USI advisors drove healthcare cost savings for 37 clients across multiple markets with Garner
USI has partnered with Garner to help employers reduce medical costs while offering employees richer benefits — without disrupting existing network or carrier relationships. What began as a strategic alliance with USI's Chicago office has evolved into a multi-regional collaboration, with formal partnerships now in place in California and Nevada and innovative pilots emerging in Oregon. Together, USI and Garner now serve 37 shared clients across a wide range of industries, adding 10 new clients in 2024 alone.
"The Garner team has been instrumental in helping us open doors AND win business this year, says Zach Gay, Practice Leader at USI Chicago. "It's the #1 reason we're winning right now."
CASE STUDY 1 ᐧ FULLY INSURED ᐧ NON-PROFIT
Fully-insured non-profit achieves 22% net plan savings at renewal
A 345-life, Illinois-based non-profit was facing a critical challenge: a 35% year-over-year increase in net claims and a 22% renewal hike that threatened the viability of its benefits program. To address this, USI recommended restructuring the plan and introducing a $7,000 incentive through Garner. This approach allowed them to keep their current carrier while reducing premiums by -22% and enriching benefits by reducing deductibles by $1,500.
After the first year, 59% of members used Garner to find high-performing doctors, driving a -14.5% overall decrease in net paid claims per employee per month, while employees using Garner experienced a 96% reduction in out-of-pocket costs.
The results
-22%
Plan design savings
-14.5%
Decrease in Net Paid Claims PEPM
96%
Lower employee out-of-pocket costs
CASE STUDY 2 ᐧ FULLY INSURED ᐧ NON-PROFIT
Non-profit organization significantly lowers medical renewal while enhancing employee benefits
A fully insured non-profit had long prioritized offering a strong benefits package to stay competitive in recruiting and retaining talent. However, after a recent 44.5% medical renewal increase, it was under pressure to consider shifting costs to employees, but they decided to wait a year and explore other options. Things got worse. The following year, their HMO plan renewal rose even further, by a staggering 52.1%. Now, they needed a solution to manage costs while protecting their employees.
They turned to USI advisors Sola Olateju, Sam Odishoo, and Adam Lanter and introduced Garner to their PPO plans while leaving the HMO option untouched. This move unlocked first-dollar coverage through Garner, reducing PPO costs by 23% and enhancing employee benefits. In their first year, the PPO renewal increase was cut to just 9%, and by 2025, Garner-enabled plans were 350% more cost-effective than the HMO plans — highlighting the power of thoughtful benefits design.
The results
-33.5%
Savings at renewal
-23%
Plan design savings with $7,000 Garner incentive
350%
lower cost vs. non-Garner HMO plans
