When Loyalty to Your Broker Stops Making Sense

A lot of employers stick with their broker because things seem fine. They're responsive. They've been around for years. You don't want to shake things up.

But being responsive doesn't lower your claims. And it doesn't protect you when networks fall apart.

Southwest Michigan saw this when Bronson warned it could go out-of-network with UnitedHealthcare. One contract dispute, and suddenly your employees' care gets disrupted and your costs spike.

If your broker isn't showing you alternatives to traditional carrier networks, you're betting everything on negotiations you can't control.

Here's what loyalty can't do:

• Stop carriers and providers from fighting over rates

• Keep your local hospital in-network when talks break down

• Prevent employees from getting stuck in the middle

• Give you cost control when the system is unpredictable

  
  

The Bronson-UHC situation isn't unique. These disputes happen all the time. When they do, you and your employees pay for it.

What Your Broker Should Offer

A good broker should bring you options that reduce your reliance on carrier networks:

Direct contracts with local providers. Direct relationships with systems so your health plan isn't dependent on carrier negotiations.

Plans built on your data. Looking at your claims and designing benefits that guide employees toward better, cheaper care.

Stability at renewal. Building something that stays solid regardless of who's in-network, instead of shopping carriers every year.

Employee support. Helping people before they end up in expensive situations.

If your broker isn't talking about these things, they're keeping you in an unreliable system.

What to Consider

Loyalty matters if your broker is bringing real solutions. But if they're just shopping carriers every year and hoping for the best, that's not strategy.

Ask yourself: is your broker showing you ways off the hamster wheel, or are they keeping you on it?