How the Written Read Gets Built.
The read starts with the four documents you send: the renewal, the current plan summaries, a census and recent invoices. Groups above the small-group cutoff add claims data and prior renewals. We read the renewal against what carriers filed for your market, then separate the part of the increase that comes from market trend from the part that comes from your own group.
From there we price the options that are actually available to you, such as plan design changes, contribution changes, a different carrier or a different funding arrangement. Each is shown with the cost to the employer and the effect on employees at each tier.
The result is written for a reader who was not in the room: a CFO, an owner or a board. It states the conclusion first and the reasoning after, so the decision can be made quickly.
What do we get at the end?
A written read you can hand to your CFO or your board: where your increase sits against the market, what each lever would do in dollars, what we would recommend, and the questions to put to your carrier. If the recommendation is to stay where you are, it says that.
How long does the read take?
Timing depends on group size and how quickly documents arrive. Smaller groups are usually faster, and larger groups take longer because the carrier work behind the numbers is heavier.
Can we ask follow-up questions after we receive it?
Yes. The read is meant to be used, and we are available to walk through it with HR, finance or leadership.
Does the read cost anything?
No. It is the same review we would do before proposing anything, with no obligation to act on it.
A written read you can hand to your CFO or your board.
It shows where your increase sits against the market, what each lever would do in dollars, what we would recommend and the questions to put to your carrier.
If the recommendation is to stay where you are, it says that.
What the read contains.
Where You Stand
Your increase against comparable groups, with the reasoning behind the conclusion.
The Levers in Dollars
Each option priced, so a decision can be made against numbers.
Questions for Your Carrier
The specific questions worth putting to the carrier, framed so they can be answered.
Questions about the read.
How long is it?
Long enough to explain the conclusion and short enough to be read in one sitting.
Can I share it with my broker?
Yes. It is yours.
Do you walk me through it?
We offer a conversation to go through it and answer questions.
General information, not legal advice. Plan-specific questions belong with your counsel, and we will bring them in.
Where to go from here.
Back to send us your renewal →
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