About Us
We invite you to get to know HBA and our team. We are committed to removing the barriers so that our members can access the healthcare they need—when and where they need it—without hefty deductibles.
Increasing Access to Affordable Health Benefits
The market is in dire need of affordable health benefit choices for all employees. After years of experience in the health benefits industry, either within the walls of major carriers or on the street advising employers and plan sponsors, Matt Esposito and Don Trudeau sought to build a better solution. In 2018, Matt and Don began positioning top quality service partners to create The Health Benefit Alliance™. With the program components in place and the backing of two leading third-party administrator (TPA) partners, The Health Benefit Alliance™ began sales activity in June 2019.
The immediate growth of The Health Benefit Alliance™ confirmed the market demand that Matt and Don anticipated. Within 18 months, membership climbed – even with a disciplined and tightly managed early distribution strategy. As membership continued to grow in 2021 and into 2022, so did the demand for administrative capacity, prompting the onboarding of additional best-in-class TPA partners.
Perpetual Optimization
In early 2022, The Health Benefit Alliance™ introduced HBAAdministrators℠. Grounded on intelligence gathered since the company’s launch, HBAAdministrators℠ centralizes administrative functions and serves as the “gold source” for enrollment and participant eligibility for HBA plans. Streamlining the process means that TPA partners optimize the participant experience by devoting more resources to claims administration and member service. Centralized data management ensures consistency in program reporting and cost controls, and enhances plan utilization analytics to guide the growth of The Health Benefit Alliance™ programs.
This growth included the 2022 introduction of HBAScripts℠, to meet another market need: providing no-cost participant access to the most commonly dispensed generic medications and the lowest-cost insulin available in the United States. Another recent addition is HBAeHealth℠, a cutting-edge telemedicine and behavioral health program providing convenient access to qualified medical resources, again at no cost to HBA plan participants.
Join Our Journey to Revolutionize the Industry
The health benefits industry continues to evolve, and The Health Benefit Alliance™ continues to lead that evolution. We welcome you to join us on our journey.
Our Team
Matt Esposito
PRESIDENT
Matt Esposito brings more than 30 years of healthcare benefits experience to his leadership of The Health Benefit Alliance™, with roles at industry leaders such as US Healthcare, Health Insurance Plan of New York, and CIGNA. Following his time on the carrier side in senior and executive management positions, Matt led a business unit for one of the largest general agents in the country.
Matt’s vision in founding The Health Benefit Alliance™ is clear: to aggressively source and seamlessly integrate the critical components of the health benefit delivery system. By developing the most innovative, creative, and cost-effective employer health plan solutions, the industry can provide meaningful choice and eliminate barriers to care.
James Rinere
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
James Rinere brings more than 30 years of experience in the insurance, benefits, healthcare technology, and well-being space. Prior to joining the HBA team, Jim was the CEO and Founder of 27 M Advisory, an independent management consulting firm where he continues to hold an advisory and Board position. Previously, he was the President of CWI Benefits, LLC, an employee benefits and third-party administrator and technology firm.
While at CWI, Jim focused on strategic leadership to develop and guide the team toward short- and long-range goals to meet the business plan. Jim actively worked with the PE investment group and BOD to deliver strategic plans, P&L management, market updates, and overall strategic direction. Prior to CWI Benefits, Jim spent 10 years working for venture capital and private equity firms to help build go-to-market strategies for start-up well-being platform portfolio companies. He was the Vice President of Sales for Weight Watchers Health Solutions, the B2B2C division of Weight Watchers International, where he helped transform the company’s strategy in the corporate well-being space.
Jim O’Connor
Jim has enjoyed a successful career spanning four decades in the employee benefits industry. During his distinguished career Jim has held numerous executive positions ranging from Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Bank of America’s commercial insurance division to CEO of the CBIZ Employee Services Organization, a division of CBIZ, Inc., a NY Stock Exchange company.
As Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) at The Health Benefit Alliance (HBA), Jim’s role is to grow the HBA market share in the target industries HBA has been built to serve-those with a high percentage of low to moderate income workers, high turnover, and usually inadequate health plans. Jim is passionate about the HBA mission to bring affordable health plans that are truly useful in the daily lives of the millions of low to moderate income workers in America who have been underserved by the traditional health plans available in the market today.
CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER
Bill Kane
CHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER
For nearly 34 years, Bill Kane has had a front-row seat to the evolution of the healthcare industry—as well as to the ongoing challenges that employers face to provide their employees with quality, affordable coverage. As an employee benefits professional, Bill has worked with industry leaders including MetLife and Dun & Bradstreet.
Early in his career, Bill fought health plan renewal increases that literally put small employers out of business. While the industry has taken steps to prevent such pricing practices, affordability challenges remain. HBA’s mission to expand access to affordable, quality health benefits inspires Bill every day to deliver a solution that has proven elusive for so long.
Page Elliott
VICE PRESIDENT - SALES OPERATIONS
Page has more than 30 years of experience in employee benefits with health insurance carriers, benefit brokerage/consulting firms, communications/marketing, and cyber solution companies. Before joining The Health Benefit Alliance™, Page was the Director of Business Development at Cyberscout, responsible for building sales distribution and broker/carrier relationships in the employee benefits marketplace throughout the United States.
Page started his career with Medigroup HMO, a subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ, where he achieved the role of Director of Sales. Then, he established sales and distribution channels at Aetna Health Plans in their Mid-Atlantic Small Business Market. He later cofounded Benefitport Mid-Atlantic, a leading provider of distribution and technology solutions for the employee benefit group insurance industry. Page later served as Executive Vice President at Chesapeake Insurance Advisors, overseeing their healthcare exchanges and carrier partnership initiatives.
Mauricio Agudelo
HEAD COUNSEL
Mauricio Agudelo is a lawyer and finance professional who believes that access to affordable healthcare should be a human right, and to that end he is deeply aligned with the vision and values of The Health Benefit Alliance™. Mauricio has managed finance teams on three continents and has raised private capital for medical cannabis and medical second opinion organizations.
Mauricio is also an adjunct law professor at Brooklyn Law School, where he teaches a course on Cannabis Law, Politics and Culture that focuses on legal frameworks for medical cannabis programs, with a particular emphasis on the disparate treatment of historically marginalized communities through the War on Drugs.
Nick Logan
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Nick Logan is a finance professional with over 20 years of experience, working for several Domestic and International Hedge Funds. The core values of The Health Benefit Alliance™ are what drew Nick to join the team.
Believing that healthcare should be easily accessible to anyone who needs it, Nick saw the rare opportunity to merge his passion for health with his financial background. Nick holds a Masters of Business Administration in Finance from St John’s University and a Masters of Science in Nutrition and Human Performance from Logan University. At Logan, Nick was selected by his peers for the Leaders Made Award, given to a student that demonstrates outstanding leadership with character and integrity.
Let’s Connect
Are you ready to help us in our mission to remove the barriers to care for your clients? Drop us a message to learn more.