One way to find the most prominent and popular benefits providers is to ask other employers. This is just as easy as it sounds. Some places to do your informal survey could be:

• at chamber of commerce meetings
• at industry networking groups
• at social events (ask your friend employed locally who provides their health insurance)
• on the phone (call other companies)

Be sure to ask if these companies and individuals actually like the coverage and service they get from their provider. Also, get phone numbers and names of contacts at the companies that sound interesting to you. People are usually anxious to share either very good or very bad experiences that they've had.

Once you have a couple of companies or agents that sound like possible leads, you can contact them and begin gathering information about coverage levels and premium costs.