QBE North America Launches Agora, a Medical Stop Loss Group Captive Program, to Help Employers Better Control Rising Healthcare Costs

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Aug 21, 2023, 10:07 ET

Agora's transparent, efficient group structure offers the benefits of a captive with an unmatched ease of entry.

NEW YORK, Aug. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- QBE North America today announced the launch of Agora, a unique group captive program with a focus on medical stop loss insurance. The program targets organizations with at least 50 employees that are focused on transparency and control of rising healthcare costs.

The unique structure of Agora provides a more streamlined solution compared to other group captive programs in the marketplace, including:

Fully flexible plan design, cost containment solutions, service providers, and stop loss policy terms
Transparent underwriting and monthly experience reporting
Lack of adverse contract language and restrictive long-term commitments
No burdensome conference or committee demands

"Most employers in today's economy are looking for ways to better manage their health plan costs," said Tara Krauss, Head of Accident & Health at QBE North America. "This search will only grow more urgent as revolutionary advancements in treatment, the rising prevalence of chronic conditions, and previously unseen economic conditions drive costs even higher. Considering these trends, we saw an opportunity to better support employers who self-fund their health plans by expanding our captive service model. Our new model provides improved efficiencies to reduce unnecessary costs, long-term commitments, and potentially adverse contract terms. Many employer-groups lack the resources and fundamental knowledge to effectively launch a captive solution for their self-funded health plan. With Agora, QBE's segregated cell company, these employers now have an easy point of entry to the captive space as well as the ability to customize a solution to meet a variety of stakeholder needs. It's about as turn-key as you can get for captive participation."

Agora is an open medical stop loss group captive owned, sponsored, and underwritten by a wholly owned subsidiary of QBE Insurance Company, a leading medical stop loss direct writing carrier. QBE insurance companies are rated "A" (Excellent) by A.M. Best and "A+" by Standard & Poor's. Agora represents the latest and simplest point of entry to a range of captive solutions offered by QBE. Our expanded service model, The QBE Captive Curve, offers solutions including agency branded captives, closed group captives, single-parent captives, and insurance management services for employers that already own a captive.

"In addition to having significant fixed cost savings, captives can address specific risk management needs, which is why approximately 90% of Fortune 500 companies have established wholly owned captive subsidiaries," said Matt Drakeley, Vice President, Specialty Markets for QBE's Accident & Health business. "Organizations with self-funded health insurance plans in a captive have a better view of the factors driving medical claims, which can facilitate more proactive and cost-effective healthcare. Smaller employers can also obtain the benefits of captives by joining a group captive. Counting both wholly owned and group structures, nearly 3,400 captives in the U.S. insure a wide range of insurance risks. We're thrilled to offer Agora to customers as an easy-to-access and flexible group captive solution for medical stop loss insurance."

About QBE

QBE North America is a global insurance leader helping customers solve unique risks, so they can stay focused on their future. Part of QBE Insurance Group Limited, QBE North America reported Gross Written Premiums in the first half of 2023 of $5 billion. QBE Insurance Group's results can be found at qbe.com. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, QBE operates out of 27 countries around the globe, with a presence in every key insurance market. The North America division, headquartered in New York, conducts business primarily through its insurance company subsidiaries. The actual terms and conditions of any insurance coverage are subject to the language of the policies as issued. QBE insurance companies are rated "A" (Excellent) by A.M. Best and "A+" by Standard & Poor's. Additional information can be found at qbe.com/us or follow QBE North America on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Media contact:
Amanda Phillips
[email protected]

SOURCE QBE North America