In our next installment of the Advisor Spotlight series, we feature our corporate advisor, Kevin Krzeminski, who has over 35 years of experience in the employee benefits insurance industry. He deeply understands this service’s importance for providing access to treatment and improving people’s lives. Kevin passionately advocates the value of disability & supplemental health insurance.

In this article, Kevin discusses the challenges facing the industry as well as the opportunity for carriers to improve the customer experience of cancer patients through personalization, digitalization, and efficient execution, leading to increased value for both members and employers.

We are thrilled to welcome Kevin to the Osara Health advisory team, sharing his absence and disability expertise.

The Real Value of Disability Insurance

The true worth of disability insurance lies in its ability to offer crucial financial security and mental comfort to individuals, allowing them to have a stable financial base as they embark on their treatment journey and recovery.

“The Insurance Industry serves such an honorable purpose and is there for people when they need it most. I really believe that it changes lives for so many through the benefit protection and life-changing relief for people in need.”

Disability insurance also enhances an employer’s offerings to their employees, showing that they are dedicated to supporting them during times of need. This fosters a motivated and empowered workforce, with employees feeling confident in their employer’s commitment to their well-being. Disability insurance is cost-effective for employers and employees when provided through the workplace. Ultimately, providing disability insurance is an investment in the long-term growth of a business–one that pays off in the form of increased employee satisfaction, retention rates, and productivity.

Osara’s Opportunity

Osara presents a unique opportunity for disability insurance Carriers. Despite efforts to address the challenges of cancer care, there is still a pressing need for carriers to differentiate and innovate in this area. This is especially true when it comes to delivering a more personalized and value-driven experience for employees and a crucial gap that Osara offers. Let’s look at an example of a cancer diagnosis: Cancer treatment is costly, and many individuals may not be able to work during treatment, which can lead to a loss of income. Disability insurance provides income protection to help individuals pay for medical expenses, household bills, and other financial obligations while they receive cancer treatment.

Furthermore, disability insurance that integrates with Osara’s program, can provide individuals with accurate cancer resources and access to a health coach to discuss their holistic health. Combining the carrier’s resources with Osara can improve their chances of recovery and their ability to return to work more quickly. A positive outcome for both the individual and their employer leading to decreased turnover rates and higher employee loyalty, which drives costs down and productivity higher.

Connecting With Osara

The key success driver and differentiator in years to come will be validating individual outcomes and providing a more personalized, value-driven experience. What resonates most about the technology-driven approach of Osara is how it is giving people diagnosed with cancer the much-needed guidance and personalized assistance to manage and navigate their care. Having gone through a cancer diagnosis myself, I understand how challenging this journey can be.

Navigating your way through a cancer diagnosis is very difficult and seeing how Osara provides personalized coaching, guidance and tailored resources would have made a meaningful difference. During my battle I did all I could to maintain my personal strength and not burden my family, but I can’t deny that it would have been extremely helpful to have had Osara’s support helping remove the weight on my back during that very difficult period.

So how can Carriers get ahead?

Disability management for cancer treatment faces numerous obstacles, such as the expensive cost of medical care and the unpredictability of results.

To stay ahead, insurance carriers should concentrate their innovation efforts on key areas:

• Access to High-Quality Specialty Coverage Options

Being able to provide access to quality services and support at all stages of cancer disability claim can help ensure employees receive optimal care, coverage, and financial stability. Creating a strong network with diverse partners who specialize in various fields such as medical care, social work, financial planning, job coaching, and therapy will greatly enhance the overall experience.

• Innovative Benefit Design Solutions

There needs to be a continuous focus on the new and creative ways that carriers design group disability insurance plans. These solutions aim to provide improved coverage options, reduce costs, and offer a more seamless experience for both insurance carriers and patients.

With thoughtful, innovative benefits design solutions, employers can be confident that they are offering comprehensive, quality coverage that meets the needs of all their staff members.

The key will be a focus on the claim experience and providing an extra level of support with coaching to help individuals experience improved outcomes, less confusion and stress, and the support needed to return to work faster.

It cannot be overstated the importance of early cancer intervention opportunities to help get individuals care early on in their journey. This is where Osara’s services can be so powerful, as the tools and resources available can make it easy for patients experiencing cancer to understand their options and make more informed decisions based on their unique situation. This guided and technology-driven process will help individuals receive care faster, which maximizes the chance of successful treatment and returning to work faster.

• Adopting digitalization of the process

If insurers want to get ahead of these costs, they will need to seriously consider how they can provide real value to employers and the real-life people who are experiencing and dealing with the difficulties of cancer.

By implementing these improvements with the utilization of technology and a focus on process and personalization, these improvements will flow through to employers and helping them to offer more supportive and in-depth employee benefits packages.

• Focus on achieving a Return-To-Work outcome

Carriers can provide more value to employers by placing focus on enabling employees to access personalized treatment that helps them to return to their normal lives faster. When designing these programs, carriers can help employers receive the following benefits:

• Improved outcomes: Encouraging claimants to return to work can improve their overall health outcomes and quality of life.
• Increased employee sentiment: Claimants who are able to return to work after cancer treatment may be more satisfied with their employer’s insurance coverage, which can improve employee retention.

Overall, a focus on return to work provides deeper value to employers and their employees who need focused care in order to recover and restart their normal lives.

Osara’s Opportunity Continued…

Additionally, employers often struggle with providing adequate coverage options, putting a strain on their resources. To overcome these challenges, it is crucial for employers to proactively implement innovative solutions to provide meaningful coverage and help affected workers return to work faster, reducing their overall cost of group disability insurance.

Personalization

With a personalized approach, carriers can simplify the claims process and improve the customer experience. Osara Coaches, who are trained and experienced in caring for cancer patients, provide additional support to customers, making the process of managing claims more efficient and convenient.

Efficiency in Execution

The Osara service offers a streamlined, patient-centric experience between cancer employees and their employer’s insurance carriers.

The combination of digital insight and personal coaching from experts helps to:

• Minimizes difficult-to-understand medical information
• Improves the efficiency of the patient journey
• Focuses on providing patient-centric care
• Helps guide patients with information and coaching to improve decision-making capabilities

Digitalization

By incorporating digital tools, the process of obtaining and managing disability insurance can be streamlined, making it easier for carriers to assess claims and offer tailored resources to meet individual needs.

The Osara app provides a range of features to manage health outcomes including tracking symptoms and accessing educational resources. Additionally, the app’s digitalization allows for better data collection and analysis, leading to improved patient outcomes.

Key Challenges Ahead

In its current state, many insurance carriers have a similar process that does not create a personalized experience for customers.

It is going to be important to utilize new approaches to service delivery that reduce the noise of the current process and remove any unnecessary aspects that are not driving meaningful value.

At its core, Osara’s mission is to redefine the experience of what it means to interact with an insurance company while utilizing new technological capabilities to help drive more convenience and guidance for the many different types of patient care experiences.

About Kevin

Kevin Krzeminski is a highly experienced leader in the employee benefits insurance industry, with a successful track record of developing and executing growth strategies.

Most recently at Sun Life, Kevin was responsible for leading the National Accounts Business unit. In this role he oversaw the creation of the business unit and the execution of its market penetration strategy.

He has extensive knowledge in the areas of distribution, client management, underwriting, risk management, pricing and strategic planning.

Before joining Sun Life, Kevin held senior execution positions at Liberty Mutual Insurance and CNA Insurance.

Kevin’s recent decision to retire gave him some time to reflect on his career as well as the future of the industry. Kevin found that he was eager to share his knowledge and expertise with a new generation of professionals, and he saw an opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the world of disability insurance and cancer care. Osara was the perfect fit for Kevin, providing him with a platform to give back and support others who were facing the same challenges that he had overcome in his own life. With his extensive background in the insurance industry and his passion for helping people, Kevin was the ideal candidate to join Osara’s advisory team and bring his unique perspective to the table.