Break Up with Your Broker

Most employers feel reasonably comfortable – or at least loyal – to their current broker relationship. On the surface, everything seems fine. But when we start asking deeper questions, it often becomes clear that many organizations have simply grown accustomed to a renewal cycle that doesn’t truly serve them or their people.

The Commute No One Wants

If you’ve ever been stuck in rush hour, you know the feeling. At best it’s a miserable crawl forward. At worst, there’s a full-on car wreck that brings everything to a standstill. For many organizations in the small to mid-market, the annual benefits renewal process feels the same. Each year, your broker shows up late in the cycle with a spreadsheet that illustrates you’ll need to pay more and get less. You’re presented with a few flashy alternatives that don’t really fit your business reality. Then, with little time left on the clock, you’re forced into rushed decisions – without meaningful data and with barely enough time to communicate changes to your employees. It’s the benefits equivalent of gridlock: frustrating, inefficient, and leaving you to wonder why this is the only way forward.

Why It Feels This Way

Over time, employers have been conditioned to believe that this process is “just how it works.” The same congested highway. The same bottlenecks. The same powerless feeling. But the truth is, there is another way. At Borislow, we believe employers shouldn’t be victims of the renewal cycle. By starting earlier, leveraging predictive analytics, and understanding your organization’s risk profile, you can make thoughtful decisions that align strategy with value. Done right, you’re no longer stuck in traffic – you’re flying above it.

Signs It’s Time to Rethink the Relationship

If you only hear from your broker at renewal time

A once-a-year call to talk renewal isn’t a strategy. In today’s environment – with escalating costs and shifting regulations – you need an advisor who is in dialogue with you throughout the year. If your broker only appears annually with bad news, they’re managing transactions, not guiding your business.

If your broker isn’t bringing data to the table

Spreadsheets illustrating disappointing alternative options alone aren’t enough. Employers without traditional access to claims data deserve predictive analytics and a clear view of their risk profile. Without those insights, you’re essentially driving blind. If your broker isn’t equipping you with real data early in the process, they’re not setting you up for proactive, intentional decisions.

If strategy isn’t aligned with your company’s growth

Your benefits strategy should evolve alongside your business. A rapidly growing workforce requires a different approach than a stable, mature organization. If your options feel generic year after year, your broker likely hasn’t taken the time to align benefits strategy with your business strategy.

If renewal always feels rushed and chaotic

The renewal process will never be effortless, but it also shouldn’t feel like a multi-car pileup every year. If you’re constantly facing short timelines, limited options, and rushed communications, that’s a process failure. A better approach starts months earlier, educates you along the way, and only marries concepts to pricing after you’ve had time to reflect on what makes sense for your business and people.

Loyalty Where It Matters Most

Relationships matter, and most brokers genuinely care about their clients. But as a fiduciary, your loyalty doesn’t belong to a broker or a vendor. It belongs to your employees and their families – the people who rely on you to provide affordable, high-quality care.

If your current broker isn’t helping you get there, it may be time to rethink the relationship. You don’t have to accept gridlock forever. There is a better way forward.