A datum is the fixed reference every other measurement is taken from.
Ours is what your plan actually costs once the census is held still, not the headline number on the renewal letter.
What a datum is.
Borrowed from surveying: a fixed point to measure from.
One Reference
Every option, this year and later, is compared with the same number.
The Census Held Still
Enrollment moves from year to year. Holding it still isolates what the plan itself costs.
Not the Renewal Letter
The letter is the carrier’s number. The datum is yours.
What it takes to set one.
Four documents, six if you are 50 or more.
The Documents
We collect the renewal, census and plan documents we need. Larger groups add more.
A Rate Basis
We reprice current and proposed plans on the same enrollment and contributions.
A Written Result
The datum is delivered in writing so it can be checked.
What it does for you.
A baseline makes every later conversation shorter.
Honest Comparison
Alternatives are compared with the same baseline, not with each other’s marketing.
Credit Where Due
Savings are measured against the datum, so a win is a win.
Year-Over-Year Memory
Next year starts from this year’s datum, not from zero.
Questions Employers Ask About This
Why not just compare quotes?
Quotes built on different assumptions mislead. The datum fixes the assumptions.
Who sets it?
We do, from the documents you send, and we walk you through it.
Does it change each year?
A new datum is set each year, and earlier ones stay on record for comparison.
Related guides.
From Renewals to Results: The Broker Playbook
The full playbook.
Why Plan Shopping Is Not Enough at Renewal
Why quotes alone fall short.
What Employers Want From a Benefits Broker: Proof
What sponsors ask for.
Want this applied to your renewal?
Send us the renewal and we will run it through DATUM and show you where the number comes from.
Your renewal letter
Your census
Your current plan documents
Your renewal date
Rough answers are fine. We build the numbers from there.
Laws and rules referenced
Employee Benefit News: Renewals to Results — Opinion piece on brokers moving from plan shopping to data-driven advisory work.
An independent employee benefits consulting firm. We look at the entire benefits program — cost, plan performance, risk and administration.
Switch to CFH. Unhappy with your broker? Your employees won’t notice. You will. →
Cookies on This Site
We use cookies to keep the site working properly and to understand how it is used. You can decline anything that is not essential. See our Privacy Policy for the detail.
- Essential — needed for the site to load and for you to move around it. These cannot be switched off.
- Analytics — tell us which pages get read, so we know what is worth writing more of.
- Advertising — set by third parties such as ad and social platforms to measure and target campaigns.