A Note from Founder & Product Lead, Mike Flynn

I am very passionate about my career in medical and healthcare consulting. I have advocated for employers and employees, resolved many of their problems, and helped make their lives easier.

In my occupation I am in a position to guide them through the complex healthcare and insurance arena that exists in our great country. I do have my own frustrations, and the pain I carry for those employees, and every individual that has to navigate this system without the understanding I have accumulated, is very real.

Medical insurance is among the most expensive purchasing decisions that Americans make; and they have to make it every single year. According to the annual Kaiser Family Foundations annual reports on medical insurance it’s like buying a brand-new car at a starting-price of $24,000 or more for the average family. That’s an incredibly large recurring bill. Adding to the problem with this is that we rarely tend to switch to new plans, even when a better deal is available and at our fingertips.

A frustrating medical insurance experience simply seems unavoidable given the complexity of the plans and the lack of understanding of the basics. As a society most Americans seem to have come to the conclusion that we will imply never understand how health insurance works or how to pick the best medical plan for our circumstances.

Eventually the real problem, and our real feelings emerge. I don’t know this stuff, I don’t want to know this stuff, and I don’t really want this stuff! Eventually, for most of us, we begrudgingly conclude that we do need the stuff to protect our loved ones, or just to protect what we have amassed in assets over a lifetime of hard work.
So, how do I pick from my employer’s plans, or my spouse’s, or domestic partner’s, or even from one of those Exchanges?

In my 23 years of consulting, I have presented more than my fair share of those dreaded Open Enrollment Meetings. I’ve heard from countless real people about their anger and frustrations. We’ve discussed their claim issues, the high-cost of care, those big premiums or contributions they are being charged, their lack of understanding, and their very real resentment of it all.

Yet there is always that one common thread I hear over and over again. There is the lack of trusted resources to help them. Technically, I was never able to tell them which plan to choose. None of the firms I worked with big or small, local or global, allowed me with all of my experience to advise which plan to pick. It was acceptable to answer their questions, to define terminology, or to explain as much as I could in five or ten minutes the multitude of concepts that would be integral to their own decision-making process.

At least with consumer products, you pretty much know what you’re getting. You can Google reviews, find how many stars, or gain enough perspective. With medical insurance most of us are not in a position to make a solid educated guess, let alone be in a position to choose the right plan (all the while expecting or hoping that we’ll never need it).

Each and every year I have occasion to help friends and family review their medical options, and I gladly lend my expertise to them. Each time I do, I think of all the people I was not able to help in the same manner. Some time ago, I was discussing this dilemma with some truly great people and told them I had had enough.

My consulting colleagues and peers exist and persevere in an exceptionally stressful environment doing our best for employees living paycheck to paycheck and employers with razor-thin profit margins They are all trying to do the same thing; do their best for the people that are most important to them. Every day I get to help in small measure with an explanation, or to a greater degree fighting for better coverage for the best cost for an employer, or helping an insured member that makes a real difference to struggling and frustrated family. I slept well on the days I successfully advocate for them.

Still my frustration persisted and I needed to do more. I wanted to find a way to create a trusted resource for more than just my friends and family. That’s the moment the idea of Aceso Y! was born and my amazing partners agreed to create a tool to ease the burden in one small way by helping everyone choose the best medical plan for their personal circumstances.

This this will be the first in a series that will continue with various industry experts as guest bloggers who will provide key insights, industry innovations and updates on related products and services all aimed at guiding us all into a better and clearer understanding of what’s next.