The Garner Playbook A Step-by-Step Guide for Solving High Renewals

At least a quarter of employers are now seeing renewals of 15% or higher, and the usual response of raising deductibles and shifting premium onto employees has hit its limit, because employees are already struggling to afford care. Brokers need an option that brings the number down without taking value out of the plan.

In this session, Kirk Czonstka, Garner's SVP of Strategic Alliances, and Joana Ames, who leads Garner's mid-market sales team, walk through what it looks like to bring Garner into a client facing a steep renewal. You'll hear how two spine surgeons at the same hospital looked alike in a standard episode grouper but differed sharply in surgery rates, complications, and site of care, and what moving patients to the better one did to plan spend. Joana then takes a real 266-employee client with a 35% renewal through two proposals, one that cut the increase to 20% and one that brought it down to 13%. She also covers the implementation timeline, the new first-dollar HSA contribution, and the communication tactics that drive signups. The two close with audience questions on savings guarantees, reimbursement timing, off-cycle launches, and captives.

For brokers with a tough 1/1 renewal on their desk, this walks through the full playbook, from the first proposal to go-live and the months after.