For most of my 30 years as a voluntary benefits broker partner, the conversation with brokers has gone the same way:

“We’ve got the medical handled. Maybe we’ll add a voluntary line later if the client asks.”

That conversation is changing. Fast.

Over the last 18 months, more brokers have called me about voluntary benefits than in the previous five years combined. And it’s not because brokers suddenly woke up wanting to expand their offering. It’s because something shifted in the market, and brokers feel it before anyone else does — usually in the form of renewals that didn’t go the way they expected.

If you’ve felt it too, here’s what I think is happening.

Group medical is doing less of the work

A decade ago, a sharp medical renewal pitch was usually enough. The plan covered most of what employees needed, deductibles were manageable, and the broker who showed up with the best rate kept the client.

That math doesn’t work anymore.

Average deductibles for employer-sponsored single coverage are now north of $1,800. Family deductibles routinely cross $4,000. Out-of-pocket maximums keep climbing. And when an employee has a $1,800 deductible and an unexpected ER visit, group medical doesn’t feel like protection — it feels like a bill they can’t pay.

That’s the gap voluntary benefits exist to fill. And it’s getting wider every year.

Employers are asking different questions

Five years ago, employers asked brokers about premium and provider network. Today, they’re asking about gap coverage. Hospital Indemnity. Disability. Cancer. Critical Illness.

Half the time, the questions come from the HR director who watched a coworker bankrupt themselves on a single inpatient stay, and they don’t want it to happen on their team. The other half come from CFOs who realize that pushing more cost onto employees through a high-deductible plan only works if employees can actually absorb the cost.

Brokers who can answer those questions — with real product, real enrollment infrastructure, and real follow-through — keep the renewal. Brokers who say “we’ll look into voluntary later” lose to a competitor who’s already built that bench.

Renewals are getting longer, and the lost ones hurt more

Here’s the pattern I’ve seen with brokers I work with:

  • The RFP includes more than medical. It includes voluntary line items the broker hasn’t priced before.
  • Discovery takes longer. The client wants a full benefits picture, not a medical quote with everything else as an afterthought.
  • The presentation gets stretched into multiple meetings — one with HR, one with finance, one with leadership.
  • And when a competitor shows up with a complete voluntary suite already wired in, the medical-only broker is one round behind from the start.

The renewal might still be won. But the win takes more effort, and the loss is more demoralizing because the broker can usually see exactly which round they fell behind on.

What’s working now

The brokers who are growing in 2026 aren’t doing anything radical. They’ve just stopped pretending voluntary benefits are optional.

They’ve paired up with a voluntary benefits broker partner they trust — someone who handles enrollment, employee education, claims service, and the ongoing administration that comes with running a real voluntary book.

They show up to the RFP with the medical pitch AND the voluntary pitch already aligned. Co-branded materials. A clear story about who runs what. An enrollment plan the client can see end-to-end before they sign.

The result is a renewal pitch that sounds different. Instead of “we’re sharpening the medical rate,” it’s “we’ve built a complete benefits picture for your team.” That changes how the client hears the entire conversation. And it’s the kind of advantage only a real voluntary benefits broker partnership delivers — not a one-off carrier visit.

What this means for your book

If you’re a broker who hasn’t added voluntary benefits to your offering yet, you’re not behind — but you’re catching up. The brokers who started this shift two or three years ago are now running renewals with voluntary already integrated, which means their close rates look better and their losses look smaller.

The honest take: it’s never too late to start, but it gets harder the longer you wait. Building voluntary infrastructure takes time. Vetting a partner takes time. Running your first few enrollments well takes time. Brokers who start now will be in good shape for 2027 renewals. Brokers who wait until next year will be running into Q4 unprepared.

If you’re thinking about adding voluntary to your offering — or if your last voluntary benefits broker partnership didn’t work out — let’s talk through what a real partnership might look like. Worst case, we figure out we’re not the right fit for each other. Best case, you’ve found a partner who’s been doing this dependably, in your territory, for 30 years.

Drop us a note or call 214-680-1180 when you’re ready.

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