Title: Group Health Insurance Renewal Strategy
Source: https://ethosbenefits.com/services/renewals
Publisher: Ethos Benefits
Summary: Ethos Benefits starts your health plan renewal at least six months early, markets it to carriers and vendors, and puts every option in front of your committee.

1.  [Home](https://ethosbenefits.com/)
2.  [Services](https://ethosbenefits.com/services)
3.  Renewals and marketing.

# Renewals and marketing. Start six months out.

Your renewal decides most of next year's cost, and it is often decided in a few weeks. Ethos Benefits starts marketing at least six months before renewal, gathers underwriting data, compares bundled and unbundled options, reviews Medicare, COBRA and family glitch risks, and gives your committee every option side by side.

[Request a Strategic Analysis](https://ethosbenefits.com/strategic-analysis)

## What you get.

When the renewal arrives a few weeks before open enrollment, the only choices left are to accept it or cut benefits. Starting early is what creates other options.

1.  **RFPs issued early** Marketing started at least six months before the renewal date, through Ethos Fiduciary Procurement.
2.  **Underwriting data** Census, claims and large claim information assembled once and sent to every bidder.
3.  **Bundled and unbundled options** Traditional carrier packages compared with separate administrator, network, pharmacy and stop-loss contracts.
4.  **Risk review** Medicare coordination, COBRA and family glitch exposure reviewed before the plan is set.
5.  **Committee decision meetings** A pre-renewal meeting, an alignment meeting and a final decisions meeting, each with the situation, the complication and the options.
6.  **Kickoff record** The final decisions, the committee’s reasoning, contributions and the compensation disclosure in one signed kickoff document.

## The renewal _timeline._

| When | What happens |
| --- | --- |
| **Six months out** | Strategy check against your Fiduciary Framework™; underwriting data gathered; RFPs issued |
| **Four to five months out** | Bids scored; pre-renewal meeting with your committee |
| **Three months out** | Finalists, negotiation and contract redlines; alignment meeting |
| **Two months out** | Final decisions recorded; kickoff document signed |
| **Before open enrollment** | Communications, enrollment materials and system setup |

## Decided by _your committee._

Every option is presented to your committee in the same form: the situation, the complication and the options, with the cost and the trade-offs. The decision and its reasoning are recorded, so next year’s renewal starts from what was decided and why.

## Part of your Fiduciary Framework™.

Every Ethos service reports to your benefits committee. The work is reviewed at your quarterly committee meeting, each decision is recorded with the reasoning behind it, and the record lives in your Ethos Fiduciary OS. That is what lets your committee show the plan was run prudently.

[See the Fiduciary Framework™](https://ethosbenefits.com/fiduciary-framework) · [How fiduciary governance works](https://ethosbenefits.com/services/fiduciary-governance)

## Related reading.

-   [**Your health plan renewal timeline** Insight: A month-by-month health insurance renewal timeline for employers, from claims review 12 months out to open enrollment and the notices due before January 1.](https://ethosbenefits.com/insights/health-plan-renewal-timeline)
-   [**Level funded vs. fully insured** Benefits 101: Level funded vs fully insured, side by side: monthly cost, who carries claims risk, surplus refunds, run-out liability and compliance, with a comparison table.](https://ethosbenefits.com/benefits-101/level-funded-vs-fully-insured)
-   [**Self funded vs. fully insured** Benefits 101: Self-funded vs. fully insured health plans, plus level funding and reference-based pricing, compared on risk, cash flow, data, state law and filings.](https://ethosbenefits.com/benefits-101/self-funded-vs-fully-insured)
-   [**Don't make this one mistake when benchmarking your health plan** Insight: Withholding claims data when you benchmark or market your health plan leads to weak bids and bigger increases later. Why full disclosure gets better offers.](https://ethosbenefits.com/insights/health-plan-benchmarking-mistake)

[Browse everything in Learn](https://ethosbenefits.com/learn)

## Questions employers ask about this.

When should a renewal start?

At least six months before the plan year begins. That leaves time to gather data, market the plan, negotiate contracts and implement changes without rushing.

What is the family glitch?

Before 2023, family members of an employee offered affordable self-only coverage could not get exchange subsidies, even if family coverage was expensive. The IRS changed the rule, so family members can now qualify if family coverage is unaffordable. That changes how some employers think about dependent contributions.

Do we have to change carriers to save money?

No. Changing carriers without a strategy rarely changes the trend. The renewal is measured against your three to five year plan, and sometimes the best option is a better contract with the incumbent.

## Keep reading Related to this page.

-   [**Procurement and contracts** Ethos Fiduciary Procurement is how Ethos Benefits runs RFPs for PBMs, TPAs, stop-loss and other plan vendors, scores every bid and negotiates the contract. _Read more_](https://ethosbenefits.com/services/procurement)
-   [**Underwriting and rate analysis** Ethos Benefits checks the underwriting behind your renewal, projects claims from your data, and builds premium equivalent rates for self-funded plans. _Read more_](https://ethosbenefits.com/services/underwriting)
-   [**Benefits strategy** Ethos Benefits builds a three to five year strategy for your health and welfare plans: goals, plan design, vendor direction and targets your committee tracks. _Read more_](https://ethosbenefits.com/services/benefits-strategy)
-   [**Cost containment** Ethos Benefits evaluates and contracts cost containment for your plan: reference-based pricing, direct contracts, direct primary care and pharmacy programs. _Read more_](https://ethosbenefits.com/services/cost-containment)
-   [**Mergers and acquisitions** Ethos Benefits reviews employee benefits and health plan risk in mergers and acquisitions, and plans the integration so employees keep coverage on day one. _Read more_](https://ethosbenefits.com/services/mergers-and-acquisitions)
-   [**PEO evaluation** Ethos Benefits helps employers decide whether to join, stay in or leave a PEO for benefits by comparing the full cost and control against a plan of your own. _Read more_](https://ethosbenefits.com/services/peo-evaluation)

## See what your plan is really costing you.

A Strategic Analysis starts with your plan documents and your broker agreement, then shows you what your plan costs, where the risk sits, and what a committee would decide with the full picture.

[Request a Strategic Analysis](https://ethosbenefits.com/strategic-analysis) [Call (407) 803-4710](tel:+14078034710)