Company: Danzer - A global leader in the hardwood industry, committed to sustainability and employee well-being. The Challenge: Unsustainable Costs & Barriers to Care Like many employers, Danzer faced rapidly rising healthcare costs, with their traditional PPO plan proposing a 75% stop-loss premium hike. The High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) structure, while seemingly offering savings, created financial barriers for employees, discouraging timely care and risking higher future costs. This conflicted with Danzer's need for budget predictability and their culture of valuing employees. The Sherrill Morgan Solution: Beyond the PPO – A Strategic Overhaul Danzer partnered with Sherrill Morgan to fundamentally redesign their healthcare approach, moving to a self-funded model with a focus on transparency, control, and employee experience: ●       Active TPA Partnership: Ensuring proactive plan management aligned with Danzer's needs. ●       Reference-Based Pricing (RBP): Establishing fair, transparent payment rates, moving away from opaque PPO "discounts" while maintaining broad provider access. ●       All-Copay Plan Design: Crucially, Danzer eliminated deductibles and coinsurance entirely. Employees now only have predictable copays for services, significantly improving access and ease of use. ●       Transparent Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM): Maximizing drug rebates and implementing targeted specialty pharmacy initiatives. ●       Strategic Stop-Loss Management: Actively marketing coverage annually to ensure competitive pricing. Game-Changing Results: Cost Control & Enhanced Employee Value The strategic shift yielded powerful, measurable long-term results: ●       Over $8.3 Million in Projected Savings (2019-2025): Compared to staying with their previous carrier. ●       An Additional $4.12 Million Saved vs. Inflation: Danzer didn't just avoid hikes; they beat typical healthcare inflation. ●       Market-Beating Performance: Costs 30% below the Mercer National average and family coverage 20% below the Kaiser Midwest PPO average. ●       22.8% Decrease in Per Employee Per Year (PEPY) Costs: From 2018 to 2025 (projected). ●       Improved Employee Experience: The all-copay structure was highly valued, with employees citing it as one of the best plans they'd experienced, thanks to simpler access and predictable costs. ●       Targeted Pharmacy Savings: Over $325,000 saved through early 2025 from specialty pharmacy initiatives alone. The Bottom Line: Strategic Benefits Design Delivers Danzer's success demonstrates that employers can break free from escalating healthcare costs. By challenging traditional models and partnering strategically, they achieved significant financial savings while simultaneously enhancing the value and accessibility of benefits for their employees. True cost control and employee satisfaction can go hand-in-hand.    Listen to this post on Spotify here   Read the full report here -