DirectPath: Double Your Growth, Not Your Premiums. In Benefits Architecture: Learn the framework. Elevate the design: We've been following thelife of a medical claim — from navigating a highdeductible health plan to understanding the importance ofprior authorization. Along the way, we’ve shown that the healthcare experience, from how a plan is managed to how employees access care, is shaped by what happens behind the scenes.
For many small and mid-sized organizations, fully insured plans offer predictable monthly premiums and protection from unexpected claims costs. However, employers typically have little insight into how their plan is being used or what's driving claims costs.
Self-funded plans, which have traditionally been more common among larger organizations, offer a different approach. Because employers pay claims as they're incurred, they gain access to claims data throughout the year and have more opportunities to address high-cost areas before renewal. That added visibility and flexibility, however, can come with greater financial responsibility — and therefore risk.
Because of this, many mid-sized employers feel they only have two choices: remain fully insured and accept whatever renewal increase they're offered, or move to self-funding and take on a level of risk and complexity they aren’t ready to manage.
The Conner Pathway.
For years we’ve helped large employers address complex challenges through The Conner Pathway — our philosophy that meaningful information leads to better decisions, and better decisions lead to better outcomes. Whether it’s rising healthcare costs, unpredictable renewals, or limited visibility into what’s driving their spending, The Conner Pathway helps organizations gain clarity, make confident decisions, and build benefits strategies that better support their people and their business.
We soon realized that small and mid-sized employers needed that same visibility and control over their employee benefits strategy, but they often didn’t have access to the same strategies and resources that larger organizations had.
We created DirectPath to help close that gap.
Built on a level-funded foundation, DirectPath brings a more informed approach to healthcare strategy to small and mid-sized employers. Rather than asking employers to choose between the simplicity of fully insured plans and the complexity of self-funding, DirectPath provides a practical path forward, bringing many of the same strategies used by larger organizations into a solution designed specifically for mid-market employers.
The results of a proactive strategy.
A 47% fully insured renewal increase prompted one organization to make a change.
By partnering with Conner Insurance and transitioning to DirectPath, we were able to build a long-term approach focused on clearer visibility, better access to care, and more control over their healthcare costs.
Over the next few years, the organization kept growing, and because of the control DirectPath offers, their healthcare strategy evolved right along with them. We introduced new solutions to meet their needs, addressing underlying drivers of increased costs and continuously refined the plan instead of starting over each renewal.
Here’s how that growth looked:
2021: 28 members, Fully Insured, Per employee per year (PEPY): $11,749
2022: 37 members, DirectPath, PEPY: $9,639
2023: 53 members, DirectPath, PEPY: $9,946
2024: 50 members, DirectPath, PEPY: $11,263
2025: 50 members, DirectPath, PEPY: $11,376
2026: 63 members, DirectPath, PEPY: $11,851
During this period, the company more than doubled in size while experiencing approximately a 2% cumulative increase in per-employee healthcare costs.
A stronger healthcare strategy.
You aren’t stuck choosing between fully insured and self-funded options. Other paths are available. If the right solutions haven't been found for you, it could be that the right options haven’t been presented. Keep looking and work with a trusted consultant who understands the needs of your organization and your people.
At Conner Insurance, we have solutions that can work for your business and your employees. If you want to discuss your benefits plan, don’t hesitate toreach out. We’re here to help.
See what happened when we brought DirectPath to more organizations across the country! In our next article, we dive into a real example of an organization that used DirectPath to overcome healthcare challenges and win.
Cost figures, coverage details, and plan design elements presented in this blog are for illustrative purposes only and do not reflect any specific insurance policy or provider. Actual costs will vary based on your organization’s health plan, the insurance carrier, provider contracts, and the specifics of each medical situation. Employers and employees should refer to their official plan documents or speak with their broker or benefits consultant for guidance if needed.
