With small businesses struggling to stay alive in Michigan’s slumping economy, the additional burden of rising health care premiums has many employers searching for more affordable options.
But often, employers find that what began as an endeavor to save money ends up turning into a confusing and downright unpleasant avalanche of paperwork.
‘When someone comes to me, my first goal is to compare apples to apples,? said Tim Sullivan of CTS Health, a company dedicated to taking confusion out of health care choices. ‘A lot of times, I can not only find a plan with better benefits, better hospitalizations, better emergency room care and prescriptions, I can also lower premiums.?
As the owner of CTS Health, Sullivan sorts the details, crunches the numbers, and makes an experienced recommendation to help small businesses and individuals understand benefits and drawbacks of dozens of potential plans.
Licensed by the State of Michigan, as well as with the insurance companies he represents, Sullivan has the knowledge to abridge a complicated decision for his clients. Reducing and condensing the mountain of brochures and handbooks to a side-by-side presentation, he said takes the confusion and guesswork out of choosing a plan.
‘I’ve created my own spreadsheets to help simplify the choice,? he said. ‘Anybody, any business can call these companies and get that information, but I take it and filter it and put all their benefits side by side.?
From Aetna to Humana to Blue Cross and dozens of others, Sullivan knows the details and the people to contact for answers.
The process starts, he said, with an information gathering session’first, what plan is the client currently using?
‘I want to know what you have right now,? he said, ‘so we can compare it, apples to apples.?
Sullivan also gathers census information from the group’the number of employees and their ages, who are the family members, and whether or not they have children.
‘All of that is critical in getting an accurate quote,? he said. ‘And then as much medical information as I can get. People don’t like giving out that information.?
Although he understands sensitivity to private health issues and assures clients complete confidentiality, Sullivan warns that disclosure is imperative to receiving an accurate quote.
Once a quote is obtained and the group signs up for a new plan, Sullivan makes sure concerns are addressed and questions are answered. Always.
‘When you call me, I’m calling you back that same day,? he said. ‘I might not have the answer, but I’m calling you back to let you know I got your message and I’m taking care of it.?
It’s not always easy or practical, he said, for a small business owner to take time to make calls to insurance companies, especially when it’s often difficult to interpret the answers coming across the line.
‘I want people to call me and I’ll get the answers,? he said. ‘You want to add new employees, I’ll add them for you. You have to make a change in your plan, I’ll make that change for you. I’m going to take care of all of your business.?
After all, he said, insurance is not just an employee benefit. Often, it’s the key to keeping or losing a talented employee.
‘Some agents will sell a plan that isn’t what the employees expected,? he said. ‘And all of a sudden, employees literally leave the business to go somewhere else and the guy loses his key employee, the one that makes him all the money, because he switched his insurance to save a few dollars.?
It is his commitment to service and making certain he is serving the needs of the client, said Sullivan, that sets him apart.
Although he earns a commission from the insurance companies when he sells a policy’the clients pay no fee’Sullivan knows that he’d be out of business in no time if he sold policies for his own benefit, rather than the client.
‘I’m offering a lot of honesty, and my service,? he said. ‘Because I am 100 percent service.
And, in an industry that often has unhappy customers and frequent buy-backs’people canceling their policy’Sullivan has a particular source of pride.
‘I’ve never lost a client, ever,? he said. ‘And referrals are the biggest thing I have going lately to build my business.?
CTS Health Insurance, Timothy C. Sullivan, owner, is located at 5351 Taylor Lane, Clarkston, MI 48346. For more information, call 248-942-2407, or e-mail:
? tsullivan@ctshealth.com or
? tsullivan@ctshealthinsurance.com.
Check the Websites:
? www.ctshealth.com, which contains information for small groups and individuals, and
? www.ctshealthinsurance.com, creates instant individual quotes at our automated quote engine site.