We are based here
Washington Insurance Brokers is headquartered in Auburn. That is not a satellite address or a mail drop. It means when your renewal lands badly or an employee has a claim problem, you are dealing with a broker in your own valley who can be in your office rather than a call center in another state.
It also means we know the employers here. Auburn’s business base runs heavily to manufacturing, aerospace fabrication, construction trades, logistics and distribution along the Green River valley, plus the retail and hospitality that surrounds Emerald Downs and the Muckleshoot properties.
What that means for your plan
Those industries have benefits problems that a generic broker misses. Trades and manufacturing employers deal with a workforce that skews toward higher claims risk on musculoskeletal injury and needs strong disability coverage more than they need a rich vision plan. Distribution and warehouse employers deal with turnover, which makes enrollment administration and COBRA the expensive part rather than the premium itself.
Seasonal and variable-hour staffing also pushes some Auburn employers close to the applicable large employer threshold without their realizing it. We check that before it becomes an ACA compliance problem.
Benefits we place for employers here
- Group health insurance quoted across Premera, Regence, Kaiser Permanente and the other Washington carriers
- Group dental and group vision, employer paid or voluntary
- Group life and disability coverage
- Level-funded health plans for healthy groups that want unused claims dollars back
- Voluntary benefits including accident, hospital, LegalShield and IDShield
- HRA, HSA and pre-tax plans, plus COBRA administration and ACA compliance
Local network considerations
Most Auburn employees will want MultiCare Auburn Medical Center and the Valley clinics in network, and many commute toward Kent, Renton or Federal Way for specialty care. Carrier networks differ meaningfully on which of those systems they include and at what tier. We check the actual provider lists against where your employees live before recommending a plan, rather than assuming statewide coverage means local coverage.
Areas we serve near Auburn
From our Auburn office we work with employers throughout South King County and North Pierce County, including Kent, Federal Way, Renton, Algona, Pacific, Sumner, Bonney Lake and Enumclaw, and across the county line into Tacoma.
Who employs people in Auburn
Boeing tops the City of Auburn’s major employers list with 3,935 employees. The Auburn School District follows at 2,993, then MultiCare’s Auburn hospital at 1,482 and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe at 1,472.
Further down, the list shows the warehouse and factory side of town. Safeway’s distribution center has 817 workers, Ply Gem Pacific Windows has 550, Pepsi Beverages Company of Auburn has 325, and Skills, Inc., a manufacturer, has 279.
Public employers are a big share too. Green River College (830), the City of Auburn (597) and the FAA (451) add up to almost 1,900 jobs on the same list. If you run a public agency, see our page for government and public sector employers.
Hospitals and clinics your employees use
MultiCare Auburn Medical Center on North Division Street has a 24-hour emergency room, a 24-hour birth center and inpatient psychiatric units. It is also a state-designated Level 2 Stroke Center.
For employees who live toward the plateau, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health operates St. Elizabeth Hospital on Battersby Avenue in Enumclaw. It offers 24/7 emergency care, a family birth center and inpatient care.
Auburn families can have a baby or get inpatient mental health care without leaving town, so we check how each plan covers Auburn Medical Center.
Questions Auburn employers ask us
Boeing is the biggest employer in town. How does a 30-person shop compete for machinists?
You probably cannot match Boeing dollar for dollar. What helps a smaller shop is a solid medical plan, employer-paid life and disability, and voluntary options people can add, all explained in person. We go deeper on this for manufacturing and aerospace employers.
Does our group health plan pay for injuries on the shop floor?
Usually not. Work injuries in Washington go through workers’ compensation, which L&I describes as no-fault coverage for most employers and workers. Your group medical and disability plans matter most for illness and off-the-job injuries, and voluntary accident coverage can add extra help there.
Will you come to our plant for open enrollment?
Yes. We run on-site group meetings and one-on-one employee meetings, plus virtual sessions for people on other shifts. The insurance carrier pays our commission, so these meetings cost you nothing extra.
Our production crew wants smaller paycheck deductions. Should we switch to an HSA plan?
Maybe, but know the trade-off first. An HSA-eligible plan trades a lower premium for a higher deductible, and employees with little savings may put off care to avoid paying it. It works best when you put money into each person’s HSA and someone sits down with your crew to explain how it works.
HSA contributions have tax rules of their own, so check your setup with your CPA.
We are based here in Auburn. In-person meetings are by appointment anywhere in South King and Pierce County, Bonney Lake included, and video meetings are open to employers statewide.
Get a no-obligation benefits quote
Tell us about your business. We will explain the next steps and the information needed for a comparison. Carrier requirements and quoting timelines vary. There is no fee at this time for our agency’s brokerage services. Third-party administrators may charge separate fees for services such as compliance or COBRA administration.
Get Started Call (206) 653-9636