This week, we’re talking to Reid and Heidi Rasmussen, founders of freshbenies. They help employers save on healthcare costs and employees save on out-of-pocket costs. They were blissfully married in 2004. It was always Reid’s dream to own a business together. Heidi doesn’t really remember that part. After a combined 50+ years in corporate America, could it really happen?
At 15 years old, Heidi started working at JCPenney where she went from a sales floor associate to Divisional Vice President at the corporate office.
Reid grew up in Canada, where he received a Health Administration degree. Early in his career, he escaped to America to work in the health insurance industry.
Turns out, the partnership was not only a fantastic marriage, their combined strengths created rocket fuel for their own business. freshbenies was named to the Inc. 5000 fastest growing companies in America for two consecutive years (#117 in 2015 and #255 in 2016).
Most people don’t think of employee benefits and innovation. But freshbenies has some great innovations to how employers provide benefits for their employees. What are a few?
First, the price is very affordable, which isn’t typical in the healthcare industry. Second, the services that we bundle together into one membership are innovative. For as little as $9-12/month for a family, members have access to multiple services such as:
Telehealth: no cost doctor visits by phone (including getting a prescription written, if medically necessary)
Doctors Online: no cost specialist visits by email
Advocacy: expert health advisors who help navigate “the system” including medical price transparency and billing issues
Rx Savings: members save on prescriptions and can use the member app or portal to search their drug and find the best price at local participating pharmacies
Third, Reid and Heidi built a member-focused brand in the healthcare landscape. They knew the end member – the employee – needed to understand, use and love the services. Otherwise, the employer would stop paying and insurance brokers would stop suggesting freshbenies as an idea to their employer clients. Heidi didn’t understand why other healthcare brands were so sterile, technical, complicated and unfriendly. She thought, “If the world’s largest P&C insurance agencies can market their product using a gecko, cavemen, Flo, the Mayhem Guy and ‘bum ba dum bum bum bum bum,’ then gosh darn it, we can be memorable, too.” All of this adds up to a turnkey experience for the employer and a suite of services that REALLY get used by members.
