In an era marked by profound challenges and complexities within the health and life insurance industry, there exists a persistent call for an innovative, intentional, integrity-driven agency with intelligent solutions that cater specifically to the needs of small businesses and individuals. Small businesses grapple with issues of affordability, transparency, and accessibility, factors that underscore the urgent need for a transformative change. Amidst these pressing concerns, one company has emerged with a successful mission to revolutionize health and life insurance services, using a blue ocean strategy and years of experience.
William Coleman, a visionary CEO and majority owner known for his strategic acumen and commitment to redefining industry standards, is at the helm of this ambitious endeavor. His leadership and that of senior partner Bernie Jezercak have been pivotal in driving forward-thinking initiatives that address critical gaps in health and life insurance, particularly for underserved markets. Uniquely structured with strategic partners, directors, and agents nationwide, their unwavering dedication to fostering strategy and operational excellence has positioned USHealth1 as a trailblazer in its field.
INCEPTION
Initial Founders
Founded on principles of integrity and innovation, USHealth1 has swiftly gained national recognition for its pioneering approach to health insurance solutions. William accentuates that the company was created and developed based on the belief that the health and life insurance system is fundamentally broken and favors the wrong stakeholders. He notes that small businesses and individuals are adversely affected by the lack of knowledge, complexity, and lack of transparency within the healthcare and lifecare system. According to William, these businesses and individuals are also frustrated with brokers and agencies that fail to respect their critical needs, are weary of receiving too many answers, and are still searching for one comprehensive solution. This one solution tagline became the company brand message integrating into its powerful mission: to change the existing system by providing a unified solution that addresses the critical needs of the prospect/clients. William says, "Our brand is a little different than other insurance agencies. We embrace a blue ocean strategy, which makes us think differently, ask different questions, and arrive at different a solution.
Reflecting on the journey of USHealth1 with gratitude, William highlights the company's growth and transformation. With a strong executive team and dedicated professionals, USHealth1 has emerged as a significant player in its industry. He emphasizes their origin as disruptors in an established field often characterized by traditional networks. Despite entering as outsiders from different industries, the team's collective corporate experience, education, and partners have helped USHealth1 fortify the industry and change the landscape. William explains that "this journey has been about balance. We constantly challenge ourselves, asking, "have we built a world class company that develops and sells average insurance, or do we have great insurance coming from just an average company? This keeps us humble and hungry as we continue to strive to be the best of both
INTEGRATION
USHealth1's integration strategy, uniquely structured by William and managing partner Bernie Jezercak, is a pivotal factor that distinguishes them from their competitors and establishes a strategic advantage. This strategy focuses on three key segments: people, products, and partners.
People Integration
William affirms that at USHealth1, people integration is not just a big deal; it's a major focus and a key to our success. We've segmented this integration into two areas: reskilling and diversity. In today's tight labor markets, business leaders are increasingly recognizing the value of reskilling and retraining existing talent for new roles, a strategy that we've found to be more effective than competing for scarce talent.
The company boasts a significant focus on ethnic, age, background, thought, and idea diversity. This variety is highly valued, as it brings together individuals with different experiences, contributing to the company's strength. We celebrate and encourage diversity as long as it's aligned with the company's purpose, making everyone feel included, respected, and an integral part of our team.
Product integration:
USHealth1 is a B2B structure business focusing on small businesses with five to fifty employees, which constitute 75 to 80 percent of their revenues. That B2B foundation fuels the firm's customized products that integrate into the five key target markets, namely trucking, associations, direct selling, GIG, and Genz/Gen Y. This product-to-profile integration accepts the demand of these underserved markets with cutting-edge solutions for their employees, members and 1099 part-timers. These markets can be new or emerging segments that competitors overlook or ignore. Careful research and long-term experience help USHealth1 adequately cater to both the trucking industry and the direct selling market. Vastly different industries require intelligent solutions that also differ from gig workers, and Gen Z, Gen Y. One size fits all is untrue, but 1 solution is, which is why USHealth1 carefully understands each market to ensure the proper product integration.
Our three-tier product integration strategy offers a comprehensive range of products to cater to the diverse needs of all our prospects and clients.
The first tier focuses on noninsurance and supplemental products, providing cost-effective solutions for healthy or moderately healthy solopreneurs, individuals, or companies that don't require extensive insurance coverage. This tier also caters to those who are unhealthy and want to complement their existing major medical plan for increased coverage, providing a sense of security and being well-served.
The second product tier offers comprehensive insurance plans essential for broader coverage needs. Clients in the association, trucking, and direct selling industries can choose between major medical and limited medical insurance plans, many with no copay, coinsurance, or deductibles, and some of these policies are guarantee-issue. The flexibility to enhance these plans by adding supplements from tier one or keeping them as standalone plans provides tailored coverage according to their specific health requirements.
The third tier is tailored for large corporations adopting self-funded and level-funded group insurance products. This tier mainly benefits companies with over 50 employees, offering cost-effective management and greater control over insurance expenditure. Through self-funding, companies can optimize unused funds, reinvesting them to enhance employee benefits and satisfaction annually.
All these customized products, offered in a three-tier product strategy, are designed to integrate and cater to the diverse needs of our five vertical target markets.
Partner integration:
Strategic partners are grown, not found, and USHealth1 has integrated its brand, strategies, and resources with five like-minded firms. William explains that UShealth1's partners are structured into three segments: investors, product developers, and peers. Bilateral integration is the goal of each segment and requires excellent attention and planning. Investors offer funds and strategic advice to USHealth1, who, in return, drive revenue and profitability, enhancing the investor's portfolio. Product partners help USHealth1 customize products for five key targeted industries.
USHealth1's success in those industries provides its partner with critical market and field sales data, which improves its recruiting efforts, bringing on more quality insurance agencies like USHealth1. Integrating with peers is no easy task, but it benefits both firms by expanding audience reach. William affirms that they start by building an integration strategy that creates a framework that allows different business segments and resources to function as a single harmonious unit. By tapping into each other's networks and customer bases, they can fuel lead generation and brand expansion by filling the gaps in each business. This strategy includes the opportunity to bolster co-marketing, particularly with complementary product offerings. Revenue-sharing models through referral or co-selling efforts keep agents and executives happy. This mutually beneficial arrangement creates an environment where peer partners are motivated to continue integrating and sharing critical assets, namely staff and resources, to maximize customer value. For all partner types, keeping a competitive advantage, not reinventing the wheel, and decreasing costs all point to bilateral success, improving the growth of both companies
INNOVATION
William affirms that business executives in the insurance sector face unique challenges in the complex and ever-evolving landscape of digital transformation and BIG data; he contends that navigating these challenges requires strategic foresight, adaptability, and a commitment to innovation. Business models in need of innovation are challenged to embrace new pathways without being disruptive to the existing model. That's why digital transformation and more data-driven decision-making have become crucial for the future of USHealth1. William says we have to move from buzzwords to a strategy for staying competitive. Digital healthcare ecosystems are no longer a future; instead, they are a right now, and our agency is at the forefront of that movement. Technological advancements like AI, digital platforms, customer wearables, and self-portals are also reshaping the industry. At a high level, USHealth1 is strategically doing four things:
Measuring its digital maturity
This is essential! Scores of organizations remain hesitant to invest in digitizing their culture and infrastructure because the executives fear the truth. Regardless of the reasons for such reluctance, the undeniable truth is that USHealth1 needs a starting point so it does not lose its strength in addressing the expectations of business customers.
Assuring that USHealth1 executives champion adopting new technologies that align with their business goals.
This involves staying abreast of emerging trends like AI, IoT, and big data analytics and understanding how they can be leveraged to enhance efficiency, customer experience, and risk management. Being proactive in embracing technological innovation is crucial for staying competitive in an industry increasingly dominated by smaller agencies or brokers with solid technology.
Cultivating a data and digital-first culture
William clearly states that their leadership team plays a crucial role in shaping the organization's data and digital transformation approach. It's essential to foster a culture that values agility, continuous learning, and open-mindedness toward data intelligence and digital changes—encouraging our team and partners to experiment, use data analytics for decision-making, and embrace new digital tools. Thinking outside the traditional paradigms can lead to groundbreaking innovations and solutions.
Personalized consumer-centered healthcare model
With the pandemic as an accelerator, healthcare—like other major industries—is moving toward a consumer-centered model where people can shop for healthcare and share data with an endless array of apps and services to personalize their health experiences. In this model, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence generate insights to more deeply engage and support people in achieving their health goals and outcomes.
William has a thirty-six-year strong background in technology, with extensive field and sales management experience at IBM, Hewlett Packard, AT&T, Ultranet, and Forrester Research before transitioning to entrepreneurship within other industries. He feels that embracing a digital DNA, with hopeful progress, suggests a shift towards greater agility and maturity across all segments of USHealth1's infrastructure.
INTEGRITY
William articulates core values and principles that guide the company's interactions with clients, partners, and stakeholders.
Firstly, universal respect is paramount at USHealth1, starting with internal dynamics. He emphasizes the importance of mutual respect among colleagues, fostering a familial atmosphere within the organization. This foundational value ensures that respect for others setting a solid internal culture will reflect a similar reverence for prospects and clients in all interactions,
Secondly, he advocates treating clients' businesses as one's own family. This approach encourages a deep sense of responsibility and dedication, going beyond standard service to ensure clients receive exceptional care and commitment.
Thirdly, we maintain high integrity in the knowledge and expertise we bring to clients and prospects. William stresses the significance of staying ahead in industry knowledge, ensuring that USHealth1 can provide informed solutions and exceed client expectations.
Fourthly, William feels there's not enough integrity in the selling process within the industry. USHealth1 is bullish on how its agents are taught to solve a strategic approach to sales known as "solution selling." In this top-down method, salespeople converse with CEOs and other C-level executives. They delve into the company's business challenges, goals, and plans. By aligning the USHealth product with these specific needs, they transform it from a mere product into a comprehensive solution. Understanding the importance of the integration of the buying cycle and selling cycle produces more leads and more significant revenue.
Lastly, William underscores the company's commitment to exceptional customer service, emphasizing the importance of going the extra mile for clients. These principles collectively define USHealth1's approach, ensuring integrity, respect, expertise, and exemplary service in all interactions.
These integrity pillars roll up to continual compliance training within the heavily regulated insurance industry. Unlike sectors overseen by federal bodies like the FCC or FAA, the insurance sector lacks a unified federal oversight body. Instead, each state manages its regulations through entities like the State Department of Insurance. This decentralized structure means that insurance practices and procedures can vary significantly from one state to another, necessitating thorough and ongoing compliance education to navigate these complexities effectively.
INCREASE
William affirms that growth increases are the most important key performance indicators, and this year's revenue and profitability numbers of 21-23% place them in an impressive 12-month increase. Good companies decide what to stop doing versus what to add to the pile. Great companies also learn from their mistakes. USHealth1 is making critical adjustments from last year's mistakes while increasing its successes in five crucial areas:
C-Suite Secrets
USHealth1 needs to gain a better and more truthful understanding of what CFO's and CEOs really think about their health plan and obtain better solutions (self-funded, captive plans) for their most pressing challenges
Reevaluating our Strategic Playbook
Like all sports teams, we need to update our strategic playbook. As we move forward, the game for agencies and advisors has changed. We need to accelerate our approach new approach that keeps and wins more clients by analyzing and calibrating our strategic playbook and partnering with the right allies
Enhancing our role:
USHealth1 has a significant opportunity to assist our clients and prospects in reimagining their employee health benefits. By leveraging change management methods, we can prepare employers for health benefits change readiness. This includes focusing on mental health, gig, and hybrid work environments, which are now part of mainstream discussions. We must outline the basic framework and concept of change management relative to health plans and benefits and how this can be applied to our clients and prospects.
De-Risking Self-Insurance for Small and Medium Businesses
Our major focus is small and medium businesses, which continue to pay more for health insurance and require a different strategy than their larger competitors. We've had some strong success in this space, which should reassure the C-suite about choosing self-insurance regardless of size. We need to help them feel comfortable as they de-risk their self-insurance plans so they can share large company advantages.
Employee Experience
We've been working diligently but need to scale our efforts to create the right platforms, products, and interactive technology so employers can improve health outcomes and amplify cost savings by ensuring patient-centered experiences for their employees. We are accelerating discussions with large strategic partners to deliver a modern, people-centric healthcare experience that employees love.
I3
Reflecting on his time in other countries, corporate teams, and his roots in Boston, renowned for its intellectual prowess, Willam introduces a unique perspective on success, breaking it down into three 'I's: imagination, ideology, and intelligence. He feels that many predict one's success solely on a high GPA and /or IQ. But citing models like Walt Disney, Berry Gordy, Colin Powell, Bill Gates, John Rockefeller, and Harriet Tubman as exemplars of this type were barely average students but phenomenal thinkers now referred to at USHealth1 as I3. William articulates that great vision comes from a firm and fluid imagination. Excitement gathers as someone transitions that imagination to a big idea, now like a rolling tide gaining strength from others. Careful intelligence brings in just the right amount of logic to determine its feasibility without crushing the idea's spirit. I3 is a consistent, collaborative process for everyone at all levels of USHealth1, which illustrates the value of its diversity of thinking.
NTENTIONALITY
William clearly states that all at USHealth1 are intentionally grateful to God for each other, their partners, clients, and families. He says, "We know nothing happens by accident, as our many provisions and blessings come from Jesus Christ as our source. Around here, He's our Chief Destiny Officer!
