18 BRAND STORY PRODUCED BY THE OREGON BUSINESS MARKETING DEPARTMENT What that means to employers, specifically in nonprofits, is an increase in renewals or harder projections on what they should expect for renewals. Establishing continuity What becomes painfully obvious to everyone involved in the healthcare process, Colmenero says, is that continuity between broker and employer is absolutely essential to ensure that workers get the most bang for their insurance buck. “If employers are jumping around between carriers every year, and are always looking for the lowest price, it’s impossible to achieve continuity between policyholder and broker,” Colmenero observes. “They’re being reactive instead of proactive. So if you’re only talking to your broker once a year, odds are you’re out of date and missing something.” And being out of date on your insurance policy can be expensive. Out-of-pocket health care costs can be up to 10.4% of a family’s income in low-wage families, Colmenero continues. “That’s a significant blow to any family, and that percentage can be decreased if they know how to access healthcare, a broker can helps communicate that,” he says. There’s no one key that unlocks the goals for everyone, he says. “If you can get buy-in from your employees, that’s why committees are positive and surveys can be impactful. It gives the employee a feeling of ownership of their benefits, that they own the benefits, because they do. They are paying for them. And you want them to use them because you don’t want to pay for a service that isn’t being used,” he adds. Even something as basic as an outline of goals on the employer’s part can lead to more informed decision-making at “If employers are jumping around between carriers every year, and are always looking for the lowest price, it’s impossible to achieve continuity between policyholder and broker. They’re being reactive instead of proactive. So if you’re only talking to your broker once a year, odds are you’re out of date and missing something.” JACOB COLMENERO renewal time. “What are you trying to address?” Colmenero asks. It could be access to health care, education on a specific topic, or ways to decrease costs for the employer and the employee, but still deliver impactful benefits, it’s just a few emails away.“It all comes down to conversations with your broker and your employees,” Colmenero concludes. “That’s why you want to have these discussions ahead of time, because they are less impactful and less effective at the time of renewal.”n
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