Buoy
Get started

buoy CHAMP

Better care for your team. More savings for your business.

Buoy CHAMP gives employees $0 copay everyday medical and mental healthcare, in a benefit that saves your business money.

Estimate your savingsGet started
  • No net cost to employees
  • No disruption to current benefits
  • Section 125 audit defense included
Doctor in a consultation with a patient
Buoy CHAMP setup roadmap on a phone

Savings calculator

See what CHAMP gives back.

Enter where your team works, your headcount and average pay. You get the same estimate the Buoy app gives, with every assumption shown.

Where your team works
How often you run payroll

Your Buoy CHAMP estimate

Add your states, headcount and average pay. Your estimate shows here as you go.

What is the CHAMP plan?

Everyday care your team will actually use.

Traditional health insurance is often too expensive and too complicated for employees to use. CHAMP makes everyday care easier and more affordable, creates FICA tax savings and works alongside the medical plan you already have.

01

Who it's for

Small and midsize businesses, especially 50+ W-2 teams, that want high-value care that protects margins and boosts productivity.

02

How employees use it

A mobile app with 24/7 virtual care, $0 copay prescriptions and mental health support for them and their families.

03

How it's funded

Built-in Section 125 tax efficiency lowers payroll tax exposure, saving your business money while often increasing take-home pay.

Watch

How the CHAMP Plan works: compliance, savings and care.

What CHAMP is

Everyday care alongside your major medical plan, or on its own.

Buoy CHAMP is a Minimum Essential Coverage plan offered under a Section 125 arrangement. It is not major medical coverage and it is not a replacement for a major medical plan.

It is designed to provide practical everyday healthcare access, and it can operate alongside your existing major medical coverage or on its own.

Buoy CHAMP is intentionally designed not to replace or compete with your major medical plan. It is designed to be a complement or even a frontline of defense to your major medical. However, it is strong enough to stand on its own.

Office visits have no copays or deductibles, so employees can use the plan consistently. This leads to less missed work due to illness and helps prevent the spread of sickness in the workplace.

The U.S. healthcare affordability crisis

When everyday care is unaffordable, employees skip visits.

Skyrocketing renewal rates and rising deductibles are leaving businesses and employees squeezed. When everyday care is unaffordable, employees skip visits, driving up absenteeism, turnover and major medical claims.

Buoy CHAMP solves this ahead of open enrollment. By pairing $0 copay everyday care with built-in FICA tax savings, you give your team usable healthcare while protecting your operating margins.

Solutions

Built for your industry.

Make open enrollment affordable

Offset rate hikes before renewal.

Pair built-in FICA tax savings with usable care: 24/7 virtual visits, $0 copay primary care and mental health support.

Calculate your savings

$573.60

estimated employer payroll tax (FICA) savings a year, per enrolled employee

Benefits that count

Real value for your people and your business.

For employees

Zero out-of-pocket for everyday care.

  • Unlimited primary and urgent careThe plan pays 100% of office visit charges for First Health Providers. Employee Only.
  • Direct primary care24/7 personalized healthcare and a dedicated healthcare advocate. Employee Plus Family.
  • $0 copay prescriptionsZero-cost coverage for 85% of commonly prescribed medications. Employee Plus Family.
  • 100% preventive careFull coverage for all preventive services required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Employee Only.
  • Personal and mental health consultationsUnlimited consultations by virtual telemedicine, with proactive care to manage health risks and balance overall well-being. Employee Plus Family.

For employers

Stronger margins, easier retention.

  • Direct FICA reliefLower payroll tax costs through FICA relief on reduced wages, often over 7.65% depending on setup.
  • A hiring advantageStand out in your market with competitive, practical benefits employees use constantly, not just on paper.
  • No infrastructure frictionPlugs directly into your current payroll system without disrupting your existing insurance.
  • Harbor Shield 125 securityYour Section 125 plan framework comes with compliance support and built-in IRS audit defense.
  • Steadier major medical renewalsRouting everyday, nonemergency care to virtual primary care reduces claims against your major medical plan, lowering your risk of steep renewal rate increases.
Counselor talking with a client

Full clinical reach

Medical, mental health and more, for the whole family.

Everyday medicine

  • Cold, flu and respiratory infections
  • Allergies, asthma and skin conditions
  • Joint pain, backaches and sprains
  • Digestive issues and acid reflux

Mental and behavioral health

  • Anxiety, depression and daily stress
  • Relationship, marriage and parenting issues
  • ADHD, life changes and general coaching
  • Grief, loss and substance abuse

Extended benefits

  • Unlimited virtual veterinary consultations
  • Unlimited virtual physical therapy
  • Nearly 200 generic and brand-name prescriptions at a $0 to $1 copay

How it works

Simple for your team. Automatic in payroll.

  1. 01

    Plan setup

    Buoy maps CHAMP directly into your existing payroll structure, alongside your current employee benefits.

  2. 02

    Monthly engagement

    Each month, employees complete a quick task, such as watching a short video in the CHAMP Plan app, or use a covered service.

  3. 03

    Care and pay impact

    That routine unlocks the plan's claims payment, providing everyday healthcare funds and improving take-home pay without raising gross wages.

of operation
10 years
approved and running on major payroll networks
ADP · Paychex · Paylocity
extra for Section 125 compliance and audit defense
$0

Go deeper

Review the details or share them with your team.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

How is the savings estimate calculated?

Two parts. The company saves an estimated $47.80 a month in employer FICA per enrolled employee. Each employee's take-home change comes from their state and pay, blending 60% single filers with no dependents and 40% married filers with two. The calculator above shows every figure and assumption.

Who qualifies?

CHAMP runs through payroll for W-2 employees, and fits small and midsize businesses, especially teams of 50 or more. Your payroll report shows who qualifies, person by person.

Is there anyone it doesn't help?

It can happen. Before you sign, the payroll analysis sorts every employee by how the plan changes their take-home pay, including anyone who would gain less or isn't eligible, so there are no surprises.

Is this a replacement for health insurance?

No. CHAMP is not intended to replace traditional health insurance. It works alongside major medical coverage or serves as an affordable MEC plan on its own, depending on employer setup.

Is there a cost to employees?

CHAMP is designed with no net cost to employees, and often increases take-home pay.

Is it compliant?

Every plan includes Section 125 compliance and full audit defense through Harbor Shield, backed by legal opinion letters from national ERISA and tax firms.

What makes Buoy CHAMP different?

Rather than just handling basic administrative setup, Buoy combines the core of the CHAMP Plan™ with modern digital technology, proactive employee engagement and dedicated support for both employers and employees. That turns a tax-advantaged benefit into care your team actually uses, while Buoy handles the heavy lifting for your business.

What is Harbor Shield and why is it included?

Harbor Shield is the built-in compliance and security layer, included as standard at no additional charge. The regulatory and benefits landscape keeps getting more complex, so you're not left to manage shifting compliance rules alone. It provides full Section 125 plan structure oversight and dedicated administrative defense. Harbor Shield is not a law firm. Coverage and outcomes vary by plan setup, eligibility and payroll configuration.

What is a Section 125 plan?

A Section 125 plan, also called a cafeteria plan, is an IRS-approved benefit structure that lets employees pay for certain benefits with pretax dollars. In CHAMP, it is what makes the tax savings possible: taxable wages go down, which lowers payroll taxes for employers and can increase take-home pay for employees.

What if employees don't actively log into the app every month?

Employees need to engage with CHAMP each month to unlock their claims payment. If an employee misses a month, there is a 30-day grace period and a way to catch up. Engagement is designed to be easy: CHAMP includes short activities and CPT-coded touchpoints throughout the month, in its communications and emails. There is never a debit without a matching credit.

Better together on one platform.

See the whole platform →
buoy PEOPayroll, benefits and HR complianceExplorebuoy ITManaged IT, security and a US-based help deskExplorebuoy CRMPipelines, follow-ups and dashboardsExplore

Make open enrollment affordable this season.

Run a free savings analysis for your team.

Estimate your savingsGet started