Archives: Case Studies

The Challenge

Takle Eye Group, with two locations in central Georgia, is working to maintain and provide for the health of its team as the nation deals with COVID-19. Like almost every other business, they’ve experienced reduced traffic at their practice, and so it became necessary to mitigate expenses where they could. When reviewing line items, one of the largest expenses they saw was in the employee benefits line. Bonny Shockley, the HR Manager for Takle Eye Group, understood that it is necessary to provide the team with quality benefits, but needed a way to do that while trimming expenses.

The Solution

MAG partnered with Decisely to provide an Association Healthcare Solution to its members. Bonny took some time to learn about the program and its insurance products, and found that the MAG Benefits Center could provide her team with access to a richer benefits portfolio at a lower cost than what they were offering. That reduced cost came from MAG members just like her, aggregating together to receive benefits from nationally-recognized carriers at costs similar to what a larger business would pay.

The Results

Takle Eye Group leveraged the benefits offered through the Association Healthcare Solution provided by MAG to save 27.4% ($56,215.68) from its previous benefits plan. Even better, this new plan meant a decrease in both deductibles and copays for every single employee. On top of that, they were able to (ironically) offer a vision plan for the first time. The cost-savings were just the start for Bonny and Takle Eye Group. The MAG Benefits Center is not just benefits—it’s an HR solution wrapped into a technology platform. Bonny had previously managed their benefits through a broker using paper forms. After the transition, Bonny was able to make enrollments easier and completely online. The time saved changed their entire enrollment process.

“The cost savings we needed came at the perfect time, and the customer service team at MAG Benefits Center has done a great job making sure our needs are consistently met.”

The Challenge

Gracepoint School, a Marietta, GA faith-based school, has been successfully educating dyslexic students since 2007. Retaining and keeping their talented faculty happy is a high priority for school administrators. Over the years, they have offered benefits to their staff, but, every year, managing premium increases gets more challenging. Gracepoint needed someone to help them navigate the changing landscape of group health insurance and find ways to save money.

The Solution

GISA partnered with Decisely to provide an Association Healthcare Solution to help its member schools save on benefits. With the valuable new plan available through GISA, the faculty and staff at Gracepoint Academy faculty were able to benefit from the power of their numbers. They were able to source better benefits at lower rates than they would have received on their own in a standard small group plan. Anne Griffith, a Gracepoint staffer a history in benefits consulting, was happy to see the savings. “As a small group, we felt vulnerable to increases from year to year. Now, we enjoy the security of being part of a larger group.”

The Results

Gracepoint Academy realized immediate savings of over 10% for their enrolled staff. With their GISA Association Healthcare Solution savings, Gracepoint expanded benefits products to its employees. The staff was able to elect dental and vision coverage in addition to their medical plan—and all at a net cost savings that was still less than what they had paid for medical the previous year. Anne felt strongly that it worth their time to compare rates. “I would recommend to other GISA members that they need to take a serious look at it. Even if they currently have a program, it would be worth their time to at least compare.” And now they have access to a team ready and happy to help. Having access to benefits and HR support allows them to focus on the important part of their jobs: the students. “For a small group like us, it’s rare that we get dedicated customer service for ANYTHING that we do. We’ve gotten incredible attention and care from Decisely.”

The Challenge

Managing a business is hard. It’s even harder when you’re also managing health benefits for your employees without the help of a broker. That was Kendra’s experience. Her insurance broker was supposed to act as a go-between for her and their insurance carriers. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out that way. Kendra was left to manage paperwork for all of her employees across multiple portals and platforms all while trying to manage her day-to-day HR tasks. She needed a solution that would reduce her benefits workload and ensure she always had access to expert advice when she needed it.

The Solution

NAA recognizes that every member of the association is working hard to maintain their business—especially in light of the complications brought about by COVID-19. To help alleviate some of the administrative burden of health insurance, NAA has partnered with Decisely to create the NAA Insurance Center, a solution that solves for all of Kendra’s needs saving her time and money.

The Results

Since her switch, Kendra has been in regular contact with her rep at the NAA Insurance Center. She has been able to get assistance with all of her and her employees’ questions. Even better, anything she needs to communicate to carriers gets entered into one centralized portal and the NAA Insurance Center does the rest. “It’s reassuring that they have my back and help take some of the load off my shoulders.”

The Challenge

Cumberland Academy is a specialized private school with a small staff of educational experts. Starting with one student in 2007, its staff is proud have built a program that develops and educates over 100 students with high-functioning autism, ADD and ADHD. Every year, school administration struggled to find affordable coverage to meet the needs of the school’s faculty. Private schools in Georgia are at a disadvantage versus public schools when it comes to insurance plans and rates; public schools employ thousands of employees, resulting in lower-priced, large group rates. Cumberland Academy staff needed help accessing quality plans at more competitive rates.

The Solution

GISA partnered with Decisely to provide an Association Healthcare Solution to help both faculty and administration members. With the GISA Association Healthcare Solution, Cumberland Academy faculty was able to benefit from the power of their numbers to access better benefits at lower rates than they would have received on their own in a standard small group plan. In fact, after reviewing the offering, they switched coverages in the middle of their plan year

The Results

Cumberland Academy had already signed up with benefits directly through their carrier when they learned about the new plan available to them. The new plan from GISA saved them 15% on premiums and was made simple and paperless with the online platform. With the cost savings, additional staff were able to enroll, but the school was able to meet the cost demands with premium savings. “We have a board member who is a benefits advisor. He looked over the plans and advised us to drop our current coverage and sign up. That’s how good the rates were.”

The Challenge

Pam believed in offering health benefits to her team. Not only did it help build employee loyalty, it was the right thing to do. She offered benefits for years but had to deal with mountains of administrative work and rates that were quickly becoming untenable. Every year, she heard complaints from her team as their rates ballooned—a standard occurrence for small businesses. She even lost an employee to a job with benefits that allowed him to better-manage the costs of his son’s health condition. Pam needed a solution to lessen her administrative burden and keep costs down for both her and her employees.

The Solution

GPCA partnered with Decisely to provide an Association Healthcare Solution to its members to help business owners like Pam. It’s no secret that healthcare costs continue to increase—especially for small businesses. With help from a nationally-recognized insurance provider, GPCA was able to help keep costs down for member businesses by leveraging the power of their numbers. When associations like GPCA are able to negotiate lower insurance prices for their members, the savings help everyone.

The Results

Pam’s benefits portfolio has changed dramatically since she sourced her healthcare through the GPCA Association Healthcare Solution. She can afford to offer higher quality benefits at substantially lower prices. “For what we used to pay for just medical in 2019, we now offer medical, dental, and vision. A couple employees have even taken advantage of short-term and long-term disability.”