Our Group Insurance costs were rising every year and, maybe like you, we started wondering how competitive our pricing was and, shopping the plan was becoming a favoured idea. It seemed, after years of loyalty to our carrier, rates kept going up and, Jims Forensic Audits confirmed our thoughts. Moving plans is perceived as complicated, or at least carriers make it seem that way. Whether you own your own business or manage the benefits plan, I think we’re all in the same boat with that feeling when dealing with group insurance. There is also this inherent feeling of distrust because carriers don’t seem to make understanding the pricing process a top priority. Everything is apples vs oranges, nothing ever seems to line-up and in the end we’re torn between our gut instinct of remaining loyal and the urge to shop for a lower price. So, which way to go? Changing anything when I don’t understand what I’m doing is really uncomfortable.
Finally, we found someone we can trust, who's always there, who cares. I humbly suggest that Jim Dubois is possibly the only person in the world that understands how group insurance pricing works. Maybe I should say the only person willing to level with his client by disclosing all the facts. By the way, Jim has been working with us since 1998. We're in our 7th great year with HYBRIDRX! With Jim's HYBRIDRX plan we never have to contemplate moving again because we know our day-today product costs and, no more fluctuating Administration Fee. We understand the pricing of our plan. We have no uncertainty about what we’re doing.
The first thing you will notice with Jim is that he is always there to talk and explain things over and over again. I can’t tell you how many times I thought I understood something and then lost it later. Jim is always willing to meet for a cheeseburger and just talk through how everything works. He's great for calling up just to see how things are going. Jim’s upbeat, happy attitude is something nice. Whether on the phone or out for a burger, Jim is always happy and full of great stories so it makes my week that much better.
One of my biggest fears about switching our group insurance was having to deal with all the unknowns. What if there are problems? Unhappy staff or management is a pain. If I switch providers the switch needs to not only go well but actually be seen as something that works better for the staff. It should be easier to send in claims, track claims and fix problems. With our current arrangement, we not only save thousands in fees but, we've found that the HYBRIDRX approach introduces simple methods to help us manage plan costs. We’re done with excess premium payments and financing the carriers “Slush Funds” (Jim’s words). This is where the savings build up. Previously, excess premium paid by us was kept by our carrier. Jim kept pointing this out until we finally decided to learn about his HYBRIDRX plans. In our HYBRIDRX plan, we keep all excess premium and Slush Fund monies. We never got these funds back when we were on the carrier’s old plan.
Jim isn’t one of those insurance salespeople that gets you to sign on the dotted line and then you never hear from again. He’s calling me on a regular basis and reminding me that he’s there if I need help with anything. Nothing seems too big or too little. He would help with the staff, talk to our dentists or opticians and made sure there weren’t any problems when switching to HYBRIDRX.
Jim is the expert that was born and raised to be a Group Benefit Consultant! Normally that statement might offend some, but not Jim. He is literally the only person I have ever met in 28 years that actually understands Group Benefits from 4 points of view. The owners, the staff, the insurance company and the private providers. If you are looking for an insurance salesman, keep looking, he’s not for you. If you're looking for someone that will partner in your efforts, someone that is more concerned about your balance sheet than their own, a consummate benefit specialist that you can trust, Jim’s the guy.
It was not that long ago that the owners had a discussion with me about getting Jim to shop the plan for a more competitive package. After 30 years in business they had been programmed to move our insurance package every 5 years, or so, to help keep the pricing in line. I had to remind them that those were the old days and we don’t have to do that anymore. We’re not getting Jim to move us for a couple of points. We now control our costs so we don’t have to worry about the moving process any more. That alone saves us money and there have been no coverage or service issues. Staff no longer have to go through the learning process of a change. That alone is a huge bonus for us. From my administration side, I’m dialed in with how things are done and, I don’t face new processes every 5 years when we would change. Truly I can tell you, the grass IS greener on the other side!
Lastly, and like Jackie in the “Jackie’s Story” tab, I asked Jim if I could add my story. Jim is not what you'd expect. He never talks shopping and lowest price. He presents solutions that every business owner should want that ends the shopping madness by delivering the year after year lowest price point. I’ve not been paid, unless you include cheeseburgers, for this note.
Alan Warwick
Payroll & Group Benefits Administration
Winnipeg, Manitoba