Solutions
The Early Days—Achieving Stability
According to Businessolver AVP of Customer Solutions Janeen Tigges, stabilization is often the first thing pooled groups need. “Especially as co-ops grow, predictability is the name of the game. The transition from paper-based forms to an electronic enrollment and billing platform was the first step in building that stability, not only for EBC but for their clients as well—a big and important first step.”
Fortunately for EBC, they had a cheerleader to champion this big change—Gallagher Senior Benefits Consultant Nancy Bellosa. “Because she had worked with the Benefitsolver platform in a different role, Nancy was already two or three steps ahead of EBC. And, she leveraged that experience to ensure they achieved the stabilization they were looking for,” Tigges said.
“Many school districts weren’t reporting their bills properly,” Bellosa recalled. “But once they started working with Businessolver, the billing became streamlined and EBC immediately started seeing appropriate and consistent billing information.”
Because the Benefitsolver platform automatically adjusts invoices with debits and credits based off changes to elections made on the employee record and reconciles them appropriately to the specific vendor’s billing rules and retro windows, EBC saved hundreds of administrative hours across the cooperative in their first year.
And that was something that made accountant Carol Rosborg’s life a lot easier. Recalling the days of seemingly endless emails and spreadsheets, Rosborg said, “Now, a lot of that work is done for me through automated billing and reporting within the system. That’s cut down on my email correspondence by at least 90%. Even now that we have 120 districts, there are some I don’t contact directly because payment posting and invoicing is handled through the platform.”
Superintendent Patrick also appreciates the stability Businessolver brought in working with carriers. “Before working with Businessolver, each district would send in what they ‘thought’ they owed to Blue Cross Blue Shield, for example, based on whoever they were counting that month, and somehow throughout the course of the year, it might balance out correctly,” Patrick recalled with a laugh. “Now, my gosh, it’s much more streamlined and far more accurate.”