Your renewal went up. Let's look at every option before you sign.
When your group health renewal goes up, you usually have more options than the renewal letter shows. We read it together line by line, look at what changed in the rate and the plan, and bring the market. Then we can adjust your plan, look at a different funding approach, pair it with a MERP, or add benefits around it.
The renewal showed up, the number jumped, and the deadline is a few weeks out. I'll sit down with you, read it line by line, and bring you real options so you can keep a package your people are glad to have.
You opened the renewal and the number jumped
Sound familiar?
- The letter came with a sign-by date and not much else.
- The easy moves are all cuts: raise the deductible, push more of the cost to employees, drop something people use.
- Employees are already asking if their coverage is changing.
- Nobody has walked you through what actually changed or why.
Here’s the good news. There are usually more options than the renewal letter shows you.
What your renewal is telling you
A renewal is packed with information. Most of it just isn’t written in plain English. Here’s what I look at first.
What changed in the rate
A new rate can move for a few reasons at once. The carrier may have changed how it rates your group. Your team may be a little older or a little different than last year. And depending on how your plan is set up, the claims your people had can show up in the new number. I’ll show you which of these pieces moved for you.
What changed in the plan
Sometimes the price isn’t the only thing that moved. Deductibles creep up. Copays change. A network gets smaller and a doctor your people like drops out. These changes are easy to miss, so we’ll go through the plan summary next to last year’s and mark every one.
What the deadline really means
The sign-by date is real, but it doesn’t mean every decision has to happen that day. Some choices need an answer by the deadline. Others, like how you explain the plan to employees and how enrollment runs, can keep moving after. I’ll lay out what’s due when, so you know how much room you actually have.
How we work through it
1. Read the renewal with you
We go through it together, line by line, in plain words. You’ll know what every number means before we talk about what to do.
2. Hear your goals
Who works for you, what they value, who you’re trying to hire this year, and the budget you want to hold. That’s what the plan has to fit.
3. Bring the market
I compare carriers in your market, plan designs, and ways to fund the plan, built around your budget and your people. A group health renewal in Austin, Dallas Fort Worth, or Houston can look very different depending on what’s available where your people live, so I price the options that actually fit your team.
4. Fit the strategy to your goals
You get the options side by side, with the tradeoffs spelled out. What each one costs the company, what it changes for employees, and what stays the same. The decision is yours.
5. Enroll and stay
I run employee meetings and help people through enrollment. After that, the year-round questions come to me and my team. You can read more about how I work.
Options worth putting on the table
Adjust the plan you have
Sometimes the current plan is close. A few design changes can keep it working without reshuffling everything. If your people like their plan, this is where we start.
Look at a different funding approach
There’s often more than one way to pay for a group plan. The setup most owners know is a set monthly premium where the carrier handles everything. Depending on your group and your market, other funding setups may be on the table too. I’ll explain how each one works in plain words and price the ones that fit.
Pair a higher-deductible plan with a MERP
A higher-deductible plan can make the renewal easier to carry, but employees feel that deductible. A medical expense reimbursement plan lets the company pay back part of those out-of-pocket costs, and you decide how much. Here’s how you can pair the plan with a MERP.
Strengthen the package around the medical plan
Sometimes the medical plan needs to stay put, and the better move is adding things people use. That can be dental and vision, voluntary benefits, or HealthiestYou by Teladoc Health for care from a phone. You can also add benefits without touching medical.
What you walk away with
- A side-by-side view of your options, in plain words
- A decision timeline that fits your deadline
- An enrollment plan for your team
- A person your employees can call with questions all year
Who this is for
This is for owners, CFOs, and HR leaders with a renewal sitting on the desk. It’s for teams who want to keep benefits strong and don’t want to guess. I’m based in the Austin area, Texas, and I work with employers along the I-35 corridor from Austin to DFW and in the Houston, Conroe and The Woodlands area.
If the real issue is that the plan is just too small for the team you have now, read about outgrowing your first plan. If this is a renewal on a plan you inherited in a deal, start with benefits after an acquisition. You can also see the full group health insurance page.
Questions owners ask at renewal
When should we start looking at our renewal?
As soon as it lands. The more time before the deadline, the more options we can price and the less you feel rushed. If your renewal hasn't come yet, we can start getting ready now. And not every plan year starts January 1, so check your date.
Do we have to switch carriers to get a different result?
No. Sometimes the right move is staying with your carrier and changing the plan design. Sometimes it's a different carrier or a different way to fund the plan. I'll show you both so you can compare.
Will our employees have to change doctors?
Before anything changes, I check the doctors and networks your people use. If an option would move someone out of network, you'll know before you decide.
What do you need from us to get started?
The renewal, your current plan summary, and a census of your team. If you don't have a clean census, that's fine. We can build it together.
What happens after we make a decision?
I help with enrollment and run the employee meetings. After that, year-round questions come to me and my team. When the next renewal shows up, we're already ahead of it.