Mary Free Bed Summary
We have the great privilege of helping patients and families re-build their lives. It’s extraordinarily meaningful work and the reason we greet the day with optimism and anticipation. When patients “Ask for Mary,” they experience a culture that has been sculpted for more than a century. Our hallmark is to carefully listen to patients and innovatively serve them. This is true of every employee, from support staff and leadership, to clinicians and care providers.
Mary Free Bed is a not-for-profit, nationally accredited rehabilitation hospital serving thousands of children and adults each year through inpatient, outpatient, sub-acute rehabilitation, orthotics and prosthetics and home and community programs. With the most comprehensive rehabilitation services in Michigan and an exclusive focus on rehabilitation, Mary Free Bed physicians, nurses and therapists help our patients achieve outstanding clinical outcomes. The growing Mary Free Bed Network provides patients throughout the system with access to our unique standard of care.
Mission Statement
Restoring hope and freedom through rehabilitation.
Employment Value Proposition
At Mary Free Bed, we take pride in our values-based culture:
- Focus on Patient Care. A selfless drive to serve and heal connects all MFB employees.
- Clinical Variety and Challenge. An inter-disciplinary approach and a top team of professionals create ever-changing opportunities and activities.
- Family Culture. We offer the stability of a large organization while nurturing the family/team atmosphere of a small organization.
- Trust in Each Other. Each employee knows that co-workers can be trusted to make the right decision for our family, patients, staff, and community.
- A Proud Tradition. Years of dedicated, quality service to our patients and community have yielded a reputation that fills our employees with pride.
Summary
The Health Plan Administrator serves as a strategic, operational, and hands-on leader responsible for the administration, compliance, and financial stewardship of Mary Free Bed’s self-funded health and retirement benefit plans.
This role ensures the strength and integrity of the systems that support employee benefits, working behind the scenes to create a foundation of accuracy, compliance, and sustainability. Through thoughtful stewardship and attention to detail, this role enables a seamless and reliable benefits experience that supports employees’ health, wellbeing, and financial security.
This is a highly experienced, execution-focused role. The Health Plan Administrator is personally accountable for the direct execution of core plan administration responsibilities, including plan documentation, regulatory filings, vendor
administration, and financial oversight. Success in this role requires a strong ownership mindset, deep expertise, and a commitment to excellence in both leadership and execution.
Reporting within the Employee Health & Benefits function, this role operates in close partnership with the Employee Health & Benefits Service Delivery leader to ensure alignment between plan operations and employee experience. The Health Plan Administrator maintains independent accountability for plan compliance, financial integrity, and regulatory adherence, and is responsible for escalating risks, constraints, or concerns as appropriate.
Grounded in Mary Free Bed’s TOGETHER values, this role contributes to a culture of inclusion, belonging, and trust—ensuring that the systems supporting our employees reflect the same care and respect we extend to those we serve.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Plan Administration & Governance
- Directly execute and manage the administration of self-funded health and welfare benefit plans, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and consistency
- Own, maintain, and continuously update all plan documentation, including Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs) and plan amendments
- Draft, implement, and operationalize plan amendments, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant updates
- Prepare, review, and submit required regulatory documents, including Form 5500 and related disclosures
- Coordinate and support retirement plan governance, including committee materials, decision documentation, and compliance activities
- Maintain independent accountability for plan compliance, documentation integrity, and regulatory adherence, and escalate risks or concerns as needed
ERISA & Regulatory Compliance
- Ensure and directly support compliance with all applicable regulations, including:
- Execute required compliance activities, including testing, filings, and reporting processes
- Prepare for, manage, and respond to audits, including documentation, coordination, and resolution
- Maintain accurate, complete, and audit-ready compliance records and documentation
- Proactively identify and address compliance risks, ensuring adherence to all regulatory obligations
Vendor & TPA Administration
- Actively manage relationships with TPAs, recordkeepers, brokers, and benefit vendors
- Coordinate day-to-day interactions to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant plan administration
- Review, validate, and hold accountability for vendor deliverables related to accuracy, completeness, and performance
- Support and execute vendor implementations, renewals, and transitions
- Investigate and resolve operational and administrative issues directly with vendors
Financial Management & Stewardship
- In collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, develop and manage benefit plan budgets and forecasts
- Monitor and analyze plan spend, utilization, and financial trends
- Partner with Finance to ensure accuracy, transparency, and alignment in reporting
- Support long-term financial sustainability and stewardship of plan resources
- Maintain strong fiscal discipline while balancing compliance and operational requirements
Billing, Reconciliation & Audit Controls
- Review, reconcile, and approve vendor invoices and billing activity
- Investigate and resolve discrepancies directly with vendors
- Ensure timely and accurate payment processing
- Maintain strong financial controls and audit readiness, ensuring traceability and accuracy
Data, Reporting & Plan Insights
- Collaborate with internal and external partners to deliver reporting related to
- Ensure data accuracy, consistency, and integrity across systems
- Provide insights to support informed decision-making, plan performance, and continuous improvement
Open Enrollment & Plan Implementation
- Lead the administrative execution of open enrollment, ensuring system readiness, data accuracy, and vendor coordination
- Coordinate with vendors and internal partners to implement plan changes and updates
- Ensure accurate and compliant execution of benefit configurations and plan changes
- Collaboration & Organizational Alignment
- Partner with HR, Finance, and Legal to ensure seamless, compliant plan operations
- Collaborate with Employee Health & Benefits Service Delivery leadership to align plan administration with employee experience insights
- Support shared goals related to plan performance, cost management, and employee outcomes, while maintaining clear accountability for plan administration
- Contribute to a culture of teamwork, transparency, mutual respect, and shared accountability
- Completes other duties as assigned.
Customer Service Responsibilities
Demonstrate excellent customer service and standards of behaviors as well as encourages, coaches, and monitors the same in team members. This individual should consistently promote teamwork and direct communication with co-workers and deal discretely and sensitively with confidential information.
Responsibilities in Quality Improvement
Contribute by identifying problems and seeking solutions. Promote patient/family satisfaction where possible; participates in departmental efforts to monitor and report customer service.
Essential Job Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Finance, Business, or related field or equivalent combination of education and highly relevant experience. Equivalent experience may include progressive, hands-on responsibility for benefits administration, retirement plan management, compliance, finance, or vendor management within complex or self-funded environments
- Extensive, hands-on experience managing self-funded health and/or retirement plans is required, including direct responsibility for administration, compliance, and financial oversight
- Demonstrated experience personally executing plan administration responsibilities, not solely overseeing or delegating work
- Strong working knowledge of ERISA, IRS, DOL, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and related regulations
- Experience with plan audits, compliance filings, and regulatory reporting
- Proven ability to manage vendors, TPAs, and complex benefit administration processes
- Strong analytical and financial skills, including budgeting, forecasting, and cost analysis
- Experience with Workday or similar HRIS systems preferred
- Demonstrates a strong ownership mindset, with accountability for accuracy, quality, and outcomes
- High attention to detail with a commitment to precision and integrity
- Excellent organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
- Ability to work effectively across teams and build strong collaborative relationships
- Communicates clearly, respectfully, and with professionalism
- Demonstrates a commitment to inclusion, respect, and belonging, consistent with Mary Free Bed’s TOGETHER values
Physical Requirements for Essential Job Qualification
Levels:
- None (No specific requirements)
- Occasionally (Less than 1/3)
Remain in a stationary position: _____
Traverse or move around work location: _____
Use keyboard: _____
Operate or use department specific equipment: _____
Ascend/Descend equipment or ladder: _____
Position self to accomplish the Essential Functions of the role: _____
Receive and communicate information and ideas for understanding: _____
Transport, position, and/or exert force:
Up to 10 pounds: _____
Up to 25 pounds: _____
Up to 50 pounds: _____
Up to 75 pounds: _____
More than 100 pounds: _____
Other weight: Up to___ pounds _____
Other: _____
Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it is the policy of Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship. The policy regarding requests for reasonable accommodation applies to all aspects of employment, including the application process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact the Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].
Mary Free Bed is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, genetic information, veteran status, disability or other legally protected characteristic.
