Brock Health was started in late 2006 out of a basement office in Calgary. Since then, the business has grown a great deal both in size and in experience. Our founding director, Keith Peden, takes a moment to share insights about Brock Health and the medical benefits sector.
Why did you decide to open a business offering Health Spending Accounts (HSA)?
I spent a large part of my career as an IT consultant working as my own company. In speaking with my colleagues in similar circumstances, I learned that deductible business expenses which also provide collateral value to myself and my family are the biggest advantage of that business structure. Health and dental benefits top the list of those type of expenses, so I went looking for a provider and signed up. After a few years, I realized the entire industry charged unnecessarily high fees, with only satisfactory service. When I looked at industry websites, they were tired, old marketing pitches with very little helpful information. It didn’t take long before I concluded “We can do a better job than that.” So, we did.
Why do you think every Canadian business needs an HSA?
Canada is amongst the truly great countries of the world. Universal healthcare is a fundamental part of that, although not everything is covered under the umbrella. So, good companies offer health and dental benefits to their employees to bridge that gap. Currently, a business owner can only get health and dental benefits from an insurance company or an HSA provider. Insurance companies charge premiums to cover every employee whether they make claims or not. An HSA only charges a fee when an employee submits a claim; that is a big difference and a huge saving for the employer. Every company, whether large or small, should start with an HSA and add insurance as they need it.
What do you think sets Brock Health apart from other companies?
Excellent customer service at a fair price. Those words are the reason we started 13 years ago, and that will never change. We don’t rely on slick salespeople or costly marketing to bring in new customers. We run our business on referrals from existing customers. We keep our fees low by managing our business expenses. When we make mistakes, we fix the problem as promptly as we can, at our expense. We treat our staff very well and they, in turn, provide excellent customer service to our clients. If that is the secret sauce that sets us apart, I guess it’s not very secret.
Where do you think the medical benefits sector is headed?
Health and dental benefits through an HSA provider are a benefits industry disruptor. Costs are lower and coverage is broader. As the decades pass, more companies are going to realize this. I would think over time the number of businesses with HSAs through an HSA provider will only climb.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to Canadian businesses about their benefit plans?
Businesses engage vendors to provide auxiliary routine services that are not central to their own main product or service. Benefit plans are one of those auxiliary services. Business owners use a variety of ways to find vendors. As frustrating as it is, the trial and error method is the most common. My piece of advice to Canadian businesses about their benefit plans is: Give Brock Health a try and you’ll find a benefit plan vendor to end your trial and error process.
No comments yet.