Come on in, the water's fine

The Pool is made up of over a hundred member entities, all proud to be a part of our mission to provide best-in-class, affordable benefits to the people who work so hard every day in our local communities. Curious who these members are?

Take a closer look
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Where we've come from

The Pool was formed in 2005 by eight West Michigan school districts with the same mission – to reduce their health insurance costs by managing their own benefit plans. Now, we've expanded to include public-service organizations across Michigan, covering more than 30,000 lives.

We remain true to our humble beginnings and committed to having a positive impact on every member's life and wellbeing. We hear what is top-of-mind for employers, employees and their families across the state to continue to meet their needs.

What we offer

As a member, you benefit from:

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    Local ownership

  • Umbrella with a heart icon

    Transparent healthcare coverage

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    A wide variety of plan designs

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    Affordable and clear costs

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    Shared risk, keeping claims and premium fluctuation down

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    Reduced cost as a part of an 12,000+ employee organization

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    Strategic consultation on your organization's needs

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    Communication about benefits and resources direct to employees

What we do

We understand that providing competitive and comprehensive benefits, as well as balancing rising healthcare costs, is one of your biggest challenges. We work with you to take away the burden of administration and cost-control.

We offer plans that give flexibility and choice to our members. Our approach of providing greater transparency of coverage and cost means that, in our own way, we're transforming how our member organizations and their employees access the right services.

In compliance with Machine Readable Files transparency regulations, please see our files for BCBSM customers and Priority Health Customers.

Meet the team

The members and experts who care about offering you the best plans and programs, for the best price.

  • Dennis Furton profile

    Dennis Furton

    Chair

    In his experience with The Pool, Dennis shares that "there aren't many instances when I've been able to say, 'this is the BEST option for my employees, hands down' but The Pool is all that.

  • Todd Bell profile

    Todd Bell

    Vice Chair

    Joined The Pool for the opportunity of “hands on” customer service, competitive prices, and to be involved with important decisions about his employees insurance.

  • Abby Lloyd profile

    Abby Lloyd

    Secretary

    Serves as the Pool's secretary and prior to, served on the Member Experience Committee for several years.

“The people who make the decisions care about us - because they are us”

How we operate

The Pool is a member-focused organization, and our members are at the heart of every decision we make. Our structure and governance reflects this focus.

As required by law, all new member organizations commit to The Pool for a three-year cycle upon joining.

Each member organization assigns a trustee to sit on The Pool’s Board of Directors. The full board meets several times a year to discuss and vote on matters relating to The Pool, such as annual renewals, operations, and cost. The Pool is governed by a board-adopted trust agreement and by-laws.

The Board of Directors elects Executive Committee positions, these officers serve The Pool by providing strategic direction and bringing recommendations back to the full board. The Pool also establishes committees to focus on specific strategies. Members from the Board of Directors are selected by the committee chairs to serve in these groups.

The Pool establishes committees to focus on specific strategies. Members from the Board of Directors are selected by the committee chairs to serve in these groups.

  • Member Experience Committee

    Responsible for enhancing the customer experience and engaging members with timely and relevant communications.

  • Value Committee

    Responsible for analyzing data to identify the best programs to keep members healthy whilst controlling future healthcare costs.

  • Bridging Relationships and Adding Value through Engagement (B.R.A.V.E.) Committee

    Comprised of Pool members from non k12 entities to strengthen partnership, enhance relevant communications and support services to ensure we can best represent our non k12 groups.

The Pool provides self-funded medical and prescription drug coverage, establishing monthly single, two-person, and family rates for its members. The Pool also cooperatively purchases basic life, long-term disability, and vision insurance coverage.

The Pool offers a range of plan designs for members to choose from, utilizing either Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan or Priority Health. The plans have varying deductible, copays, and out-of-pocket structures. Many members meet employees’ needs by offering several different plan choices.

Each member’s initial funding rate is based on their selected plan design, as well as geographic area, census data, and prior experience (if available).

At each renewal, risk is spread across the membership by determining the average adjustment necessary to meet The Pool’s expected costs, including reserves. Once The Pool-wide renewal has been determined, the Board employs a modest adjustment for qualifying members to further spread risk appropriately based on the member’s paid loss ratios.

The Pool purchases stop loss insurance to protect itself from catastrophic claims. By working as a large group, members are not responsible for individual claims as The Pool spreads that risk across all employees and insured lives.

The Pool maintains transparency by providing monthly claims reports, tracking overall plan and member performance. These reports are shared with the Board of Directors.

Administration Information

Each member’s rates reflect all aspects of The Pool’s operating costs, including claims, administration, consultation, stop loss protection, and all State and Federal taxes/fees.

The Pool works with the following organizations for administration:

Medical claims administration

Members choose the carrier that best meets their needs.

BlueCross logo
Priority Health logo

Consulting services

Gallagher logo

Gallagher provides strategic consultation on plan design and cost containment, wellness, and benefits communication, as well as underwriting and actuarial support. Their team is available as needed for employee meetings and individual member assistance.

Enrollment and billing

PlanSource logo

Administration of enrollment processes

PlanSource submits a monthly bill to each member and, after invoices are distributed, an ACH debit is taken out to fund claims and pay vendors.

Financial and legal

Already a member of The Pool?

If you’re already a member of the Pool, you can log in to PlanSource to manage your administration or log in to the Board Area for helpful employee resources and promotional materials.

Contact our partners

  • BlueCross logo

    Medical claims and customer service

    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
    877-752-1233
    bcbsm.com

  • Priority Health logo

    Medical claims and customer service

    Priority Health
    800-942-0954
    priorityhealth.com

Let's stay in touch

Want to know more about The Pool? Fill in the form below and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

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