J. Madison-Bentley Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information:
Beatrice A. Townsend, VP & Sr. Partner
Email: jmadisonbentley@aol.com
Website: http://www.jmadisonbentley.com

November 25, 2002

As Employer Health Insurance Costs Continue To Rise In Double-Digits, An Innovative Consulting Firm Offers A Unique Approach To Help Companies Cut Healthcare Costs
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(Irvine, California) J. Lara Juanillo, President and CEO of J.Madison-Bentley (JMB), announced today the launch of its new consulting firm and website www.jmadisonbentley.com. JMB is in the business of providing employee benefits consulting, provider practice management, and process improvements.

“Employers are again facing double-digit health insurance rate increases. We all hear the same reasons year-after-year of renewal --- soaring medical and pharmacy costs, aging population, and increasing utilization. But do these trends really apply to your own company? What if your insurers made the wrong assumptions? What if they miscalculated your rates? The question is: How would you know? Too many companies today take health insurance rates at face value and are not even involved in the rate negotiation process”, says Juanillo.

JMB is implementing an innovative approach by putting the most important piece, employers, back in the picture. “The most important part of employee benefits, rate negotiations, simply cannot be 100 percent delegated or outsourced. Our experience shows us that employers save an average of 5-10 percentage points more than those who are not directly involved in rate negotiations. And each percentage point saved can contribute thousands or millions of dollars to a company’s profitability instead of to the insurers,“ explains Juanillo.

“Additionally, we are not replacing employers’ important relationships with their brokers and consultants. Quite the contrary; JMB is strengthening the rate negotiation team by providing all parties --- employers, brokers, and consultants with winning edge tools and techniques to increase pricing knowledge and save costs. These days, employers must have the best ammunition to obtain the most competitively priced benefits for their employees. And JMB is here to help.”

JMB wants to redefine healthcare pricing. “We must define what is fair and accurate pricing from the perspective of employers, brokers, and consultants, not just insurers,” adds Juanillo. “The way to do this is to increase companies’ understanding of employer risks, identify what is right or wrong about their pricing, and ask insurers very powerful questions. This is the essence of what we call “Health Benefits Pricing Intelligence”.

Ms. Juanillo has 19 years of experience in the health insurance field, including 15 years pricing health benefits for large insurance companies such as United Healthcare, Blue Cross, and CIGNA. She has also represented Fortune 100 corporations in successful rate negotiations and saved them millions of dollars in annual premiums.

Ms. Juanillo is also the author of an upcoming book titled “Health Benefits Pricing Intelligence”, A Practical Guide for Employers, Brokers, & Consultants Costs.   The book explores ways to reduce health insurance premiums before or without cutting benefits.   For more information visit our website: www.jmadisonbentley.com.

About J.Madison-Bentley
J. Madison-Bentley provides employee benefits consulting with emphasis on healthcare pricing, provider practice management, and process improvements. In addition, the firm sponsors health insurance seminars and publishes newsletters and other information on helping companies, brokers, and consultants reduce healthcare costs. Please visit our website at www.jmadisonbentley.com for more information.
 

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