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Community Practice Feature: Promote Business Growth and Preserve Workforce Potential

posted by TrueNorth Companies on Tuesday, October 29, 2024

As business owners across the state anticipate another year of rising healthcare costs, many are left wondering whether their health insurance plans will help or hinder business growth. 

According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the cost of employer health insurance rose 7% for a second straight year, maintaining a growth rate not seen in more than a decade. While many businesses are making efforts to absorb costs and shield their employees from higher premiums, workers are bearing those costs in other ways, ranging from smaller annual raises to job cuts. 

Today, success is often defined by how well companies can adapt and evolve with limited resources. To challenge the status quo, TrueNorth is assisting companies of all sizes by helping them build and finance healthcare programs that also educate and empower their employees to be good stewards of their health plans.  

Helping organizations manage costs in the face of rising premiums.

Like many area businesses, TrueNorth client, CR Signs, knows how difficult it can be to manage plan costs while keeping their benefit offerings competitive. “Healthcare has always been a moving target for us, and I don’t see that changing,” says Aaron Vosmek, chief executive officer of CR Signs. A respected name in commercial signage throughout the state, Vosmek and his team have ambitions to expand their footprint and capabilities even further – all while continuing to offer a competitive benefits plan for their workers.

Mutual clients for over a decade, CR Signs has built a strong rapport with TrueNorth’s team of benefits specialists. “In the process of doing signage for TrueNorth, we got acquainted with their staff and business,” Vosmek recalls. “The partnership aligned with our company values, and we knew they could help us grow.” 

Each year, TrueNorth and CR Signs dedicate time to assessing the company’s current health plan to ensure it serves the company and its employee base. This proactive approach has distanced TrueNorth from competitors.

“In the past, we just got renewals and rate increases,” says Vosmek. “TrueNorth has been more hands-on, navigating the waters for us and helping structure our plans year over year.”

Over the years, the partnership has yielded a benefits program that supports CR Signs employees and their families while giving Vosmek and his team resources and flexibility to grow the business. “TrueNorth offered us options with different providers while keeping their quotes competitive,” says Vosmek. The plan is designed to offer attractive benefits to every member of their growing team and ensure right-fit plan options for employees at every stage of life.

As CR Signs expands into new verticals, like architectural canopies, they trust TrueNorth will adapt and evolve to keep pace. “As we grow, health care will always be one of our top priorities,” says Vosmek. “Despite premiums ticking up, TrueNorth continues to prioritize our employees and deliver solutions that keep our price points where they need to be.”

Solutions that meet the complexities of a growing business.

In addition to rising healthcare costs, organizations like TrueNorth client, Don Hummer Trucking, are exposed to higher health-related risks based on the nature of their industry. “Being a driver is a difficult job in itself,” says Jake Von Feldt, vice president of finance for Hummer Trucking. “For the average CDL holder in their mid-forties, prioritizing mental and physical health behind the wheel of a truck for days at a time is an entirely different challenge.”

In 2023, Hummer Trucking joined The Community Advantage ConsortiumTM, a captive comprised of 13 Eastern Iowa companies that understood the value of strength in numbers. The platform has made it possible for these companies to reduce health insurance premiums while increasing the quality of care for thousands of employees.

“The platform TrueNorth created is dramatically different from what a traditional insurance vendor can provide,” says Von Feldt. “It’s able to loop together data from disparate systems and providers to give our employees a complete view of their health options.”

Beyond cost savings, the platform can inform and empower recruitment efforts, as well. “Our drivers travel all over the United States,” says Bidi Chavez, human resources manager for Don Hummer. “Making benefits available on demand helps us retain and recruit candidates. Our drivers also appreciate having benefits resources at their fingertips.”

With efforts to expand the platform across the state, TrueNorth is looking to bring additional cost savings and value to even more Iowa-based businesses.

There are a variety of ways to combat health insurance rate increases. TrueNorth has spent the last twenty-plus years creating partnerships, building industry acumen and engineering solutions that extend beyond the insurance policy. Complete the form or visit the link below to learn how we can help your business address risk and align solutions.

Learn how TrueNorth can help you grow your business and optimize your workforce.

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This article was reposted from thegazette.com, click here to view the original article.

About CR Signs

A leader in commercial signage and architectural canopies, CR Signs’ work includes projects in Kingston Yard and Kinnick Stadium, showcasing their expertise and commitment to quality. Learn more about their vast capabilities at www.CRsignsinc.com.

About Don Hummer Trucking

Founded in 1975, Don Hummer Trucking has been a trusted name in freight transportation for nearly half a century and continues to be a family-owned and operated transportation partner to many of the largest shippers in the country. Hummer is based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We invite you to learn more at www.donhummertrucking.com.