In Plain Benefits: The $17,000 Surprise

TJ Bullock | July 19th, 2026

In Plain Benefits: The $17,000 Surprise.

Maria runs a 40-person company. She just got her renewal: 22% UP.

That’s a $17,000-per-month "gift" from her insurance carrier. Her first move? Shop around. She called three brokers, got three sets of quotes, and found… nothing. Every carrier came back with the exact same story.

She thought she needed a new broker. What she actually needed was a new way to pay.

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1️⃣ THE SHOPPING MYTH
When you shop a "fully insured" plan, you’re just asking different companies to guess how much you’ll spend. If your data is bad, the quotes will be bad.

• Translation: You can’t "shop" your way out of a broken funding model. Carriers all use the same math.

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2️⃣ THE DEDUCTIBLE DECEPTION
Maria’s reflex was to hike the deductible to $5,000 to save the premium. You could call this "shifting, not saving."

• Translation: Making your employees pay more at the doctor isn't a strategy: it's a pay cut. There may be better ways to find that 22% without hurting your team.

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3️⃣ THE FUNDING FIX
A possible fix would be a Level-Funded plan. She would pay a flat monthly fee, but if her team stays healthy, she could get the extra money back.

• Translation: Instead of giving the insurance company a "tip" every time your employees stay healthy, you may be able to keep that cash in your business.

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Maria might not need to change her network. She might not need to change her copays. What she could consider changing is her funding strategy. That could turn a $17k surprise into a surplus.

"It's not your plan. It's how you're paying for it." : TJ Bullock

Making complicated simple.

#UBA #NABIP #employeebenefits #HealthInsurance #SMB #Leadership

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