NAIA Thrive | Smarter Health & Cost Strategies for Employer

THRIVE

Individual Control. Shared Strength. Long-Term Stability.

Collaborative risk sharing, disciplined healthcare financing, predictable cost structures, selective risk transfer, and transparent, long-term benefits management.

The THRIVE Advantage

THRIVE is a group captive insurance program developed in partnership with the NAIA to help private higher education institutions take a more disciplined approach to employee healthcare costs.

Rather than treating benefits as an annual renewal event, THRIVE positions healthcare as a long-term financial strategy. Participating institutions retain predictable claims, share volatility with peer institutions with similar risk profiles, and transfer only catastrophic exposure to stop-loss carriers.

The result is meaningful cost control—typically 15–25% savings—along with transparent claims data and surplus that stays with the group, not the carrier.

Four institutions are already committed for the January 2027 launch.

What is a Group Captive?

A group captive is a risk-sharing model in which multiple employers collaborate to manage healthcare or insurance costs. By pooling predictable claims and sharing volatility, participants gain greater cost control, transparency, and long-term stability—while transferring only catastrophic risk to traditional insurers.

Key Benefits:

More stable and predictable healthcare costs
Meaningful cost savings driven by disciplined risk management
Access to shared data, insights, and peer best practices
Greater transparency and control than fully insured plans

What Stays the Same	What Improves
Plan designs and options (your choice)	Cost trajectory
Provider networks	Data visibility
Employee enrollment experience	Long-term sustainability
Claims processing and customer service	Your seat at the strategic table
Compliance and reporting support

What We Offer

THRIVE is designed for private higher education institutions that are ready to take a more disciplined, long-term approach to employee healthcare costs.

We partner with mid-market organizations that are too complex for traditional brokerage models, yet underserved by large consulting firms focused on Fortune 500 clients. These institutions are navigating real complexity—without the internal bandwidth or structure to manage risk in a connected way.

Our Focus: Private colleges and universities, including NAIA, CIC, and faith-based institutions.

Typical Institutional Profile:

500–5,000 students
$15M–$150M annual operating budget
Private, non-profit governance
Leadership teams balancing multiple strategic and operational priorities

The Common Thread

Leadership teams managing healthcare and benefits decisions amid fragmented data, multiple advisors, and no single source of accountability—making long-term planning difficult and costly.

If healthcare risk feels like everyone’s responsibility but no one’s clear ownership, THRIVE was built for you.

Designed for Institutional Decision-Makers

One Strategy. Three Perspectives.

Institutional Leadership

From annual surprises to a board-ready healthcare strategy

FINANCE & FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP

Financial control without annual renewal roulette

People & Benefits Leadership

Sustainable benefits without the yearly budget battle

"We were one of the first institutions to commit to THRIVE, and we'd do it again without hesitation. The Optimal team understands higher education—they're not trying to sell us a product, they're helping us solve a problem that's been unsolvable for decades. This is what strategic partnership actually looks like."

"For years, we approached healthcare like everyone else—wait for the renewal, hope it's not too bad, make cuts if we have to. THRIVE gave us a completely different framework. We're finally managing healthcare costs the way we manage every other strategic priority: with data, with intention, and with a long-term view."

"The transparency alone is worth it. For the first time, I can actually see what's driving our costs and have informed conversations with our leadership team about interventions. We're not guessing anymore."

"I was skeptical—we'd looked at self-funding before and it felt too risky for an institution our size. The captive structure changes that equation entirely. We get the benefits of self-funding with the protection of pooled risk. It's the best of both worlds."

"Renewal season used to be the worst time of year. Now I actually look forward to reviewing our data and planning strategically. That's a complete shift in how I experience this part of my job."

"My employees have no idea the financial structure changed—and that's exactly the point. They have the same great benefits. We just stopped overpaying for them.”

"We've administered captive programs across multiple industries, and the THRIVE structure is exceptionally well-designed for higher education. The institutions that join early will have a meaningful advantage as the program matures and data accumulates."

"Berkley has seen the captive model deliver consistent results for decades. THRIVE applies those same proven principles to a sector that desperately needs an alternative to the fully insured treadmill."

what people say About Us

Ready to Take Control?

Enrollment is open for NAIA members and private higher education institutions with 50+ covered lives.