Ward Transport & Logistics increases HSA participation through wellness programs

Ward Transport & Logistics is a family-owned business focusing on freight, trucking, and logistics. With over 90 years of experience, their businesses were not fully utilizing the resources and capabilities available to them. Ward was looking for help refining their current processes to enhance overall efficiencies without sacrificing the well-being of their employees. Committed to their slogan, “You will always be able to speak to someone with the last name that is on the side of our truck,” Ward wanted to ensure they continued to prioritize employees and company culture when implementing any organizational improvements.

Ward sought guidance from Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA) to enhance their strategies for streamlining processes within their HR team. When MMA began working with Ward in 2020, the company was still conducting open enrollment using paper forms for all 1,300 employees. MMA assisted in transitioning Ward to EnrollSMART, a proprietary enrollment and benefits administration tool.

This deliverable was significant for Ward’s employees, as it has consistently provided education on the benefits available and 1:1 support. MMA also created a microsite to help employees understand their benefits and guide them in making informed decisions about which plan best fit their needs.

By offering this new program, Ward was able to guide more employees to enroll in their HSA program through increased communications and incentive offerings. MMA also worked with Ward to implement Livongo diabetes management program and SWORD for those with musculoskeletal health. To further their wellness initiatives, a partnership with First Stop Health was established to promote the use of telemedicine. Over the course of three years, the number of telemedicine visits increased from 71 per year to an average of 460.

While Ward already had a very successful wellness program in place, they wanted to find areas they could improve employee engagement. MMA enlisted its wellness team to find enhancements to Ward’s current program. The result was a new wellness incentive program that boosted employee participation.

The successful implementation of these innovative solutions led to several key outcomes. With the introduction of the enrollment microsite, over the duration of nine months, Ward saw 4,582 visits to the site with 531 clicks on the available benefits summary. Through education and communication, MMA was able to help the Ward team increase HSA program participation from 5.2% to 36.1%. In addition, Ward was also able to see a 10% reduction in their PEPY claim costs over four years by investing and expanding into their wellness and overall benefits programs to lower their costs.