California employee benefits broker for growing teams
Cut employee benefits costs by
20%+
No long contracts, no confusing jargon. Just a clear process that gets you better benefits faster than you thought possible.
20% savings
No commitments
Zero coverage disruption
A better employee benefits broker for California companies
An employee benefits broker that takes California's side.
California employers pay some of the highest health premiums in the country. Most California brokers profit when those premiums climb. Ignition is the broker that only wins when you save.
The old way
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Pass along the renewal increase. Their commission climbs with it.
Quote a short list from the carriers they always use.
Keep your risk data hidden.
Treat Cal-COBRA and AB 1672 as paperwork.
The Ignition way
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Fight every renewal. Our pay is disclosed and fixed by us, not the carrier.
Benchmark the full California market.
Show you your risk score before we go to market.
Use California's rules and your timing as leverage.
20%+
Average savings
$4-8K
Saved per employee
30 min
to switch
100%
free, no commitment
California employee benefits broker for growing teams
How Ignition operates in California
We benchmark your team's real risk against the full California market and show you what you should be paying. Most never run that comparison. We do.
AB 1672: guaranteed issue and renewal
California protects 1–100 employee groups with guaranteed issue and renewal rules (Cal. Insurance Code §§10700–10718.6). We make sure these show up in your pricing.
Cal-COBRA continuation coverage
Employers with 2–19 employees must offer continuation coverage, which can extend COBRA up to 36 months (Cal. Health & Safety Code §1366.20). We keep it simple.
Broker pay disclosure (CAA §202)
Federal law requires brokers to disclose compensation before you sign (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, §202). We do it on the first call.
What Ignition Benefits does differently
Why you should choose Ignition in California
California is one of the most expensive and complex benefits markets in the country. As a California employee benefits provider built for growing teams, we use your own data and California's own rules to show you savings carriers would rather you never see.
A modern benefits broker
Built for founders and California's growing companies, from your first hires to 200 employees.
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See what you're overpaying
We analyze your employee data to assess your true benefits risk and benchmark your current spend against companies your size.
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Compete for talent
We handle every carrier call, form, and follow-up. You make one decision; we execute everything else.
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Get your free California employee benefits assessment today.
We'll benchmark your team against the full California market. If we can't find at least $4,000 in savings per employee, we'll tell you on the call and you're on your way.
Simple Benefits Broker Review Process
Start your benefits benchmarking in 15 minutes
A clear three-step process that delivers better employee benefits faster than you'd expect
Step 1
Share your census. We'll take it from there.
Fill out a short form and drop in your employee census. Takes under 5 minutes — then we go to work.
Step 2
See your workforce risk in plain English.
Your risk score across 32 factors. We benchmark your spend against companies your size, stage, and geography. A full California market review with a line-by-line look at your premium.
Step 3
Review your options. Choose with confidence.
Every option side by side, with zero hidden commissions. Plans compared on total cost and network. Our pay disclosed in writing (CAA §202). A Broker of Record letter when you're ready.
How to choose an employee benefits broker in California
Are they licensed in California?
Confirm a real CA DOI license, not a partner arrangement. We operate as Ignition Insurance Solutions (DBA), CA DOI #6018505, NPN #22134889.
Do they know California's carrier landscape?
California prices by region. The right broker benchmarks the major carriers, Blue Shield of California, Anthem Blue Cross, Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealthcare, against your data.
Are they built for your stage?
Enterprise brokers move too slowly for a 30-day renewal window. Ask how fast their audit runs.
What happens if the new plan doesn't beat your current broker?
Then you keep what you have and lose nothing but 15 minutes.
We tell you plainly on the call. Your coverage and broker stay until you choose to move. Already getting transparency and market rate? Keep them. We mean it.
“
I got robbed. I was too busy to notice.
Nick Taranto
We raised hundreds of millions at Plated and had no idea what our benefits were costing us. I wasn't being careless. I was being a founder. Renewal after renewal, premiums climbed. The people I trusted to fight for me weren't. The brokerage I needed didn't exist. So I built it.
Case study · AWM Capital
How AWM saved $156,914 in 30 minutes.
A benefits benchmark turned hidden PEO costs into a clearer path forward.
Six figures saved
Year one. Same provider network. Mayo Clinic now in-network
2 calls
15 minutes each, start to finish
0 disruption
Same doctors, same drug formulary
44 employees
Came off Justworks PEO
Better coverage
Mayo Clinic added in-network
“Our renewal came in at $715,000, a $130,000 jump from the prior year. I thought that was just the cost of doing business. It wasn't.”
Robert McConchie
Chief Financial Officer and Co-Founder, AWM Capital
Why choose a California-based employee benefits broker
Familiarity with local carrier landscape
California prices by region. The right broker benchmarks the major carriers, Blue Shield of California, Anthem Blue Cross, Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealthcare, against your data.
Working knowledge of California's regulatory environment
AB 1672, Cal-COBRA, and carrier disclosure rules shape every switch. We keep yours clean.
Responsiveness on California timelines and renewals
We run our audit in about two weeks and time it to your renewal.
Customer stories
AWM used Ignition to negotiate their 2026 insurance renewal, lowering costs by 22% compared to their initial increase.
Light Labs turned a 21% increase into an 8% decrease, $113,115 in savings, and better coverage across the board.
Ignition consolidated everything into Gusto, set it up before open enrollment, and now runs the day-to-day benefits admin so Mango's team doesn't have to.
Frequently asked questions
Can an independent benefits broker work with companies across multiple states?
What size companies benefit most from an independent benefits broker?
Do you need to switch brokers to get a benefits audit?
What does it cost to hire an employee benefits broker?
How long does it take to get new employee benefits in place?
How does working with an independent employee benefits broker work?
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