About. USA OPS was built because I had the same problem.
Founder note
I’m Nick. I run a fractional COO practice and have been doing it long enough to know exactly where self-employed professionals bleed money without realizing it.
In 2024 I was paying over $8,000 a year more than I needed to for health coverage and taxes. I was buying in the wrong market. Every dollar I paid in premiums went through FICA before it reached the carrier. My age-rated premium was set by a pool of strangers in my zip code. I had no leverage and no path to the pricing that corporate employees take for granted.
When I found the structure that changed that, I spent months understanding the math before I trusted it. Then I built the calculator to verify it on my own numbers. Then I started connecting other business owners to the same setup.
That’s USA OPS A small, focused operation connecting self-employed professionals and small business owners to the corporate benefits structure most of them don’t know exists.
The system most business owners never see
The U.S. tax code draws a hard line between institutional and retail buyers of health coverage. Corporations pay premiums through pre-tax payroll structures under Section 125. Distributions hit employees’ paychecks after the premium has already been deducted — no FICA, no income tax on that dollar. The coverage is priced against a pool of hundreds of thousands of employees, which means the carrier can’t spike rates based on your zip code or your age.
Self-employed professionals and small business owners buy retail. Full stop. Premiums come out of after-tax income. The self-employed health insurance deduction helps with income tax but does nothing about FICA that’s 7.65% gone before you reach the carrier, every year, on every dollar. A $1,000 monthly premium costs an extra $916 in dead FICA annually on top of what you’re already paying. And the pool you’re in is priced to cover whoever else in your area is buying individual coverage.
A Professional Employer Organization is the legal mechanism that moves a small business into the institutional tier. Your business co-employs under the PEO’s tax ID. You’re in the large-group risk pool. Premiums come out pre-tax through Section 125. Composite rating replaces age rating, so your cost doesn’t move when you have a birthday. The ACA marketplace becomes irrelevant — you’re not in that market anymore.
Who we work with
Self-employed professionals and small business owners netting $100,000 or more who are currently buying health coverage on the open market or through a broker. The people who see the most immediate difference are the ones above the ACA subsidy cliff $62,600 for a single filer in 2026 paying full retail premiums with no tax credit buffer.
Consultants, fractional executives, solo attorneys and accountants, private practice healthcare professionals, agency owners, skilled trades operators with small crews. Businesses from one person to about fifteen employees.
If you have a current health plan and a functioning business, the calculator will show you the actual numbers in about four minutes.
How this works
I’m an independent referral partner. I don’t administer benefits, issue coverage, or handle enrollment the PEO does all of that. My role is intake, education, and referral. When you fill out the pre-screening form, I review your situation. If the structure is a fit, I connect you with the PEO’s enrollment team and they take it from there.
I earn recurring commission under a signed agreement as long as you stay enrolled. That structure matters: my incentive is that the setup actually works for your business long-term, not that you sign paperwork this week. If the numbers don’t work or the pre-approval process doesn’t clear your group, there’s nothing to move forward on and I don’t get paid.
Start with the calculator. It runs the actual tax math against your income, your current premium, and your state. No email required to see your numbers.
USA Ops operates as an independent referral channel. Group coverage is provided by the PEO and underwritten by tier-1 national carriers. This page does not constitute insurance advice, tax advice, or a guarantee of coverage or savings.