How a Physical Therapist Overcame Barriers to care by Becoming a Benefits Specialist
Physical therapy can help patients reclaim their health and improve their quality of life, but only if care is accessible. As a physical therapist, Trevor Baker saw first-hand how insurance complications created barriers to care. He believed a better way was possible. Getting others to embrace change proved challenging, but instead of giving up, he took on a second career as a benefits consultant specializing in self and level funding, working with providers, employers and members to create a more sustainable and cost effective solution.
Getting Employers on Board
H2B facilitates direct plans, enabling employers to contract directly with healthcare providers. As a healthcare provider, Trevor was excited about this solution, and he wanted to get on board. The problem was getting brokers and employers on board.
Even though innovative health plan alternatives were available, brokers weren’t always showing their employer clients what was possible.
Once again, Trevor encountered a barrier, and once again, he found a solution by taking matters into his own hands. He decided to open his own benefits consulting firm and offer these plans himself.
Trevor Baker is a trained physical therapist who also works as a benefits consultant.
He uses his unique experience to help employers and providers leverage direct plans. Trevor focuses on level-funded or self-funded health plans.
Most of his clients utilize direct contracts with H2B.
Key Achievements:
- Helping employers save money
- Setting up $0 deductible plans so members can afford treatment
- Finding real, sustainable solutions that are a win for employers, members and providers
Doing What's Right
In 2020, Trevor formed his own benefits consulting firm, Baker Benefits. If employers are happy with traditional carriers, they can go to any broker and access plan options. Trevor works with the employers who aren’t getting their needs met in the traditional health plan market – and that group is growing every year.
His goal is to ensure that everyone involved in the healthcare relationship benefits from it. The way he sees it, when everyone wins, everyone is happy. When only one or two parties win, no one is happy.
This includes Trevor himself. He might be able to make a faster buck selling traditional plans, but that’s not why he got into benefits. “I focus on genuine need,” he says. “Finding the most genuine and sustainable solution that brings strong value is the key.”
Making a Difference
Since becoming a consultant, Trevor has been particularly successful with smaller, level-funded groups. These groups are often hit with price increases of 18% to 22%, but Trevor can find them options with increases of 5% to 6% max. One year, he was even able to offer one of his unbundled, self-funded clients a negative renewal!
He can also offer $0 deductibles. It’s a sustainable option that’s simply in another league compared to traditional, fully funded plans.
“Most brokers look for the plan that sucks the least,” Trevor says. “I believe in solving things. There are levers you can pull that can make things more successful.”
More often than not, the solution is a direct plan. H2B’s direct health partnership model doesn’t make sense for every employer, but for the right group, it can be a gamechanger. Groups that have high claims have a lot to gain since they’re often hit with high costs in the traditional market.
Key Takeaways
- Identifying a problem firsthand can inspire innovative career and business solutions.
- Direct collaboration between stakeholders can lead to more efficient and cost-effective outcomes.
- Challenging traditional industry practices can create new opportunities for growth and improvement.
- Alternative funding models can significantly reduce long-term costs for organizations.
- Improving affordability increases access to important services for consumers.
- Sustainable solutions are most successful when they benefit all parties involved.