By Andy Stein, Founder & President, The Worksite Group
We just closed the books on another year, and as I look back at the implementations we handled in 2025, a few patterns keep showing up. Some are encouraging. Some are frustrating because they’re completely preventable.
If you’re a broker or consultant reading this, you’ve probably had conversations with clients about ICHRA. Maybe you’ve closed a few deals. Maybe you’re still on the fence about whether it’s right for your book of business. Either way, the lessons we’ve learned from working with 250+ clients might save you some headaches in 2026.
The Biggest Mistake Brokers Made in 2025
Here it is: waiting too long to have the conversation.
I get it. Nobody wants to be the broker pushing the “new thing” when traditional group health has worked for decades. But here’s what happened over and over in Q4: Brokers would get a renewal in October showing a 35% increase, panic, and then call us asking if we could get an ICHRA implementation done by January 1st.
The honest answer? Sometimes yes, but it’s not pretty. And more importantly, it shouldn’t have come to that.
The brokers who had the best outcomes started the ICHRA conversation in August or September. Not because they had a crystal ball, but because they knew their clients were getting crushed and they needed options on the table before renewal panic set in.
The lesson for 2026: If you’ve got clients renewing in Q4, start the conversation now. Not in September. Now. In January.
What Actually Makes ICHRA Implementations Succeed
We’ve seen 250+ of these rollouts, and the successful ones have three things in common:
1. Proper Timeline (Not Rushed)
The November 15th deadline for a 1/1 effective date isn’t arbitrary. It’s the difference between a white-glove implementation and a scramble. When brokers give us 6-8 weeks, we can:
- Do proper census review and cost modeling
- Structure classes correctly for compliance
- Build comprehensive employee communication strategies
- Coordinate on-site counselors at major locations
- Set up year-round support infrastructure
When we have two weeks? We can probably pull it off, but employees feel the difference. And guess who hears about it? You do.
2. The Human Element (Not Just Technology)
Every quarter, we compete against tech-only platforms that promise easy setup and low costs. And every quarter, we win business from brokers who tried those platforms and watched their client relationships suffer.
Here’s the reality: ICHRA isn’t just a technology problem. It’s a change management problem. Employees who’ve had traditional group health for 20 years don’t just need a platform. They need education, hand-holding, and someone to call when they’re confused at 7 PM during open enrollment.
That’s why our implementations include licensed benefit counselors, on-site support at major locations, and year-round call center access. Not because it’s a nice add-on, but because without it, ICHRA adoption falls apart.
The lesson: When evaluating ICHRA partners, ask what happens after the platform is configured. If the answer is “our customer service team,” you’re going to have problems.
3. Broker Relationship Protection (Not Bypass Attempts)
I need to be direct about something: Some ICHRA vendors see brokers as obstacles to remove, not partners to support. They’ll go around you the second they can. We’ve built our entire business on the opposite philosophy.
You own the client relationship. You should. You’ve earned it. Our job is to make you look like the innovative strategic advisor who brought them a solution that actually works, and then to deliver on that promise so well that the client never thinks about leaving you.
The lesson: Choose partners who understand that your success is their success. If a vendor is talking about “direct to employer” strategies, they’re not your partner.
The Short-Term Renewal Strategy Nobody Uses (But Should)
Here’s something most brokers don’t know: Carriers will often negotiate short-term renewals to keep the business.
Let’s say you’ve got a client who just got hammered with a brutal 1/1 renewal, and you’re reading this thinking, “Great insights, Andy, but it’s January 6th and we’re past the deadline.”
Not necessarily.
Call the carrier and negotiate a two-month short-term renewal. Worst case, they say no. Best case, you’ve just bought yourself runway to implement ICHRA properly for a 3/1 effective date instead of rushing a bad setup or accepting another year of crushing increases.
We’ve done this multiple times. It works more often than brokers think.
The “Test the Waters” Approach for Skeptical Clients
One strategy we saw gain traction in 2025: new hires only.
For clients who are nervous about moving their entire population to ICHRA, start with new hires while grandfathering existing employees. New hires don’t know what they’re missing, and within 6-12 months, you’ve got real performance data to show the CFO.
Results speak louder than projections. Let the ICHRA performance with new hires do the selling for you, then transition the rest of the population when everyone’s comfortable.
Beyond ICHRA: The Employee Navigator Opportunity
Here’s a possibility for ICHRA implementations that isn’t used enough in sales conversations: enveloping Employee Navigator and ICHRA into a single user interface for employee benefits.
Employee Navigator can streamline all of the benefits not covered by ICHRA, and we can integrate ICHRA into this package so that the client gets an all-in-one experience.
We integrate these two systems into one client workflow, keeping things simple for the client; we manage both systems on your behalf, keeping things simple for you.
The lesson: Think of ICHRA as an opportunity to streamline the entire benefits portfolio, make life easier for your client, and put the entire benefits package under one vendor contract.
What 2026 Looks Like
If I had to make predictions based on what we’re seeing:
More mid-year implementations. Brokers are getting smarter about not waiting for 1/1 deadlines. April, July, and October effective dates are becoming more common.
More “test the waters” approaches. Risk-averse clients are finding comfort in phased rollouts starting with new hires.
More platform consolidation. Clients are tired of managing ICHRA on one platform and everything else on another. Unified solutions win.
More focus on the human element. As more tech-only vendors enter the space, the differentiation is in implementation quality and ongoing support.
The Bottom Line
After 250+ implementations, here’s what we know for sure: ICHRA works. But success isn’t about the technology. It’s about proper implementation, realistic timelines, employee education, and partnerships built on protecting broker relationships rather than bypassing them.
If you’re thinking about ICHRA for clients in 2026, start those conversations now. Not when you see the renewal. Not when the client is panicking. Now, in January, when you have time to do it right.
And if you’ve got questions about whether a specific client situation is a good fit, or whether the timeline works, let’s talk. That’s what the consultant for consultants is here for.
Ready to discuss your 2026 strategy? Contact us to talk through your client opportunities, or sign up for our monthly newsletter for ongoing insights from the benefits trenches.
Let’s connect—and raise the bar together.
Andy Stein
Founder, The Worksite Group
