Humanizing benefits: BenefitsPRO LUMINARIES 2022 Honorees

Far too often, the health care system fails the people it was intended to serve. Consumers and employees are frequently left alone to face complex systems and catastrophic costs. That’s where the benefits industry can step in and make a difference. As the health care and benefits landscape changes and evolves , a growing number of benefits professionals and organizations are doing all they can to humanize the process.

The 2022 LUMINARIES honorees in Humanizing Benefits stepped outside of their roles to grow their companies’ in this area. These individuals and companies are being recognized for the dynamic and inclusive ways they are leading the benefits and health care industries. Each was selected by a distinguished and diverse team of industry leaders with input from our editorial team.

We hope you enjoy getting to know this year’s honorees!

Fresh faces

Antonio Moraes

Antonio Moraes, co-founder and CEO, XP Health

XP Health is the world’s first AI-powered vision benefits platform covering employees and their families, while also offering eyeglass frames from the world’s leading designers, including Ray-Ban, Armani, and Coach. The “XP” represents not only a great user experience, but also exponential technologies, medical expertise, and express care.

As a new face in the industry, Moraes strives to reshape the often confusing, expensive and frustrating experience of vision care into a more seamless and enjoyable one. Under his leadership, XP Health developed the industry’s first AI face-scanning technology and augmented-reality feature that allows members to find perfect-fitting frames online and try them at home, eliminating the need to visit a retail store. Moraes believes in focusing on customer-centric business practices, and he encourages companies to use technology to simplify processes and make them faster and more convenient for customers. More importantly, he believes in giving customers the autonomy and power to make their own decisions. https://www.xphealth.co/

Shobin Uralil

After experiencing his own financial struggles following the birth of his first child, Shobin Uralil became acutely aware of how unprepared the majority of Americans are for the cost of American health care — and he vowed to change that by creating a better health care savings tool to put more money into Americans’ pockets for health care both now and into retirement. Over five years, Uralil has built one of the fastest-growing health savings accounts on the market, prioritizing business growth and success while also putting consumers first by offering an intuitive mobile app to track spending; a debit card for purchases; investments through TD Ameritrade; and a life-long, fee-free account. During the first 12 months of Lively’s existence, Uralil and his co-founder, Alex Cyriac, took customer calls day and night, proving their dedication to customers while also providing effective answers and resolutions. https://livelyme.com/

Individual

Bekki Early

As global wellbeing manager for one of the world’s largest digital infrastructure companies (more than 11,000 employees, including 4,000 in the United States), Early helps Equinix maintain its priority of creating a diverse workplace with a focus on social, emotional, mental and physical wellbeing.

Under her leadership, employee participation in Equinix’s global wellbeing programs experienced a remarkable turnaround in the wake of the pandemic — from an all-time low to above-average rates — and health outcomes have improved as a result. Utilization of the company’s employee assistance program climbed from 11% in 2020 to 27% in 2021, the number of employees leveraging wellbeing and mental health benefit offerings increased 20% in 2021, and 56% of eligible employees participated in Equinix’s Virgin Pulse wellbeing initiatives in 2021, compared to 48% in 2020. Early’s initiatives have also helped reduce illness scores across the company by 28.5 points, while health care costs dropped 45%. https://www.equinix.com/

Julie Ritenour

Ritenour, an industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience, has earned respect from her peers for “humanizing” health benefits when assisting clients. She provides thorough and researched responses, regardless of how challenging the situation.

Her recent accomplishments include successfully onboarding 14 new self-funded clients, collectively saving more than $1 million compared to fully insured premiums; assisting with several pharmacy repricing initiatives, saving mid-sized employers nearly 60% on their pharmacy spends; analyzing preferred versus non-preferred pharmaceutical claims to help a mid-size employer save $167,000; and assisting more than 20 employees with behavioral health claims initially denied by health plans. Ritenour also mentors newer team members on agency protocols and client lifecycle events, maintains a high level of client service and communication, pays close attention to detail, and readily shares her knowledge and expertise with colleagues. https://nielsenbenefits.com/

Kathleen Schulz

Schulz’s work has impacted thousands of clients, prospective clients and colleagues during her 32 years in the wellbeing consulting profession. She was promoted to her current role in December 2019, just prior to the pandemic. As the world rapidly changed and employers’ needs evolved, she became the primary driver of market intelligence, developing thought leadership content that included panel discussions, webinars, and more to help organizations navigate the chaos.

Over the past two years, Schulz’s work has guided employers through vaccines; workers returning to the workplace; mental health support; burnout stress; diversity, equity & inclusion discussions; leadership priorities; flexible work, and more. The pandemic also influenced the development of Gallagher Better Works Insights, a quarterly digital publication spearheaded by Schulz that addresses timely, pressing issues employers face. She has also participated in many virtual town halls and local events to communicate organizational trends directly to HR and benefits professionals. https://www.ajg.com/

Jessica Smith

Smith is responsible for overseeing many important client groups for Gallagher and managing a large, complex book of business. She has a personal connection with the human resources teams she services and meets directly with their employees to help solve benefit concerns. She also provides strategic consultation throughout the year on how client plans are running and what can be done to avoid large increases.

In the wake of the pandemic, as some HR staffs shrank, Smith’s 24 years in the industry proved invaluable to clients, as she guided them through staffing challenges and spent hours training new HR personnel on everything from paying invoices, operating their benefits administration systems, and handling error reports to addressing employee concerns, managing employee leave, and ensuring compliance. She has earned a reputation among peers for explaining the inner workings of benefits in layperson’s terms and finding solutions in otherwise hopeless situations. https://www.ajg.com/

Organizations

Benefit Resource LLCBenefit Resource (BRI) is a leading provider of tax-free employee benefits programs. For 29 years, the Rochester, New York-based firm has listened to its customers, improving and evolving its offerings to best serve both companies and their employees. As the benefits landscape dramatically changed as a result of jarring shifts in how people work today, BRI listened to what companies and their team members wanted regarding benefits (not just health care plans) and responded with innovative solutions such as flexible, diverse and robust specialty account offerings. With specialty accounts, companies can assist employees in paying for specific expenses like home office equipment, child care services and food delivery. Early feedback from customers and prospects has been positive. BRI currently has more than 4,250 clients across the United States and ranks among the fastest-growing privately owned companies in the Greater Rochester area. The firm also provides education and resources to help make benefits easy to understand and use for clients, brokers and participants. https://www.benefitresource.com/

BenefitfocusDuring the 2021 open enrollment period, Benefitfocus generated its most successful open enrollment season to date, while also humanizing benefits as part of its mission to improve lives by making benefits easy to choose, use, and manage. The Charleston-based company believes in a personalized experience designed to cultivate confidence in customers and their employees through decision support, targeted messages and educational touchpoints to engage employees year-round. Humanizing benefits means transforming a complex process into one that is simple and streamlined. That’s why Benefitfocus enhanced its platform’s communication and support by bolstering its chat capabilities with AI to deliver quicker, easier benefits resolutions for employees needing assistance. The chat experience also includes an enhanced live translator to accommodate multilingual employee workforces. The Benefit Service Center serviced more than 400,000 calls, 15,000 emails, and 30,000 online chats last year. Benefitfocus also rolled out a library of video resources to help increase understanding of available offerings. https://www.benefitfocus.com/

Guardian Nurses Healthcare AdvocatesGuardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates is a benefit provided by self-insured organizations that want to help employees receive what they need from the health care system. Guardian Nurses gather relevant information and explain it in plain language so patients can make informed decisions. They also advocate for patients with doctors, hospitals, insurance companies, nursing homes, equipment suppliers, and any other entity involved with a patient’s care. Guardian Nurses’ Mobile Care Coordinator® Program (MCC) is considered a first-of-its-kind program for health and welfare funds and employers with self-funded health plans. Guardian Nurses assigns at least one experienced registered nurse to be an organization’s MCC, and that nurse drives a vehicle wrapped and co-branded with the client organization’s name and logo. Every MCC nurse is on the road five days a week, visiting patients at home and in the hospital, accompanying them to physicians’ visits, and making sure their discharge home is safe. https://www.guardiannurses.com/

Imagine360Imagine360 provides self-funded businesses with health care solutions rooted in leveling the playing field for employees and employers while also providing them with a voice. Formed within the past year via the integration of three organizations that had been independently dedicated to fairness in health care for decades, Imagine360 launched a total health plan solution in 2022 that puts members at its center. Employers invest in better benefits that encourage adoption, improve health care delivery, and make plans more affordable. Meanwhile, employees receive a new level of concierge service and advocacy that proactively protects members from overbilling. In the past year, the Wayne, Pennsylvania-based company has saved employers an average of 15% to 30% on their health care spending, resulting in millions of dollars saved for medium- to large-size businesses. Much of these savings have been reinvested into enhanced benefits for employees that include flat health care premiums, onsite clinics, and tuition reimbursement programs. https://www.imagine360.com/

Mindyra Health CorporationMindyra’s software helps companies lead employees to personalized mental health care options and better outcomes. For the past two years, the Connecticut-based firm’s goal has been to assist employees at organizations across the country in identifying valuable mental health resources at a time when many desperately need them. The digital behavioral health company provides mental health testing, treatment guidance, and outcome measurement tools. Meanwhile, care providers use its software to test, diagnose, plan treatment, and monitor patient progress. For employers, Mindyra’s de-identified, aggregated reporting helps them see how well each wellness program is working and allows them to monitor employee satisfaction. Mindyra also recently partnered with the popular peer-to-peer support organization HeyPeers, completed important research on mental health assessment testing, and named U.S. champion squash player Amanda Sobhy as its first official athlete ambassador, expanding the reach of its services and resources to help those struggling with mental health beyond the U.S. workforce. https://www.mindyra.com/en-us/home

MZQ Consulting LLCThe internal model for this Maryland-based boutique ACA and benefits compliance consultancy is “We help people.” And that’s exactly what MZQ does, whether by explaining to a client their responsibilities under ACA reporting or by assisting brokers in understanding why mental health parity is so important. The company launched a new product, NQTL Analyses, to meet the new Department of Labor requirement regarding the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) and non-quantitative treatment limitation (NQTL). This product has further solidified MZQ as a trusted advisor for both brokers and clients in a time of uncertainty. Over the past year, the firm has worked with more than 100 clients and 20 Department of Labor audit clients. Additionally, MZQ has helped ESRP assessment recipients save more than $500 million (and counting) since the IRS began enforcing ACA penalties in 2017. https://www.mzqconsulting.com/

NayyaNayya has created what the company calls a “unique, game-changing platform” designed to help companies improve the health care enrollment process and expand their benefits offerings to address ongoing challenges in the wake of the pandemic. The New York City-based software firm allows companies of all sizes to help their employees tailor benefits packages according to individual needs. This personalized approach encourages an ongoing dialogue with employees and helps employers better understand what to look for when courting insurers and their offerings. Nayya’s customized health insurance and benefits solution gives consumers personalized data and AI/ML-driven insights that are critical to selecting benefits and insurance plans. This involves linking more than 3 billion external data points with more than 200 million rows of claims data to craft personalized recommendations during the enrollment process. As a result, the company says it has helped save consumers more than $1,200 per household per year. https://www.nayya.com/

ParentoOften viewed as a policy offered out of the goodness of management’s heart, paid parental leave typically holds a lower-than-deserved spot on the corporate priority list. Currently, only 23% of privately employed workers have access to any paid parental leave. Parento wants to change that, with its paid parental leave option that provides budget security and cost certainty. The employer-paid, insurance-based paid parental leave program works in conjunction with STD and PFL to offer up to 16 weeks of up to 100% paid leave, integrated one-on-one employee support coaching, and leave administration. The holistic approach focuses on employee retention and eliminates the hurdles of self-funding leave. Plus, it offers touchpoints before, during, and after leave to allow for a seamless return-to-work employee transition. According to Parento, 94% of employees who have taken their leave return to work full-time, compared to 50% across all parents. https://www.parentoleave.com/

Radish HealthRadish Health focuses on providing the best care possible by arming dedicated care teams with tools to perform at a high level, while at the same time offering patients the opportunity to see the doctor and/or therapist of their choice in a timely manner and in a way that works for them.

Radish is a fully virtual company, making it appealing to hybrid and remote workforces, and Radish’s initial driver of care is convenience and accessibility. The company delivers sustained value through continued and thoughtful patient experiences, in part because company founder Viral Patel is one of few founders working in the health-tech industry as well as a board-certified physician. To help companies save on health care, they provide employees with a dedicated team made up of doctors, therapists, and dietitians to offer all-around care. https://radish.health/

RightwayRightway offers a data set that enables a panoramic patient view. Its care navigation and PBM platforms guide members to high-quality care and optimal medication by integrating clinicians and pharmacists into the member-care journey via a mobile app. Proprietary analytics transforms the data into “next-best-action” intelligence, while powerful technology makes one-on-one clinical guidance possible. The company was built based on the idea that every person deserves the experience of having a doctor in the family, a trusted expert who knows them, understands the health care system, and advocates on their behalf. In 2021, Rightway showed how effective harmonizing health care can be by releasing a third-party actuarial analysis validating that clients achieve a 15% reduction in their health care costs. Year-end 2021 data found that its transparent PBM, fully aligned pass-through pricing, and personalized clinical management lowered employer pharmacy spends by an average of 18%. https://www.rightwayhealthcare.com/

Willis Towers WatsonWillis Towers Watson’s commitment to clients is demonstrated in a case study involving Crowther Roofing and Sheet Metal of Florida Inc. The insurance firm helped secure funding for a new wellness program and supported a first-time Operational Readiness Day. The event featured onsite dental and medical services for subscribers, as well as screening for individuals not currently seeking health care. The wellness program focuses on physical wellness, psychological wellness, financial wellness and nutrition. Willis Towers Watson helped Crowther tailor it to specific workforce needs by listening to suggestions, vetting vendors, and sharing expertise. Additionally, as an outgrowth of the wellness program, Crowther is in the process of providing on-site medical visits for covered employees. The doctor supporting this initiative has agreed to earlier and later hours to ensure that employees do not miss work, as many of them set aside their own personal health to support their families. https://www.wtwco.com/en-US