Why Multi-Carrier Comparisons?
Today's clients expect choice. Multi-carrier comparisons let you show all options side-by-side, demonstrating your market knowledge and thoroughness.
Building Multi-Carrier Proposals
- Upload documents from each carrier separately for best accuracy
- Select plans to compare - Mix and match across carriers
- Normalize benefit categories - BART aligns similar benefits
- Apply filters - Show only relevant plans (e.g., PPOs, HDHPs)
- Model contributions - Calculate costs consistently across carriers
Advanced Filtering
Filter plans by:
- Plan type: PPO, HMO, HDHP, EPO
- Network: Narrow vs. broad network
- Deductible range: Show only plans $1,000-$3,000
- Premium range: Filter by cost tier
- Carrier: Include/exclude specific carriers
Comparison Strategies
Apples-to-Apples Comparison
Compare similar plan designs across carriers:
- All PPOs with $1,500 deductibles
- All HDHPs with HSA eligibility
- All HMOs with zero copay primary care
Tiered Approach
Group plans into tiers (Gold, Silver, Bronze):
- Gold: Low deductible, high premium
- Silver: Mid-range deductible and premium
- Bronze: High deductible, low premium
Best-in-Class
Show the best plan from each carrier:
- Lowest total cost
- Best network access
- Most comprehensive benefits
Presenting to Clients
Make multi-carrier proposals easy to understand:
- Highlight differences: Use color coding for better/worse values
- Add context: Note network size, regional strengths
- Include recommendations: Flag which plans you suggest and why
- Show employee impact: Calculate costs for typical employee profiles
Common Challenges
Benefit Normalization
Carriers use different terminology for similar benefits. BART normalizes:
- "Office visit" vs. "PCP visit" vs. "Primary care"
- "Generic drug" vs. "Tier 1 Rx" vs. "Formulary generic"
- "Individual deductible" vs. "Per person deductible"
Rate Structure Differences
Carriers may use different rate structures:
- Composite (flat) rates vs. age-banded
- 4-tier vs. 3-tier structures
- Employee+Children as separate tier or not
BART converts all rates to a common structure for accurate comparison.