokers can access proposal tools in the Broker Toolbox. If you're an employer, reach out and we'll connect you with a licensed broker partner who can run it for you.
If your question isn't covered here, our team is one message away. Brokers and employers alike — reach out and we'll point you to the right answer.
Better benefits, a stronger workforce, and a partner engaged year-round. Let's build the program that fits.
