Ed Young, CBC, CEP
Senior Vice President
Ed Young, Senior Vice President of Horton Benefit Solutions, begins his day developing creative solutions for his clients' employee benefit programs, many times while the majority of the Chicago area is still sleeping. “I find I am the most effective for my clients when I start the day early,” said Ed. The early mornings have been instrumental to Ed's success at developing best in class solutions for Horton clients for more than two decades. Ed is one of the founding principals of the Horton Benefit Solutions division, and is among the company's leading producers.
Ed Young, Senior Vice President of Horton Benefits Services, is one of the founding principals of that division and is among the company's leading producers.
But Ed's success isn't assumed – he and his team work extraordinarily hard to both obtain and maintain client relationships. Along with manufacturing companies, Ed's main area of expertise is providing health benefits for school districts.
“With school districts, you aren't just selling a benefits program to a CFO like any other company,” Ed explained. “You have to present it to the school board and the superintendent, both of whom are very focused on staying within their budget and meeting the demands of the teachers' union.” Ed is finding great success in reducing the prevalence and severity of claims for clients through the implementation of health screenings and the bolstering of wellness communication strategies. “The health screenings we facilitate on client's worksites reveal serious medical conditions that were unknown before,” Ed stated. “These screenings are not meant to replace doctor visits. Rather, they are needed to educate employees on their health status and prompt them to become proactive about addressing medical issues.”
When asked to recall one of his major client successes, Ed described a time when one of his client's terminally ill employees died before the client informed the employee that he could switch his group coverage to an individual life policy. This switch would have made his beneficiary eligible for $50,000 – a great sum of money for a family in dire financial need. “I explained the whole situation to the insurance carrier,” Ed said. “The carrier not only issued the life insurance policy for the deceased individual, but also wrote a $50,000 check for his family.” This story, and several others from clients, is why Ed has become so successful in the employee benefits arena.
Whether it's a covered person's family coping with a recent loss or a manufacturing client trying to provide valuable coverage in the face of rising health care costs, Ed listens and responds with solutions that work.
Fact File
- United Healthcare (National)
- United Healthcare (Illinois)
- Humana Large Group (Illinois)
- Blue Cross Blue Shield (Illinois)
- B.S. in Business Management, Calumet College
- Certified Benefits Consultant
- Certified Estate Planner
- Property & Casualty
- Life and Health
- The Horton Group Principal and Senior Vice President since 1988
- Combined Financial Consultants Partner, 1986-1988
- John Hancock Insurance Company Producer, 1984-1986
- Quick Print Owner and Operator, 1980-1987
- Jewel Food Stores Store Manager and Field Representative, 1967-1984
- National Association of Health Underwriters
- Greater Oӈare Association, Government Affairs Committee
- The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers (CIAB)
Read More From Customers
Having Ed and his team come in so quickly to correct our benefit issues and organize employee communication efforts has really made it easier on me. I must admit that I was not expecting a 40 percent savings on our group life and disability plan. That savings, plus Ed’s ability to negotiate lower rates with our existing medical carrier, has really helped our bottom line.
Kris Kluge, Vice President of Operations
Visual Business Solutions
Ed has spent many hours helping our school’s Health Benefits Committee understand the issues involved in our plan. He has made himself available to the school whenever we have needed him. I highly recommend The Horton Group’s services. In an increasingly expensive market, Ed has helped Union benefit negotiations and enabled our school to do more with benefit dollars than ever before.
Dr. Jay Tiede, Superintendent
Center Cass School District 66
Prince Industries had been faced with continually rising premiums on our health plan. We hired Ed Young of The Horton Group to create strategies that would contain these increases.
Through a blend of changing carriers, plan designs and negotiating with the providers, Ed has been able to reduce costs and minimize yearly increases while maintaining excellent benefits for our nearly 200 employees.
Changing a plan design is a sensitive issue for employees and their families. Ed has provided us with terrific communication tools that have helped our people better utilize their health benefits. Ed has earned our highest recommendation.Cara Olsen, Human Resources Manager
Prince Industries