In our latest Real Talk, we heard from Diana Link of New Line Structures, along with Dennis Bartley Jr. of USI and Bud Cole of TrueSight Insurance Solutions. Their conversation was a sharp reminder that employers don’t have to accept the status quo but they do have to be willing to act before it’s too late.

A 40% renewal and a turning point

New Line was hit with a 40% renewal increase. For a company with a relatively healthy employee population, that number didn’t make sense, and as Diana pointed out, the lack of data transparency only added to the frustration:

“Why am I getting this renewal so high? Are you lumping me in with other companies? I have a healthy company.”

This is a familiar story for many HR and finance leaders. Renewals land on their desks with double-digit hikes, accompanied by little visibility into what’s really driving the numbers. Often the response is to tweak copays or shift costs to employees just to get through another year.  

New Line chose differently. But the key, as Dennis emphasized, is not to wait until a crisis forces your hand:  

“…taking a proactive approach to it seems to be, for me, the best way to handle this, not when you know the kitchen’s on fire.”

That mindset shift – acting early instead of scrambling late – set the stage for real and sustainable change.

Curated choices, real savings

With Centivo’s Partnership Plan, New Line saw firsthand what happens when you steer to curated, high-value providers. Procedures at nationally ranked hospitals came in at half the cost of other in-network facilities, with no drop in quality.

For employees, the value was tangible. As Diana explained: “you might love your doctor, but you know, I’m sure you can love $10,000 in your family budget, more for the year.”

This was more than a financial exercise — it was a redefinition of what “good benefits” mean. Instead of confusing employees with a thick provider directory, New Line’s approach gave them affordability, simplicity and access they could feel in their household budgets.  

An evolution, not a leap

Another lesson: change doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. New Line didn’t flip the switch overnight. They started level-funded and built confidence. Along the way, they added a transparent PBM and a virtual care practice — where employees “feel like they almost have a concierge service helping them” to navigate the system, according to Diana.

This gradual evolution created buy-in across leadership and employees alike. It also showed that bold change is possible without destabilizing the organization.  

What brokers need to hear

For brokers, Real Talk 4 underscored a different challenge: how you show up for clients. Both Dennis and Bud pushed hard on the problem of “defensive consulting” — brokers who spend more time explaining why ideas won’t work than putting new ones on the table.  

“My job is to bring every credible option forward and let the client say ‘no’.” – Dennis

“…they’re more concerned about something going wrong than ultimately giving the best strategic advice to save money.” – Bud

In other words, fear of losing an account can outweigh the courage to bring forward new strategies. But employers like New Line don’t want caretakers of the status quo — they want advisors who are constantly learning, presenting options and building trust through honesty.  

The takeaway

Too many employers wait until the fire is raging before they act. That’s when options shrink and pain multiplies.  

The lesson from New Line is clear: transparency and courage beat fear and delay every time. Costs don’t come down by luck — they come down when leaders are willing to rethink old assumptions and when brokers are proactive enough to keep bringing new ideas, even if they hear “no” along the way.  

Sustainable change doesn’t start with a 40% renewal. It starts the moment an employer decides the status quo isn’t good enough.