We asked our readers what word or phrase would you like to see eliminated from the industry? What would your prospects/clients pick? How can benefits pros simplify industry jargon and make benefits less confusing and intimidating?
Good sport
While I’ve never been a fan of “eliminating” words, phrases, opinions, or insights on any topic, I’ll play along. If I could eliminate a single word used in our industry, it would be “trend.” “Health care costs just trend upward” or “10% trend is the new normal.”
“Trend” is a word to excuse under-performance. It’s a word used to excuse poor consulting and advising by brokers. It is used by people and organizations who have financial conflicts of interest related to health care. “Trend” is a word used to put lipstick on a pig. “Trend” is a scapegoat we should stop hiding behind.
Josh Butler, president, Butler Benefits & Consulting
Too rich for my blood
I think we should stop using “rich” to describe a client’s or prospect’s benefit plan. It still slips in there from time to time and I cringe every time I say it, because so many clients/prospects respond negatively or are confused as to what it really means.
Jenni Bickerstaff, senior partner & SVP of employee benefits, AHT Insurance
Not great, Bob!
The benefits industry has often been accused of being male, pale, and stale. While that is arguable in 2023, certain statements and assumptions should be put to rest, one of them being “girls/ladies in the office.” This statement conveys a Mad Men-like scene where dudes in designer suits drink scotch and cut deals at lunch before sending the paperwork back to be processed by the “ladies” in the office. Unfortunately, the sentiment is not limited to the benefits space, as I’ve heard blue collar construction industry clients state they can’t have a female take ownership of the company due to the male-dominated nature of their industry.
There are many ladies in our industry who are cutting deals with prospects and clients. Further, who the heck still clings to the idea that there is an actual office in the remote work era we are in? Having an office is the 21st century version of having a landline telephone. The statement is assumptive and outdated and generally downplays the great work that my female colleagues play in reshaping health care financing and moving the industry forward.
Tom DiLiegro, owner, Vero Advising
Words matter
“Virgin” groups. Ewww… Previously uninsured works just fine.
And “preventative.” The preventive/preventative thing is a pet peeve of mine. Both are words, according to the dictionary, but that wasn’t always the case. Recently, preventative has become commonly used, but I will always stick to preventive.
Amy Evans, associate vice president, Shorepoint Insurance Services
I’ve seen the light
“Skin in the game.” Many associate this phrase with those who have a vested interest in a particular outcome. When I first heard it applied to the selling of HDHPs and HSAs, I fell right in line with the supposed intent of the saying. I thought to myself, “Yes, employees need to be more invested in shopping for health care.” Little did I know that I was being played, along with the rest of America. Sadly, it took me years to realize it.
Employees need a plan that removes all barriers to care. Even with the most recognizable logos on health plan ID cards being carried around in the wallets of everyday employees/families, many have no relationship with a doctor. Many have avoided care and may have only graced the door of an urgent care once or twice in the last several years. Which brings up another phrase I’d love to stop hearing: “I never go to the doctor.” Employees utter it all the time, like a badge of honor. It’s as if they’re trying to convince me that they’re not going to cost unnecessary money for their health.
The health plan of the future is going to welcome employees into a doctor-patient relationship that doesn’t cost them anything. And they’re going to begin to rely on that doctor to be their first stop in any health care encounter. Today, we call that direct primary care. I call it having your personal physician on speed dial. Traditional carriers cannot offer this key feature.
The “bigs” in the world of health insurance carriers have extracted so much money out of employees and their employers that I’m ashamed of myself for being one of the early champions of the HDHP concept. We should stop calling them “insurance” companies and call it like it is: claims processors using other people’s money to avoid assuming risk.
Cristy Gupton, founder & president, Custom Benefits Solutions
Stripped to the skin?
Years ago, we saw a push to move employees into HDHPs and HSAs in an effort to reduce costs and premiums. The “sell” to employees was that stripping away benefits and raising deductibles was a way to bring costs down and take control of the plan. Employees were told they needed to have “skin in the game.” To me, this is a negative reference to stripping away benefits and increasing employees’ out-of-pocket in order to battle the ever-rising BUCA rates.
But why do employees need skin in the game? Why can’t they just get a benefits program they can use and afford? If employers start to move into self-funded and alternate-funded solutions, employer rates go down, employee costs go down, and everyone can have less skin in the game. If we lower costs all around, and offer better coverage and care, employers can afford to pay more and allow employees to have less skin in the game. As consultants, it’s our job to educate employees on the best way to utilize their plan and the effects of the programs we implement. Everyone wins. Rather than making employees have “more skin in the game,” how about we just make them smarter utilizers of the new solutions and tools we are bringing?
Daniel LaBroad, president & CEO, Ovation Health & Life Services, Inc.
Time to refocus
“Disruptors.” I’m talking about the self-proclaimed disruptors who love to tout their role in changing the game, shaking up the “status quo” (another phrase that has grown tired), and disrupting the industry. Don’t get me wrong; disrupting certain systems can be a good thing. It can bring rapid awareness and attention to abusive power structures and systemic inequities that need to be addressed. But when someone starts calling themselves a “disruptor,” it can give the impression that they are more focused on their own ego and personal brand than the mission at hand. I find it divisive and polarizing. And that does not help our mission.
One of my favorite quotes is from Buckminster Fuller: “To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” It’s about creating something better, not just tearing down what’s already there. So, while there’s a time and place for “disruption,” we should approach innovation and problem-solving with a mindset rooted in principles of compassion, honesty, empathy, and respect, with a healthy sense of strategic urgency. Let’s focus on building something new and better, rather than trying to be the one who “disrupts” everything.
Kalli Ortega, founder, MelEos
Alphabet soup
My clients and prospects would probably say “ASO, ISL, Agg, RBP, PBM.” Those of us in the industry know how great these tools can be, but our prospects give us “deer in the headlights” looks when we use these terms in an effort to show them how smart we are.
Read more: 2023 Broker of the Year: Nancy Giacolone
There’s so much noise in the health care space and we sometimes forget that we are talking to humans who don’t deal with health insurance for a living. They trust us to know their company and what’s best for them, not us.
Michael Hart, employee benefits consultant, Dillingham Benefits
Keep it simple
Throwing in my two cents as someone who is a guilty party, at times. Let’s leave all lingo and jargon behind. We are educators first, so let’s use words and phrases that the average person can understand. This is especially important when we’re talking to employees. Don’t leave someone at a disadvantage simply because they don’t understand your “fancy” speak.
Nick Lease, president, Next Gen Benefits Solutions
Broad brushes
The phrase I’d like to see eliminated is “status quo.” Although I know it’s meaning and original intention, it has been used as both a sharp stick and a sledgehammer.
Change in this industry is critical, but lumping together everyone who is not doing things the same way as you and calling them “status quo” is derogatory and insulting.
Let’s look for language which brings people alongside us, rather than creating separation and division.
Nancy Giacolone, president, Olympic Crest Insurance
Say what you mean
Discounts aren’t really discounts, as the payment amount has already been negotiated. This gives the consumer the wrong impression and really needs an adjustment.
Tom Avery, founder, Innovative Broker Services
To be fair…
We should end the term “status quo” when referring to advisors. While some traditional solutions certainly do fall in that bucket, advisors need to be able to meet clients where they are. Doing the right thing for a small to midsize client by offering a more traditional and viable solution (for now) doesn’t automatically make an advisor out of touch or “status-quo.” There are many, many incredibly talented advisors who have been practicing for years and have a very balanced book of business.
Emma Fox, managing partner, E Powered Benefits
Balancing act
The best stories are told using simple and clear language. Sophisticated jargon may display your knowledge, but it confuses your prospect. The job of advisors is part math, part storytelling. You have to know your numbers and also tell stories with those numbers. When your message is clear, your next A.O.R. is near!
Andy Neary, founder, Complete Game Consulting
Numbers game
Data. The term is increasingly prevalent these days in our business and has many different interpretations, but the question is, what does one do with it once you have it?
Vincent Lewis, vice president, Crum & Forster
Big deal?
Discounts! It’s not about how big of a “discount” a client can receive, the question really should be, “What is my net cost?”
Fernando Veloz, CFO, M S Administrative Services, Inc.
Related: What’s your side hustle?
Transparently Transparent
The best way to accomplish access to quality and affordable health care for everyone, through employer sponsored care, is with transparency in medical billing, vendor fees, advisor compensation, quality of care metrics, and of course, medical and pharmacy claims. It has motivated us so much so that we rebranded our entire agency around this concept. It is the foundation of all we do and we seek to only write business that allows for true transparency and alignment with clients. Unfortunately, this has become yet another buzz word, joining the likes of “wellness” and “rising costs of health care” or “the system is broken.” While I don’t believe the word transparency should be eliminated, I do believe it should be reserved for use by those practicing it.
It’s easy to talk about transparency, but it’s another thing to do it every single day. The casual use of the word waters down the fiduciary-based work that so many are doing each day. With all the noise in our industry, there needs to be words that partners can trust and identify as congruent with their values. Transparency should be reserved for those who truly practice transparent strategies. The first qualifying question to ask: Do my clients always know exactly how I get paid?
Chelsea M. Ryckis employee benefits consultant, COO & partner, Ethos Benefits
Change the name
Stop calling it “SELF FUNDED INSURANCE” and start calling it “LARGE DEDUCTIBLE INSURANCE”. I believe that if the industry eliminated those two words are replaced them with the later thousands of more employers would be in better health plan designs where they would have chance reverse or at least flatten out these renewal increased. I started my career with the second largest workers compensation carrier in the nation Liberty Mutual back in 2005. A large reason I believe they had so much success was not just because they had good products and a name, but they also got the language right. When every company in the market was calling their workers comp product for large employer groups back then “Self Funded Workers Comp”, Liberty was calling their products “Large Dollar Deductible”. We would always present options including the LDD quote. I challenge all consultants and brokers out there to test my theory. Present the different language to a prospect that has previously not wanted anything to do with self funded plan design and present fully funded, level funded, and Large deductible plan options” I’m willing to bet there is an immediate shift in thinking.
Christopher A. Yarn, CEO, Walk On Clinic, Inc