After a decade buried in underwriting and marketing on the property and casualty side of the business, Julie Bartl hooked up with Johnson Kendall and Johnson Benefits Inc. This was back in 2003.
Bartl, vice president of the firm's benefit division, works with mid- to large-size employer groups, in segments of technology, health care, business services and manufacturing.
But Bartl is far from all work and no play. She remains active with local nonprofit groups specializing in behavioral health issues while also offering support to associations promoting women in business.
Johnson, Kendall & Johnson, based in Newton, Penn., is a full-service insurance brokerage and risk management firm that's been around more than 50 years. JKJ offers "a combination of personalized service, loss control capabilities, claim consulting and innovative program design in property & casualty and risk management, group benefits and personal insurance."
CD: How/why did you get into the business?
JB: In the process of working on the property and casualty side of the industry - on both the brokerage and carrier sides of the business - I was able to see all facets of how successful organizations ran their business. I was recruited into the benefits side of the business by my current employer Johnson, Kendall & Johnson about six years ago.
CD: What's made you so successful?
JB: The secret to my success is in direct correlation to what I like most about my job and that is learning about my prospects' and clients' businesses. I learn about their operations, their employees, their marketplace, their industry competitors and what their strategic plans are for the future of their company. My experience has shown that most business owners aren't experts in health and welfare benefit plans or the insurance industry but they have an acute understanding how these issues impact their business. It's arrogant to think we can provide a service to a business owner without fully understanding what their needs are and how our solutions relate to those business needs.
CD: How has the economy treated you and how has it affected consumer-driven health care?
JB: The economy has been tough on everyone. When the economy is under the duress we have seen over the past couple of years it is clear that change has to occur. The positive is that businesses are becoming more efficient and people are more in tune with costs and utilization of services that health and welfare plans afford. It is an opportunity for people to become better consumers of their health care.
CD: Where do you see CDHPs going over the next five years or so? And how much of their success or failure relies on broker's educating clients about them?
JB: With health care reform I anticipate that more organizations will offer and employees will embrace consumer-driven health care products. There are pockets in the country that have more CDHP products in place than others. If a broker uses the CDHP model as a means to drive premiums down but does not drive the value in the plan then we will likely see more failure than success in the plans. Conversely if we begin to educate groups on the benefits of a CDHP and create a mindset around the concept ultimately these plans can be widely accepted and successful.
CD: What do you see as the biggest obstacle to wider acceptance of these plans?
JB: Fear is the biggest obstacle to most things and CDHPs are no exception. Employers fear that their employees will not understand or value the plans and individuals are afraid of taking the "risk" associated with a CDHP. In difficult economic periods people tend to plan more and practice more financial accountability. It's the unplanned medical issue that creates fear of these types of insurance mechanisms.
CD: What are your thoughts regarding health care reform? What kind of changes have you seen (either on the carrier or employer levels) since it became law? What do you expect to see?
JB: The process of getting to health care reform was a disappointment. I never saw reform as a political issue. Having said that - it was not a process that should have been rushed through Congress. Meeting artificial deadlines became the issue rather than the content of reform. I expect some unintended consequences from health care reform. The term "affordable health care" is relative. To a business owner it means lower premiums for quality care. For an employee it means less money out of their paycheck or at point of care. At this juncture the trends are rising premiums and higher co-pays or deductibles. I expect that trend to continue over the next couple of years.
CD: How do you see this business five years from now?
JB: Optimistically the medical costs trends should level out from more proactive preventative health care initiatives. It is wise to consider the cost of a healthy workplace as an investment in the business as opposed to an expense. I believe that employers and employees will embrace that kind of change in order to get a return on the investment. Competition in any form is good for the consumer. If the federal government has the resources to provide more cost effective and quality health care solutions it will provide private insurers the motivation to react accordingly.
