SPBA is a trade association, and thus memberships are held in the name of the TPA firm. However, SPBA is a very active network of professionals in those firms who share, and play an active role in finding information and shaping national policy. Also, SPBA plays much more of a direct immediate service role for members than most associations. We get about 200 e-mails per week from our members to solve, research or brainstorm immediate situations on which they need insight or guidance. Sometimes it is a client has heard such-and-such is allowed or not allowed. Is that true? Are there other agencies or laws that impact the answer? Sometimes an answer or perspective is needed today for a law or regulation on which government might not provide official answers for years.
As an information clearinghouse, and with ongoing brainstorming with government policy makers, the SPBA staff can often give an answer or say how others are handling the situation, or help separate fact from rumor. In other cases, we put the member directly in touch with the government official actually in charge of the issue. This is a win-win. The government official hears real-life factors about the law or regulation (and often constructive changes are made thanks to what they learn from SPBA members). In other cases, a TPA can report to his client that he has spoken to the horse's mouth.
Consequently having individual "contact" individuals is the method by which member firms can maximize the value of their SPBA membership. We suggest that member firms name Contacts in various function areas of the firm (senior management, marketing, claims processing, etc.) and at least one in each branch office. Consequently, the higher dues for larger firms is not just because they are large. If firms shortchange themselves on contacts, they hinder their success and raise the dangers and each firm can have am unlimited number of contacts.
The reason that specifically-named contacts are important and the only ones authorized to interact on technical issues is safety for our member firms. We sometimes get attorneys or competitors who say they are an employee of a member firm, and they pose questions designed to be embarrassing for the member firm ...or, if truly the attorney or client, they don't ask the right questions, and thus get misleading answers. In other cases, the caller may, indeed, be a legitimate employee of a member firm. However, employee benefits questions can generate opposite answers based on tiny seemingly-irrelevant facts or circumstances. If the caller is a designated Contact, there is a higher confidence that the question will have all those relevant factors included. (Note: Because the answer to any issue is totally dependent on myriad facts & circumstances, nothing in writing or spoken from SPBA should ever be considered legal or official advice. Only attorneys with the breath of experience in all the related issues and with access to study ALL the relevant data can render a useful legal opinion.)
The SPBA dues structures is as shown below. (The dollar amount is the 2023 dues rate.)
Gross Administrative 2024 Dues
Under $1/2 million
$2,400.00
$1/2 to 1 million
$3,800.00
over $1 to 2 million
$4,400.00
over $2 to 4 million
$4,900.00
over $4 to 6 million
$4,900.00
over $6 to 8 million
$5,700.00
over $8 to 10 million
$5,700.00
over $10 to 12 million
$6,700.00
over $12 to 15 million
$6,700.00
over $15 to 20 million
$6,700.00
over $20 to 25 million
$8,900.00
over $25 to 30 million
$8,900.00
over $30 to 35 million
$8,900.00
over $35 to 40 million
$8,900.00
over $40 to 45 million
$10,900.00
over $45 to 50 million
$10,900.00
over $50 to 60 million
$10,900.00
over $60 to 70 million
$10,900.00
over $70 to 80 million
$10,900.00
over $80 to 90 million
$11,500.00
over $90 to 100 million
$11,500.00
over $100 million
$11,500.00
Stop-Loss and Service Partners – 5 contacts - $5,900
Note: SPBA has tried many different terms and measurements for "income". However, the wide variety of structure & compilations of firms acting as a TPA and different accounting customs has led us to ask the question which has been generating the most accurate intended measurement: "How big a player are you in the employee benefits market for the types of plans and services which SPBA services cover." For example: Commissions or payments from Stop-Loss, PPO, etc. are counted, but SPBA doesn't do WC, so income derived from that is not counted.