Group Benefits
A plan your people value, at a price you can stand behind.
We help businesses and non-profits design, review and renew their group benefits plan, then stay involved all year. You get a clear explanation of what you have, what it costs and what we’d recommend.
What working together looks like
Six parts of one relationship. Most clients use all of them over a year, in whatever order their plan needs.
- 01
Plan design and carrier selection
We design the plan around your people and your budget, then place it with the carrier best suited to serve your group.
- 02
Coverage review
Benefit by benefit and as a whole, we check what the plan actually covers, how it compares with what your people use and whether it still fits your organization.
- 03
Renewal analysis and negotiation
We work through what’s behind the renewal (claims experience, demographics, pooling and expense charges, reserves and trend), negotiate with the carrier and give you a clear report.
- 04
Benchmarking
Where it helps the decision, we compare your plan with a group of comparable employers so you can see where you stand.
- 05
Administration and service
Enrolments, claims questions, forms and changes. Wherever we can, we take the administrative next step ourselves and keep you updated, so it comes off your plate.
- 06
Member education
Sessions that help your people understand and use their benefits, and training for the administrators and board members who look after the plan.
For non-profits
Boards and executive directors need choices they can explain.
Non-profits are a big part of the work we do. Leaders answer to a board, to funders and to the people doing the work, and a benefits plan has to make sense to all of them.
Explained for the boardroom
Renewal results and plan options presented in plain language, with a clear recommendation a board can discuss and approve.
Respectful of your funding
We design around what the organization can sustain year after year, so the plan doesn’t become a budget problem at the next renewal.
Built around your people
Staff at mission-driven organizations often give a lot. Coverage that genuinely helps them stays at the centre of every recommendation.
Your renewal comes in higher than expected. Here’s how we’d work through it.
- 1
Put both years on the same footing
We re-price the current group at the proposed rates. If headcount or salaries changed, that movement is separated out so you can see the true rate change.
- 2
Check the pricing is consistent
We compare how each benefit line moved. A sharp change on one line beside flat pricing on another tells us exactly where to ask questions.
- 3
Question the claims assumptions
What trend did the carrier apply? Were one-time or pooled claims treated the way the contract says? How were expenses and reserves set?
- 4
Weigh the risk your group carries
Group size, claims history and the funding arrangement decide how much one year’s experience should move your rates.
Then we decide with you.
With the evidence laid out, we recommend one of three paths and explain the trade-offs in plain language.
- Negotiate and renewWhen the carrier can reach a fair result.
- Adjust the designWhen the plan no longer fits how people use it.
- Review the marketWhen another carrier may serve the group better.
Every renewal is different. This is the process we follow; the answer depends on your plan, and we’d want to review the numbers before putting a figure on anything.
Some questions depend entirely on your plan
These come up in most reviews. The right answer is specific to your group, so we work through them together rather than offering a standard formula.
- How should the plan be funded?
- Pooled, experience-rated or self-funded (ASO) arrangements each carry different risk. We look at whether your structure still matches your size, claims pattern and comfort with risk.
- How are large claims shared?
- Pooling protects a group from very large individual claims, and it has a cost. We check how pooling is applied to your plan and what it’s adding to your rates.
- Is the drug plan designed well?
- Prescriptions are often the largest and fastest-growing part of a plan’s cost. We look at plan design, specialty drug support and provincial or manufacturer programs that may help members with high-cost medications.
Questions employers ask us
Something else on your mind? Ask us directly
Will a review mean switching carriers?
Not necessarily. Many reviews end with a negotiated renewal or a few design changes. We only recommend moving when the evidence supports it, and if your plan is already in good shape, we’ll tell you that.
What do you need from us to get started?
Your current renewal and plan summary, plus a census of your employees. We’ll let you know if anything else would help. Please don’t send employee health information by email.
Can you help if we don’t have a plan yet?
Yes. Most groups we work with already have a plan in place, but every plan starts somewhere. We’ll talk through what your people need and what you’re comfortable spending, then look at options from there.
What happens between renewals?
Service, claims monitoring, member education and a planning meeting each year. The renewal is one part of a year-round relationship.