Hal Schlenger, Great South Benefits Group (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 340)
Hal Schlenger maintains that the health insurance industry is broken, and he joined John Ray to consider how business owners can rethink the way they offer health insurance to their employees. “North Fulton Business Radio” is produced virtually from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.
Great South Benefits Group
Great South Benefits Group was founded in 1989 by David Combs and Jack Tester. Back when they first founded the company their goal was to educate the larger market (employers with 100 or more employees) on the power of self-funding their insurance. They were able to help large employers save millions on their health insurance premiums. Since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 they have now begun to offer services to employers with as little as 5 employees.
Hal Schlenger, Director of Business Development / Client Services, Great South Benefits Group
The healthcare system is broken. Premiums continue to climb. There’s no price transparency. It’s complex, complicated, frustrating. And then there are surprise bills. To lower your premiums, that’s what Hal fixes with creative and transformative health insurance and employee benefits. His personal attention designing and then supporting groups and individuals is an extension of his highly effective, client-recommended client/account management roles.
Hal believes that small/mid-size businesses & individuals are key to our country’s economic success, so he is passionate about finding ways to support them.
Keys to his success are facilitating discovery sessions, listening to clients’ needs, and aligning products with what is valued, and regularly educating his clients.
Prior to being a benefits broker, Hal worked in Silicon Valley as well the Northeast US in technology with innovative companies including Earthlink and DISH Network. In Atlanta for more than 20 years, Hal is also a sailing instructor, active in the religious interfaith community, a member of the Technology Assn of Georgia, and with his wife, recently fostered their 94th rescued golden retriever. Hal is married to Alison, has one son, and graduated from ‘the other Orange school,’ Syracuse University.
Questions and Topics in this Interview:
- Why should a business offer health insurance?
- What are the biggest pain points these business leaders are feeling when it comes to navigating these options?
- What are some of the biggest misconceptions that small and mid-sized business leaders have about the healthcare options that are available to them?
- What evidence is that that the health insurance system in the US is broken?
- What is the biggest reason why the healthcare system is so broken?
- What should businesses do to attract and retain good employees while protecting the company’s bottom line?
North Fulton Business Radio” is hosted by John Ray and produced virtually from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.
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