July 28th, 2025
Louis C. Bernardi, “The Benefits Whisperer”
💥 Certified Healthcare Fiduciary Coach and Health Value Advisor 💥 I work with Business Leaders of mid-sized. Did you know that optimizing your healthcare plan can contribute directly to your company’s survival and growth? ✨ When we compare the benefits of healthcare savings to findings from a recent college essay, “Ten Reasons Why Companies Keep Failing,” the connections are clear. Let’s explore how healthcare optimization addresses these pitfalls:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Beat the Renewal Trap — Start Sooner, Win Bigger
Are You Already Behind on Your Health Plan Renewal?
For many plan sponsors, the renewal process starts with an email from their broker: “We’ve received your renewal. Let’s connect and go to market.”
By then… it’s already too late.
That email usually lands 60 to 90 days before your renewal date. And while that timeline might seem reasonable, it’s a trap. The real work of building a smarter, more strategic health plan should start much earlier — 180 days out, minimum.
Why? Because true marketing isn’t just shopping quotes. It’s aligning your health plan strategy with your business goals, employee needs, and financial realities — and giving yourself enough time to act on the insights.
Here’s What a High-Performance Renewal Timeline Looks Like
✅ 6+ Months Before Renewal Discovery & Goal Setting
- Pre-renewal discovery call: What’s working? What’s not?
- Review plan documents, TPA reports, and contracts
- Analyze claims activity (medical & Rx)
- Clarify business goals (growth, hiring, cost control, retention)
- Gather member feedback and service issues
✅ 5 Months Before Renewal Strategic Planning & Marketing Prep
- Finalize objectives: Reduce spend? Improve access? Enhance support?
- Evaluate partners: Is your advisor aligned and capable?
- Establish marketing timeline and data deliverables
- Set a “decision deadline” that allows time for implementation
✅ 4 Months Before Renewal Go to Market with Purpose
- Solicit proposals with real goals and transparent performance metrics
- Consider transparent PBMs, independent TPAs, and surgical carve-outs
- Start internal planning for education, open enrollment, and transitions
✅ 2-3 Months Before Renewal Decision Time
- Compare options based on more than premiums: Network, outcomes, steerage support, stop-loss protections, etc.
- Negotiate contracts and finalize selections
- Begin implementation, testing file feeds, onboarding vendors
✅ 30–60 Days Before Renewal Educate and Empower
- Communicate benefit changes with confidence
- Educate employees on new vendors and programs
- Ensure clinical and navigation tools are in place and activated
Don’t Let a Broken System Set Your Timeline
Carriers, PBMs, and even some brokers benefit when you wait too long to make a meaningful change. Limited time equals limited options. That’s not a coincidence — it’s part of the Heist.
Instead, reclaim your timeline and shift from being a passenger on the renewal bus to the driver of a well-timed transformation.
What Should You Do Right Now?
Ask your benefit advisor these three questions:
- When do you plan to start our next renewal strategy meeting?
- What data will you review, and what’s the purpose of going to market?
- If we needed to change vendors or implement new solutions, do we have time?
If you’re not getting confident, proactive answers — it’s time to rethink who’s steering the ship.
A Final Word
You can’t afford to treat renewal like a reaction. The smartest employers are already deep into their planning — not because they want to change everything, but because they want the option to change anything.
The best benefit decisions aren’t made in the fall — they’re made in the summer.
Need a better timeline? Let’s get 30 minutes on the calendar now. I’ll walk you through a proven roadmap to stay ahead of the Heist.
Questions? Contact the author at lcbernardi@britepathbenefits.com
Schedule a call at calendly.com/lcbernardi
Visit our website at www.britepathbenefits.com