For Randy Nelson, Manager of New Business Development at HealthPartners, working the North Dakota health insurance market proved one thing to be true: there are simply not that many competitive options.

And as a broker with a limited portfolio of plans to sell, it can be hard helping small employers appreciate the value you can deliver.

“Many small employers in North Dakota feel stuck in their current plan design,” adds Nelson. “They often work directly with a health insurer, without going through a broker, and just accept price hikes because they don’t have anywhere else to go.”

But that’s about to change with HealthPartners entering the small group market, bringing over 20 different plan choices from deductible copay, Three for Free and high-deductible Health Savings Account (HSA) plans to meet the needs of a diverse workforce.

“We provide the flexibility for smaller employers to create plans to compete with larger companies,” says Nelson. “These solutions can give brokers the leverage they need to get small businesses to make the switch to working with them instead of going it alone.”

Here are six ways to help build your clientele and provide value that small employers might not realize are possible when working with a broker.

1. Health solution innovations that attract top talent

“North Dakota has one of the tightest labor markets in the United States,” says Nelson. “Because brokers have a pulse on health solution innovations in the market beyond North Dakota, they can help employers take advantage of new benefits options that are more affordable and competitive."

It’s key to frame the value you can provide to employers in that context, explains Nelson. That means helping them realize that they can compete in the labor market – they just have to find health plans that can aid them in making those more incremental plan design changes. You can make that happen, which can give them a leg up over their competitors.

Yet small employers are worried that if they work with you, there will be an additional cost. But that’s not the case with HealthPartners plans. We include our broker commission in our competitive rates, which is negligible compared to an employer’s added staffing cost to manage their benefits plan year to year on their own.

2. More plan choices that lead to big savings

Tell your potential clients they are missing out on the ability to make even small changes to address the unique needs of a diverse workforce if they don’t work with a broker. Not being able to make these changes could end up costing them big bucks down the road.

We’ve seen this come into play, says Nelson, when small employers who have an older subset of employees who want a traditional deductible copay plan and younger workers seeking more innovative, high-deductible options at a lower price point.

“For those younger workers and their families, to make any sort of change in the deductible through their current carrier often requires a huge jump – there’s no in-between rate,” says Nelson. “We’ve heard from brokers that a lower embedded high-deductible option is more affordable and desirable. Non-embedded options offer one deductible per family, which can be two times a normal individual deductible – making it very costly.”

HealthPartners has a variety of fully insured embedded, high deductible plans that also include an HSA, with pre-deductible drug coverage of over 300-plus preventive medications. That means employees can start seeing savings right away. And those are added benefits to the already tax-free contributions employers can make to each HSA to help their employees pay for medical expenses.

Also, there are no caps on preventive screenings and exams either, which are all covered pre-deductible.

3. Lower your costs with multiple plan options

“Saving on health care costs is a huge issue in North Dakota,” says Nelson. “Employers are competing not just locally but nationally too for talent, especially now as people are doing more work remotely. This opens up their ability to hire people they might not have been able to otherwise. But they can’t compete if they have expensive health plans.”

While lower embedded high-deductible options are attractive for families, it’s the Three for Three option that can be appealing tor younger workers who don’t have as many health needs throughout the year. It offers a combined total of three free in-network office visits pre-deductible, whether it be a primary or specialty doctor, urgent care or a convenience clinic.

“The Three for Free plan combined with lower cost telehealth services such as Virtuwell and Doctor on Demand will help create greater access to healthcare in North Dakota at a lower cost, which has been a challenge for a long time, especially in rural areas,” says Nelson.

And to provide greater choice, small employers can offer multiple plan policies if they have six or more enrolled employees. That means more ways to retain those valuable employees who want traditional benefits, and opportunities to make open positions more attractive to a new, younger workforce that sees value in innovative HSA and free coverage options.

4. Integrated dental and pharmacy benefits that improve health

Another area that could resonate for small employers in North Dakota is integrating dental and pharmacy benefits. It’s perhaps not something most employers think about, but it represents a big selling and savings opportunity. With HSA Plus plans, HealthPartners offers a robust list of 300-plus medications that are covered pre-deductible, and all other solutions provide 100% coverage for Affordable Care Act (ACA) preventive drugs. In addition, there’s pharmacy benefits help and various resources at their fingertips, like a prescription drug shopping tool that finds the lowest cost medicine, assists with pharmacy transfers and helps employees learn ways to save.

Employers can also save up to 25% when pairing a HealthPartners medical plan with a dental plan. And the medical plan already includes 100% coverage for pediatric dental.

Patient data also plays a role in supporting overall health. An integrated medical and dental electronic health record provides clinicians with a “storyboard” that includes key information such as vitals, health directives, preventive health needs and upcoming visits.

“Certain health conditions such as diabetes can improve if you’re getting the right dental care,” says Nelson. “And because both doctors and dentists have access to the same medical records, it can lead to earlier diagnoses and better treatment. It creates the right scenario for not only seamless care, but seamless administration on the backend because there’s only one contact.”

5. Top-rated customer service

Not all health plans are known for their customer service, with many making people wait for long periods on the phone just to get simple questions answered.

“Health Partners has been a National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) accredited health plan for the last decade, which is one of the most comprehensive insurance ratings in the country,” says Nelson. “That means we have third-party verification that says we provide exceptional service, hands down. Our representatives give employers their direct dial phone numbers – we’re here to help and answer questions when people need us.”

HealthPartners received a 4.5 out of 5 NCQA rating, making it one of the highest rated insurance plans in the nation in areas that include access and service, qualified providers and keeping its members healthy.

“Unlike other carriers, we do all of the claims processing ourselves too, which lowers costs and makes it quicker and easier to resolve any issues if they come up,” says Nelson. “There’s one point of contact, making it easy for our members to get immediate support.”

Members also receive access to a handful of care navigator services, with nurse and behavioral health practitioners and more on hand to help guide them through complex care decisions. Everyday member services support and Living Well digital condition management and well-being tools and coaching are always-on resources that provide help when members want it. And for those with chronic conditions, personalized disease and case management support is available

6. Large national open access network

One huge benefit is that small employers can get the same broad network of local coverage they’re used to with the added benefit of national in-network coverage at 6,300 hospitals. That equates to over one million doctors.

That’s in addition to fast and easy online care through Virtuwell and Doctor on Demand.

“Employers don’t lose anything from a network perspective either when going to HealthPartners,” adds Nelson. “If they want a lower price and more options, it’s worth letting them know that they can get that working with you – their broker.”

Nelson says the biggest selling point of HealthPartners plans is that they offer plan flexibility and choice. Explain to small employers that if their current plan is unaffordable, and there are not enough options or flexibility with their carrier to make plan design adjustments to keep their benefits package competitive, then it might be time to contact you to look at new market solutions.

HealthPartners offers a wide variety of a fully and self-insured plans for large and small employers in North Dakota and in other regions such as Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Reach out to us today to learn more about the flexible, affordable plan designs that can help your clients maximize savings without sacrificing on quality.