Speak to an adviser 1 (317) 522-9966

Speak to an adviser 1 (317) 522-9966

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Meeting You Where You Are – Even With a Zero Dollar Budget

Offering group healthcare is something many small Christian schools and churches want to do, however, for some of them, the idea feels out of reach. The thought of making changes to a current plan starting with zero budget or struggling to maintain the existing budget can feel overwhelming.

Tight funds can make healthcare goals seem unattainable for large schools also. Many who may offer group insurance already could be looking into self-funding their plan to benefit from potential cost savings.

There is a way to scale into a practical healthcare plan, one that will work for your organization.

We know money is a big concern for many schools and churches, large or small. Wanting to provide the best for your people and business can feel difficult to accomplish with limited resources. We also know that extreme changes and large jumps in existing plans aren’t practical.

Usually, if you want to provide a group plan for your school, we estimate your cost per employee and say that number will be X. If you need ten people on that plan, you need to figure out how to go from a zero dollar budget to a 70 or 100,000 budget. An intimidating task to accomplish.

So, let’s meet where you are.

If you are at zero dollars, let’s start there. We know that a 70 – 100,000 increase in budget feels unrealistic. Instead, let’s build a strategic plan where each month you contribute more to each employee’s health insurance, gradually making a difference. 

With a strategic plan, we can focus on how your short and long-term goals will be met. As an ongoing process, we use available knowledge and set your organization’s intended direction to get you where you want to be. Beginning where you are.

The choice to keep your benefits the way they are can be easy. But continuing with your current benefits will create the same problem next year — no access to improved healthcare benefits for your people.

There are more options than you think, even with a zero-dollar budget.

You can facilitate your plan as a voluntary offering, like Obamacare  — which can provide more extensive coverage without added costs.  Or group care, an option that allows small employers to collectively offer healthcare to their employees.

Start there, and then contribute in different ways to build your plan up. There are a lot of subsidies currently available right now that can help small schools and churches get the healthcare they need for their people.

The passion to provide your employees with the best coverage is strong and for some, that desire comes ahead of personal income. In that case, the government can cover a great deal of the premium for you. This enables a small Christian school to expand into group healthcare plans without having to jump.

Changing your benefits, even in small ways, is an impressive turning point for any organization. By investing the time to review your insurance options and design the right strategic plan, you can find the right plan that meets your employees’ needs.

Offering group healthcare with a zero-dollar budget can feel impossible. But by meeting you where you are, discussing your goals, and designing a strategic plan we can unlock the hidden potential within your healthcare plan.

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Uncategorized

Save Costs During Renewal Time and Give Back

As an employer, you’ve likely had a really bad experience (or two) with healthcare renewals and outrageous price hikes. These price increases are a common occurrence with many fully insured plans. Increases of 30 or 40% due to past claims or a high claimant (even if that person is no longer on the plan) can affect your school board in a negative way.

But what if those price hikes were reversible?

Recently, one of our clients received a 30% increase because of a high claimant on their plan, however, the employee that was responsible for the high claims left the company in July. Our clients were being penalized for a past high claimant. After digging through the data we were able to move our client to a different insurance environment that recognized the difference in their reality. 

We were able to secure a 15% decrease for this client.

With this unlocked revenue, they were able to lean into their culture and better achieve their goals: to take care of their people. They are now able to provide enhanced benefits and truly give back to their employees aligning with the company’s overall vision.

Another client faced a 25% increase, but through appropriate risk evaluation and pursuing better alternatives, we secured a 19% decrease. This money was then used to lower employee contributions, essentially giving their people a pay raise. 

We see increases like this frequently at renewal time, but with careful analysis and research into the plan, those costs can be reversed. 

The impact of high costs is evident.

These high increases in renewals can not only affect the company’s bottom line but impact key stakeholders and employees. From the CEO to the people, a sharp increase in expenses that originate from your employee health insurance plan can impact your people, on an individual level. For example:

  • CEO’s who are responsible for the culture of a business, keeping the people happy and maintaining positive numbers each quarter are heavily impacted by increases so large.
  • A CFO wants to provide a generous and competitive plan to employees that doesn’t break the bank. Steep increases in renewal costs can alter this plan and force CFO’s to face an erosion of bottom line performance and possible destruction of budget forecasts causing undue stress. 
  • From an HR perspective, that increase erodes employee compensation, affecting overall employee morale, happiness and satisfaction negatively impacting retention and recruitment.
  • Employees dealing with increasing premiums, deductibles and copays can leave them feeling frustrated and disappointed creating an unhappy workforce. This can lead to increased employee turnover or a policy that is underutilized.

By using a health plan to effectively solve these problems and manage risks, your key stakeholders all get a win.

Working with a professional, like us, to conduct an appropriate risk assessment and negotiate on your behalf can help you reduce high percentage increases, saving you money that you can use to give back to your people. 

For our clients, their renewal was $473,000, with a thorough assessment a new price of $309,000 was secured. We were able to achieve a reduction of $70,000 from what they were currently spending, significant savings that can be used for school improvements, culture, or employees.

If you have experienced a renewal price hike, due to past claims, high claimants or for an unknown cause, reduce the price before it impacts your school. We can help correct these prices, don’t hesitate to call, let’s chat about it.

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