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Prudential collaborates with Ideon for technology that will help simplify the workplace benefits experience

Posted on by Ideon

NEWARK, N.J. – Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU) announced today that its Group Insurance business has collaborated with Ideon, a leader in data exchange and connectivity solutions, to deliver unique technology solutions for benefits eligibility and enrollment processes for workplace clients and their employees.

As employers expand their benefits offerings to attract and retain top talent, the need for fast, safe and efficient benefits administration has never been greater, with high expectations around data exchange between providers, employers and the benefit administration systems they use. Through this strategic relationship with Ideon, Prudential aims to improve the accuracy of enrollment data, help reduce the administrative workload for human resources teams, and seek new and innovative ways to ensure accurate enrollment and eligibility data. The collaboration will also allow Prudential to expand integrations with certain benefit administration systems where connectivity is limited today.

“We are committed to providing a superior experience for our clients and their employees,” said Jess Gillespie, head of product and underwriting for Prudential Group Insurance. “Enhancing Prudential’s digital connectivity makes it faster and easier for groups, and their employees, to enroll in workplace benefits.”

The initial phase of the collaboration focuses on expediting the data exchange process that impacts the onboarding process, including enrollment and eligibility information.

“This relationship signifies a major step forward for Ideon and Prudential,” said Steve Swad, CEO of Ideon. “Our data solutions will enable Prudential to deliver a fast, seamless, and accurate benefits enrollment and administration experience. We are excited to support Prudential in enhancing their platform ecosystem.”

For more information, visit Prudential Group Insurance or Ideon.

About Prudential
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a global financial services leader and premier active global investment manager with approximately $1.6 trillion in assets under management as of Sept. 30, 2024, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees help make lives better and create financial opportunity for more people by expanding access to investing, insurance, and retirement security. Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise, and innovation for nearly 150 years. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com.

About Prudential Group Insurance
Prudential Group Insurance manufactures and distributes a full range of group life, long-term and short-term disability and corporate and trust-owned life insurance in the U.S. to institutional clients primarily for use within employee and membership benefit plans. The business also sells critical illness, accidental death and dismemberment and other ancillary coverages. In addition, the business provides plan administrative services in connection with its insurance coverages, and administrative services for employee paid and unpaid leave, including FMLA, ADA, and PFL.

About Ideon
Ideon’s data solutions allow health insurance carriers and employee benefits providers to connect with technology partners to deliver seamless consumer experiences at every stage of the member journey. Ideon serves as the infrastructure simplifying the exchange of quoting, provider, and enrollment data between carriers and the technology partners, so they can deliver health and employee benefits to hundreds of millions of Americans every day. Ideon transmits billions of data points between insurtechs and insurance carriers, powering an amazing benefits experience for all. To learn more, please visit ideonapi.com.

Eliminating EOI Data Risk: Why Carriers Need EOI Auditing Now

Posted on by Ideon

Table of Contents

Managing Evidence of Insurability (EOI) data has become a critical—and challenging—priority for group benefits carriers. Traditional EOI processes often result in errors that expose carriers to significant risks, from Department of Labor (DOL) fines to reputational harm and poor member experiences.

This guide dives into the risks hiding within routine EOI data processing. We’ll examine why carriers struggle to identify missing EOI before it’s too late, and reveal how advanced EOI data auditing prevents errors, mitigates risk, and helps carriers stay ahead in a competitive market.

The Status Quo: Challenges in Identifying Incomplete EOI

Most carriers can’t effectively detect and resolve instances where a member has enrolled in coverage that requires EOI but hasn’t completed the EOI process. This problem is more common than many realize and has far-reaching implications.

The Problem: EOI errors are difficult to detect

      • Enrollment With Incomplete EOI: Members often select life or disability coverage that exceeds guaranteed issue amounts, triggering the need for EOI. However, due to gaps in enrollment data exchange, complex plan eligibility rules, the BenAdmin misconfiguring plans in its system, or miscommunication, the member may not complete the required EOI process.
      • Invisible Discrepancies: These incomplete EOI cases frequently go unnoticed because carriers rely on manual checks or systems that can’t flag these discrepancies.
      • Delayed Detection at Claims Time: The failure to identify these issues means that carriers often discover them only when a claim is filed. At this point, it’s too late to rectify the oversight without causing delays and member dissatisfaction.

The Impact: What happens when EOI errors go unnoticed

      • Financial Risk: Carriers can face lawsuits and fines from the Department of Labor (DOL) if claims are denied due to missing EOI, especially if the member was paying a premium for supplemental coverage. In just the last two years, several large carriers have reached settlements with the DOL over their EOI practices.
      • Poor Claims Experience: Mistakes in EOI collection lead to negative member experiences, especially at claims time—when a slow process or wrongly denied claim can be disastrous for the member and their family. And, these negative experiences could result in brokers and employers taking their business elsewhere.
      • Reputational Damage: Brokers increasingly prioritize carriers with automated, advanced EOI capabilities. Those who don’t meet this expectation may find themselves losing out on key business opportunities and RFPs

Simply put, the status quo is no longer sustainable for carriers looking to remain competitive and compliant in the modern benefits landscape.

Making EOI Data Management a Strategic Priority

The consequences of mishandling EOI are extensive. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel — carriers, with the right auditing technology, can solve EOI data challenges and mitigate risk. Here’s why it should be a top priority:

      • Rising Demand for Automation: Brokers and employers expect streamlined, automated EOI processes to enhance the member experience, speed up enrollment, and reduce errors. Some RFPs even request information about EOI automation, including API capabilities.
      • Revenue Growth Opportunities: Carriers that simplify EOI processes see higher adoption rates for supplemental benefits like life and disability coverage—opening new revenue streams.
      • Mounting Regulatory Pressure: With increased scrutiny from the DOL, carriers face a higher risk of costly fines and reputational damage if EOI data errors aren’t addressed proactively.

EOI Audit by Ideon: An Industry-First Solution to De-Risk EOI Data

Better technology is the only way to minimize the financial and reputational risk of EOI errors.

Ideon’s EOI Audit solution offers a unique, automated approach to solving this industry-wide challenge. It addresses two key areas: data auditing and decision return. Here’s how it works:

      • Identifies Members Requiring EOI: Ideon’s system pinpoints members whose elections require EOI.
      • Audits Groups for Missing EOI: The audit function flags members who require EOI but didn’t complete it. Errors and discrepancies include why someone needs EOI, based on the carrier’s plan eligibility rules, decisions already in the carrier’s system, and group enrollment data.
      • Error Resolution: All discrepancies are surfaced through automated reports and dashboards. Each issue has a clear, actionable resolution path, allowing carriers to avoid downstream problems.
      • Decision synching: EOI statuses and decisions are synched between carriers and BenAdmin platforms, ensuring up-to-date, accurate data across all systems.

This process not only improves data accuracy but also prevents costly errors that lead to DOL fines and poor member outcomes.

Results with EOI Audit

By implementing Ideon’s EOI Audit solution, carriers not only improve compliance and enhance claims experiences, but also strengthen their competitive position by offering a more reliable EOI process. Here are the key benefits they can expect:

      • Risk Mitigation: Proactively address EOI discrepancies to avoid DOL fines, reputational harm, and operational disruptions.
      • Faster Resolution: Early detection and actionable insights mean carriers resolve EOI discrepancies quickly, avoid downstream problems, and process claims accurately.
      • Stronger Market Position: Showcase advanced EOI capabilities to stand out in RFPs, win more business, and build stronger broker relationships.

Success in Action: How Prudential is Using Ideon’s EOI Audit Solution

Carriers like Prudential are already seeing positive results with Ideon’s EOI Audit solution. As Sherri Bycroft, Director of Benefit Technology Partnerships at Prudential, shared in a recent Ideon Insights interview:

“We’re really excited about the fact that it’s going to flush out issues much earlier on,” she said. “We can have full confidence that we have the right information about the members in our system, and at the time of claim, be able to pay that without delays.”

Get a Demo of EOI Audit by Ideon

See how Ideon’s EOI Audit solution can help you reduce risk, identify missing EOI, and provide a better claims experience. Schedule a demo below.


Webinar: The Future of Group Benefits Quoting

Posted on by Ideon

How are quoting platforms transforming the ancillary and voluntary benefits space?

Carriers and brokers are rapidly evolving their engagement—and third-party quoting platforms are at the heart of this shift. Join this webinar as experts from Guardian, Acrisure, and Ideon explore how these platforms are shaping the future of group benefits quoting.

🗓 Date: Tuesday, Oct. 22
🕒 Time: 1:00 PM ET
👉 Register here.

What you’ll learn:

  • The rise of quoting platforms and their role in benefits distribution
  • How carriers are partnering with platforms to reach more brokers
  • Key opportunities in the small group market
  • Success stories and trends
  • How APIs and automation are streamlining group benefits quoting

Ideon Insights: Prudential’s Sherri Bycroft on carrier-BenTech connectivity and APIs

Posted on by Ideon

Welcome to Episode 5 of Ideon Insights, our monthly interview series featuring thought leaders and innovators driving the benefits industry forward. In this episode, we sat down with Sherri Bycroft, Director–Benefit Technology Relationships at Prudential, to discuss how carriers are prioritizing certain APIs, partnerships with technology platforms, and how Ideon and Prudential developed an advanced solution for EOI auditing and decisions. 

In this insightful Q&A, Sherri shares how Prudential is approaching the future of partnerships and technology, and why connected experiences are the key to growth and member satisfaction in the benefits space. 

Watch the full episode of Ideon Insights. Below, we’ve highlighted key moments from the conversation.

IDEON: Why are technology partnerships so important for carriers like Prudential today? 

SHERRI BYCROFT, Prudential: 15, 20 years ago, we often didn’t know who the platform was that housed data for that customer until after they were sold. Now, it’s on the RFP. If we don’t have a relationship with a group’s technology partner, we could be dead in the water on the sale before we even get to quote it. They’re going to look at that and say, ‘we’re going to choose a carrier that wants to work with our partner.’ 

It’s just so important in today’s world to be able to exchange data and have a connected experience. My team is being invited to finalist meetings all the time now. They want to hear from the technology team: What are you offering? How are you connecting? What does that look like for me? Connected technology experiences are where they’re making decisions today. 

How has the role of brokers evolved in this more connected benefits landscape? 

10 plus years ago, you didn’t really see brokers being engaged in how or who a group was choosing for their technology partner. Now brokers are actually bringing technology solutions directly to their customers. It’s creating some stickiness for the broker. 

We’ve seen it on the carrier side, that customers are now more committed to their technology solution than they are to a carrier or their broker. The loyalty now is to ‘what is the hardest part of my life to change, and that’s the technology.’ 

What technologies and APIs are carriers prioritizing now? 

Decision support is definitely a huge point of interest right now. Another is quoting APIs. The quote process wasn’t even in conversation five years ago, but now it’s a huge point of interest. 

Plan data is another area where we’ve seen progress. We’re finally at a point where carriers are rolling out solutions to send plan configuration data into the technology system. 

Everybody’s working toward their own roadmaps and some are very strong in one place and maybe not so much in another. We used to just be so focused on enrollment and eligibility information. But now, our eyes have been opened a bit as to what we can do to make the experience better, and be more proactive in preventing issues with that enrollment data. And so that really leads to plan build and Evidence of Insurability (EOI), and even quoting, all being an interconnected technology experience from quote to claim. 

Why did Prudential choose to partner with Ideon? 

One of the main reasons Prudential decided to partner with Ideon is because the folks at Ideon understand there’s more opportunity than just what’s being accomplished today. That willingness to say, ‘hey, there are opportunities to do things that have never been done before–let’s find a way to do it together.’ 

It gave us a lot of excitement for what we could do together, instead of being so siloed in, ‘the technology partner versus the carrier and whose roadmap is more important’. Instead, we have a partner like Ideon, where we are really both committed to delivering something new and better to the market. 

How are Ideon and Prudential working together to solve EOI data challenges? 

The EOI audit process that Ideon is creating for us is really taking the EOI rules that we have around our plans, and applying them to the enrollment data that’s received from the technology partner. The solution looks at how many of these folks have an amount approved over a guaranteed issue amount, and whether they actually went through the EOI decision process. 

By having this EOI audit in place, we can uncover problems before claims time, and prevent a negative claims experience. It’s really important to us to ensure that we’re doing that right. But we just didn’t have the mechanisms in our toolbox to create this. So, Ideon has helped us build this from the ground up. We’re really excited about the fact that it’s going to flush out issues much earlier on. 

It also ensures that the EOI decisions that we’ve made have been correctly updated into that technology platform. This actually serves in between as that connectivity, and reports back if we’ve approved something and it’s not updated in that downstream system. It’ll flush out issues and report it back to the platform, so we can make sure that it’s corrected. 

How does Ideon help improve data quality for carriers? 

The only thing that solves data quality issues is having robust validations on that data. Ideon has applied a more robust set of validations to all of our transactions. If the data is not in good order, Ideon catches it at the time they receive it and doesn’t pass it on to us. This helps keep bad data out of our system and reduces operational costs.”

What’s the state of API adoption in the benefits industry? 

I think we’re still in our infancy, maybe toddler stage, but we certainly have a long way to go. I remember sitting in a room full of carriers and we were having discussions around APIs in 2016, and it was like everybody wanted to be there by 2020. We’ve learned a lot since and we’ve seen how long this has taken, but I think like all technology, you’re going to see it start to accelerate. But how far along are we going to be? We might be getting ready to enter our teenage years. 

Get a Demo of EOI Audit by Ideon

Learn more about how Ideon’s EOI Audit solution can helps carriers reduce risk, identify missing EOI, and provide a better claims experience. Schedule a demo below.


Stay tuned for more episodes of Ideon Insights each month! To get the latest updates and industry trends, subscribe to our newsletter below. 

How carriers use quoting platforms to boost ancillary benefits sales

Posted on by Ideon

Summary

Market-leading ancillary and voluntary benefits carriers are leveraging digital quoting platforms to increase sales and expand their reach. These platforms simplify the quoting process for brokers, particularly in the small group market, and connect carriers to new opportunities, By integrating with these platforms, carriers are ensuring their products get more visibility and fostering stronger broker relationships.

A growing number of carriers selling ancillary products for employee benefits are overcoming initial concerns about third-party quoting platforms, embracing them and discovering a significant source of incremental sales. 

In the earliest days of these platforms — which enable brokers to gather quotes from multiple carriers — some insurers were concerned that their products would be reduced to a line on a spreadsheet. They wanted brokers to continue to get quotes from their reps or their websites, allowing them to build a relationship with agents and highlight the unique benefits of their products.  

Brokers, though, resisted the time-consuming process of gathering multiple quotes one at a time. Many had already used quoting platforms in personal and commercial lines and wanted the same convenience when pitching benefits plans. The platforms make preparing a client proposal much faster, and typically integrate quite well with agency management systems.  

Although brokers initially used the benefits quoting platforms to manage the complexity of group health policies, many appreciated how the platforms also streamlined quoting for ancillary products. They could find the right plans and add them to a proposal in a few clicks. 

The result: Carriers that chose to work with the quoting platforms discovered that they’re generating incremental sales. Rather than undercutting their existing relationships, the platforms connected carriers to brokers they had never worked with before.  

Success stories: Carriers are thriving by partnering with quoting platforms 

Principal Financial Group, for example, began distributing through quoting platforms as part of a strategy to convince brokers to add its ancillary products to group medical proposals. “A lot of brokers are finding their medical compensation is getting squished, so we can make it easy for them to add more lines of coverage,” said Eric Weiford, a senior relationship manager at Principal, in an Ideon webinar.  

“Platforms are not the enemy,” he added. “They get more eyes on our products from people who don’t know us today but will in the future.” 

The advantage is particularly powerful in the small group market, where the efficiency of quoting through platforms radically improves the economics for both brokers and carriers. 

“Efficiency is king, especially with small groups,” Elek Pew, Head of Digital Partnerships at Beam Benefits, told Ideon. “We pride ourselves on meeting distributors where they are. If they use a third-party system to quote business, we’ll find a way to integrate with that platform.” 

Beam’s modern, digitally-native systems and APIs allow it to generate custom quotes for any size group, even when it is connecting to brokers through a third-party platform. 

“There’s a huge opportunity to deliver real-time, custom underwritten rates to small groups, especially through quoting platforms,” said Hannah Thompson, a Beam senior solutions architecture manager, in the webinar. “We can provide really sharp rates that only large groups could benefit from in the past.” 

Exploring the quoting platform landscape 

More quoting platforms are entering the market each year, bringing a range of tools designed to enhance the quoting process for brokers and carriers alike. Some of the existing platforms in this space include: 

Additionally, some brokerages, such as Word & Brown, have developed their own proprietary platforms to further streamline the quoting process. 

Getting started: Integrating with quoting platforms  

Before carriers start working with benefit quoting platforms, they must decide how they will distribute their product details and rates. Those with up-to-date systems can connect in real time over an API. Carriers can also send their rates to the platforms in spreadsheets or other formats. Some have found that juggling communication with multiple platforms and keeping rates up-to-date can get cumbersome. 

A more efficient alternative? Carriers can work with data solutions companies like Ideon. A carrier simply provides its rates — in whatever format is convenient — and Ideon will distribute them to dozens of platforms over its proprietary API connections, providing brokers with a seamless quoting experience. Whenever carriers upgrade their systems to support quoting over APIs, Ideon can facilitate two-way communication to enable customized, underwritten quoting and other advanced services. 

Even for technologically advanced carriers like Beam, working with Ideon to get its products on quoting platforms provides the broadest possible distribution. “We’ll connect to third-party platforms directly if that’s their preferred method,” Thompson explained. “Some will say, ‘We want to connect through Ideon,’ and we’re more than happy to make that happen. 

“It makes our jobs a lot easier knowing we have a trusted player in the middle.”

Expand your reach to today’s leading quoting platforms, without any technical development. Carriers can reach out to Ideon here to get started.

Myths vs. Reality: Why Benefits Carriers Partner with Quoting Platforms

Posted on by Ideon

Over the past few years, leading ancillary and voluntary carriers have increasingly partnered with third-party quoting platforms. These platforms, favored by benefits brokers, allow for the quoting of plans from multiple carriers and streamline the proposal process. For brokers, it’s a way to save time, get more efficient, and offer more benefits options to their employer clients.

In this rapidly evolving landscape, it’s crucial to separate fact from fiction when it comes to partnering with third-party quoting platforms. Here, we debunk some common myths and present the realities of why carriers should embrace these platforms for a more efficient and expansive distribution strategy.

Myth 1: Working with Platforms Means Being “Spreadsheeted”

Reality: While carriers fear their plans will be reduced to a mere price comparison, the reality is that brokers already use spreadsheets to compare plans. By partnering with third-party platforms, carriers can ensure their value propositions are highlighted alongside their pricing. These platforms often have advanced features that showcase the unique benefits and differentiators of each plan, beyond just the cost. And besides, you can’t win if you’re not in the game – quoting platforms, at worst, are a way to get more visibility for your plans.

Myth 2: It’s Technically Challenging and Time-Consuming to Partner with Platforms

Reality: Integrating with third-party platforms might seem daunting, but solutions like Ideon make the process straightforward. Carriers get connected with multiple platforms through just one integration, and in many cases there’s zero technical work for the carrier. This not only saves time but also reduces the complexity and cost associated with building individual connections to each platform. Getting started with platforms isn’t nearly as challenging as carriers expect.

Myth 3: Brokers Would Rather Work Directly with Carriers

Reality: Brokers prefer the efficiency and convenience of using third-party platforms for quoting multiple carriers at once. These platforms provide a one-stop-shop experience that simplifies the quoting, comparison, proposal, and selection process. By being present on these platforms, carriers can meet brokers where they work and facilitate easier access to their products, increasing the likelihood of being included in proposals. Ultimately, it means greater opportunity for more sales.

Myth 4: Third-Party Platforms Decrease Control Over the Quoting Process

Reality: Carriers can maintain control and visibility over the quoting process even when using third-party platforms. Many platforms provide insights into who is quoting their products and allow carriers to receive detailed data back from the platform, including sold-case information. This transparency ensures carriers are not left in the dark and can continue to manage their business effectively.

Myth 5: Carriers Need Direct API Connections to Platforms for Fully Customized, Underwritten Quoting Experience.

Reality: Carriers often think that direct API connections to each platform are necessary to offer customized, underwritten quotes. However, Ideon enables carriers to provide fully customized, underwritten quoting experiences across multiple platforms without requiring individual integrations. As Hannah Thompson from Beam Benefits highlighted, API integrations allow carriers to “ingest census data, which means we can provide custom, underwritten, real-time bindable rates to these platforms.” Ideon facilitates this process through a single connection, accelerating time-to-market and ensuring a scalable and efficient way to meet the demands of brokers and employers.

Why leading carriers partner with quoting platforms

The ancillary benefits market is evolving, with third-party quoting platforms becoming integral to the distribution strategy. Brokers are increasingly relying on these platforms to quickly and efficiently quote plans from multiple carriers. As this trend continues, it’s crucial for forward-thinking carriers to engage with the platform ecosystem to stay competitive.

Partnering with these platforms offers several advantages:

  • Broader Reach: Carriers can expand their distribution network and reach more brokers and employers.
  • Increased Efficiency: The digital quoting process is faster and more efficient than traditional methods.
  • Enhanced Customization: For highly advanced carriers that are exploring quoting APIs — some even with custom underwriting functionality – quoting platforms provide a channel to get these modern capabilities into the market. Brokers appreciate the ease of use and comprehensive quoting capabilities, leading to stronger relationships.

Getting Started

The best carriers are already working with third-party platforms and optimizing their workflows to enable efficient quoting. Brokers want it, the ecosystem is growing, and the results speak for themselves.

Something to keep in mind: Platforms are eager for more carrier partnerships without the need for direct integrations. Ideon is a powerful option to facilitate these partnerships.

Carriers, through Ideon, can work with numerous platforms and maintain visibility into their quoting activity. And in many cases, carriers are even receiving sold-case information back from Ideon, creating a seamless experience from quote to proposal to sold case to enrollment.

The bottom line: There’s a fast, easy way for carriers to make this shift, ensuring they remain competitive in an evolving market. Embrace the transformation and join the growing number of carriers benefiting from third-party quoting platforms.

Expand your reach to today’s leading quoting platforms, without any technical development. Carriers can reach out to Ideon here to get started.

Ideon Insights: Pacific Life execs on building a digitally-native benefits division

Posted on by Ideon

Welcome to Episode 4 of Ideon Insights, our monthly interview series featuring thought leaders and innovators driving the benefits industry forward. In this episode, we talked with two leaders from Pacific Life’s new workforce benefits division, Bram Spector (CFO) and TJ Clayton (Head of Partner Management).

In this Q&A, Bram and TJ discuss building a digitally-native, startup-like benefits provider, backed by the resources and reputation of a 155-year-old insurance giant. They also explain why the benefits experience is ripe for digital innovation, how digital connectivity fueled Pacific Life’s go-to-market strategy, the role of Ideon, and their vision for the future.

Watch the full episode of Ideon Insights here. Below we’ve highlighted key moments from the conversation.

IDEON: Why did Pacific Life enter the benefits industry?

BRAM SPECTOR: Pacific Life has legacy and a track record of incubating and building new businesses. Our corporate strategy team spent a couple years evaluating options, various markets that we weren’t in previously, and ultimately made the decision that employee benefits was the place where we wanted to invest in building a new business.

Our strategy started by assembling a team of folks from across the group insurance industry who had spent the last 10, 15, 20 years of their careers in carrier roles and wanted an opportunity to deliver exceptional experiences to customers. We built a team that was focused on solving our customers’ biggest issues, then we did a ton of research to validate the pain points today across the industry.

We spent a lot of time challenging ourselves to understand why our competitors have not been able to solve those challenges. And then we architected our strategy around a series of experiences that are designed to make our customers’ and stakeholders’ lives better.

IDEON: Walk us through your initial launch strategy… what were your priorities?

BRAM SPECTOR: Ultimately, we decided to build the business based on a couple of key principles. One, we want to operate like a startup — agile, move quick, use an MVP-based approach to get to market. And two, we’re focused on building a digitally-native workforce benefits business. We’re also thrilled to launch with three technology partners: Employee Navigator, ADP, and Selerix.

IDEON: What does it mean to be a digitally-native benefits provider?

TJ CLAYTON: When we think about being digitally native, the key is not to just be digital for digital sake. What are the pain points, the friction points that brokers and employers experience all day, every day? That’s what we want to solve with a digitally-native approach.

What are the pain points around billing, around commissions, around setting up cases, enrollment, and file feeds? What are the challenges that make this industry what it is, and how do we turn those things on their head via a digitally native experience? We set out to solve problems, not to just put a digital label on a new logo and a new company.

BRAM SPECTOR: We’ve got the benefit of starting with a completely blank slate from an architecture perspective. We’re making sure we take advantage of that opportunity to really architect our experiences and our business processes in a way that supports our customers.

IDEON: What parts of the benefits experience did Pacific Life focus on initially?

BRAM SPECTOR: We heard resoundingly that the industry’s billing experience is terrible. It’s challenging, and frankly, it shouldn’t be. Onboarding, or customer implementation, is another issue that customers consistently have said is a pain point and a challenge. So we’ve got the opportunity to set a great first impression if we do that implementation right, and to set ourselves up for a successful customer relationship.

IDEON: From an API, digital connectivity standpoint, where have you prioritized development?

TJ CLAYTON: We’ve invested significantly in building API connections with key technology partners. The functionality that excites me the most is that first initial step, the case set up. We’re able to set up a case in 30 minutes or less with a click of a few buttons and an API pulling all of that information right out of Pacific Life’s core system, right into our partner system.

What used to be days, sometimes weeks of manually keying in eligibility rules and rates, class mapping, not to mention the error-prone nature of manual data entry — all the things you’d have to do just to get someone ready for enrollment — we’re making it happen almost in real-time.

IDEON: How does partnering with Ideon fit into Pacific Life’s digital connectivity strategy?

TJ CLAYTON: For us, it’s about getting out into the market quicker with more partners. If there was a time where we had a disconnect between our shared values, technically, and someone else’s, Ideon can help bridge that gap.

Obviously, we prefer to receive data via API, because we believe that that’s the way of the future and that’s going to differentiate us. If a partner is not ready to send data in that manner, but there’s other reasons why we should work with that partner and Ideon can help bridge that gap in terms of enrollment data exchange, well, then there’s a great fit right there. So for us, choosing to partner with Ideon was about helping us get out in the marketplace with more partners, in a technically advanced way. 

IDEON: Why is offering a great digital experience so important in the benefits industry?

BRAM SPECTOR: We want to simplify that experience so members can spend more time taking care of themselves, taking care of their families, instead of filling out endless forms to get their claims fulfilled.

Additionally, we’re looking to simplify the lives of brokers. While a lot of our digital experiences aren’t designed specifically for them, our connectivity strategy is designed to help make their lives easier. We’re simplifying the administration of benefits so that they can focus their time, their energy, and their limited capacity on helping their customers make the right decisions around how to protect their employees.

IDEON: What’s next for Pacific Life’s Workforce Benefits Division?

TJ CLAYTON: More partners, but not every partner. When I think about where we’re starting: no legacy technology, no legacy tech stack, the ability to have APIs throughout the whole value chain, but who’s ready to go on that journey with us? It’s not everyone. We want to bring the industry and bring the ecosystem along with us.

 

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Ideon Insights: Guardian’s Josh Weaver on APIs and digital partnerships

Posted on by Ideon

Welcome to Episode 3 of Ideon Insights, our monthly interview series featuring thought leaders and innovators driving the benefits industry forward. In this episode, we sat down with Josh Weaver, Head of Digital Ecosystem & Partner Management at Guardian Life, a leading provider of life, disability, dental, and vision insurance and other group benefits.

In this Q&A, Josh explains how Guardian leverages technology to enhance the benefits experience, their focus on API connectivity and strategic tech partner selection, and their collaboration with middleware solutions like Ideon. He also dives into Guardian’s real-time quoting capabilities, winning business in today’s small group market, and more.

Watch the full episode of Ideon Insights here. Below we’ve highlighted five key moments from the conversation.

IDEON: How do you evaluate and choose benefits technology partners?

JOSH WEAVER: To me, it all starts with value. Guardian is really focused on the overall well-being of our plan holders. So really, the first piece is, you want partners that are focused on the same thing. Are these partners focused on really improving the experience for our plan holders? Number two, we think about the entire lifecycle of a member, and really how do we, through connectivity, engage with these partners—API preferred—to create a better experience than Guardian could provide alone.

 

Do you select partners based on their connectivity capabilities?

If you’re not an API-enabled partner, there has to be a very unique value prop you’re bringing to market for us to want to partner with you in a commercial or a more strategic manner. If I fast forward five, six, seven years from now, I think you’re going to see API connectivity is replacing EDI.

So really, if you’re not on a modern technology stack, then you’re not necessarily the companies that we’re looking to partner with moving forward. 

 

​​Does connectivity impact which carrier a group chooses?

Benefits are still an extremely important part of the conversation. But it’s also around, as an employer, how does working with Guardian make my life easier? Do they work with my benefit administration platform? Do they offer online EOI or EOI API?

You’re seeing plan holders and brokers, when they’re recommending carriers to clients, they’re looking at not just what benefit package makes the most sense, but really what’s going to fit all of their needs. You’re seeing the technology, and that ecosystem-partnership piece, being just as important as the benefits conversation. If you have a subpar value prop with a platform, oftentimes the broker is not even going to recommend you or even look to quote you.

 

How does Ideon fit into Guardian’s digital strategy?

Guardian has the ability, through Ideon, to connect with multiple platforms that, for us to connect with each one of these individually, it’d be such a massive investment and endeavor. Working through Ideon allows us to get with more platforms faster.

As a carrier, there are only so many API connections you can build. So, the middleware allows us to access a greater number of platforms, which ultimately empowers the employer to be able to pick a broader set of platforms that are going to work well with Guardian. From our perspective, engaging with middleware really is about reaching more clients in the ecosystem they choose.

Just through the lens of BenAdmin and enrollment, the more connectivity you have, the better. There may be a reason that an employer chose a platform that Guardian is not integrated directly with. That’s fine. And that’s where the middleware allows us to really have that connectivity and expand our portfolio.

 

What digital solutions has Guardian implemented in the small group space?

I think an area that we’re really starting to push into—and push forward with Ideon—is really around real-time quoting capabilities. For us, if we think about the small group segment, a lot of brokers and group general agencies want to be empowered to self-quote, they want to be able to do it on their own time, on their platform.

And so really, utilizing that real-time quoting technology is an area that we are continuing to focus on. We feel like to create that shop through purchase through implemented-with-Guardian experience, where it’s a one-touch sales process, quoting technology is important. It can be a differentiator in the market.

 

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