Sana Benefits Group Health Plans in Illinois

Sana Benefits is a modern health benefits platform built specifically for small and mid-size employers — companies with 5 to 500 employees that have historically been underserved by legacy group health carriers. Sana’s core value proposition is radical transparency: clear, understandable pricing with no hidden carrier fees, a level funded structure that gives employers access to their own claims data, and the inclusion of direct primary care (DPC) and telemedicine as foundational components of every plan. For Illinois growth-stage companies and professional services firms tired of annual premium increases they cannot understand or control, Sana offers a compelling alternative.

How Sana’s Level Funded Structure Works

Sana operates as a level funded health plan, meaning employers pay a fixed monthly amount per employee that covers administrative costs, expected claims, and stop-loss insurance. Unlike traditional carriers, Sana fully discloses how each component of your monthly premium is allocated — you can see exactly what you are paying for administration versus claims reserves versus stop-loss protection. At the end of the plan year, if your group’s actual claims are lower than the funded amount, Sana returns the surplus to the employer. Stop-loss insurance is built into every Sana plan, protecting employers against unexpectedly high individual or aggregate claims.

What Is Included in Every Sana Plan

• Direct Primary Care (DPC): Members have access to a DPC provider — a primary care practice that operates on a monthly membership model — for unlimited primary care visits, basic labs, generic medications, and care coordination. DPC dramatically increases primary care utilization and reduces costly specialist referrals and ER visits for non-emergency conditions.
• Telemedicine: 24/7 virtual care access for urgent care, mental health, and primary care needs at no member cost-sharing
• Behavioral health: Mental health and substance use disorder coverage with parity compliance
• Prescription drug benefits: Formulary-based Rx coverage with a focus on generic-first prescribing and transparent rebate handling
• Stop-loss insurance: Included in the base level funded arrangement, protecting against high-cost individual claims

Transparent Pricing: No Hidden Carrier Fees

Traditional insurance carriers embed administrative fees, profit margins, and network access costs into opaque premium calculations. Sana operates differently: every component of your plan cost is disclosed and explained. There are no separate network access fees, no undisclosed stop-loss markups, and no hidden administrative charges embedded in “trend” assumptions. This transparency allows Illinois employers to understand exactly what is driving their benefit costs and make informed decisions about plan design changes at renewal.

Claims Data Transparency

One of Sana’s most distinctive features is the level of claims data access provided to employers. Sana’s employer dashboard provides:

• Real-time claims spending by category (medical, Rx, DPC, telehealth)
• Benchmark comparisons against similar-size groups in comparable industries
• Identification of high-cost claim categories without exposing individual member PHI
• Renewal projections based on actual experience, not carrier pooling assumptions

This data enables proactive cost management — for example, if claims data shows high musculoskeletal costs, an employer might add a physical therapy benefit or implement an ergonomics program.

Best Fit for Illinois Employers

Sana works best for Illinois employers in the following situations:

• Growth-stage technology companies, SaaS startups, and venture-backed businesses in Chicago and surrounding suburbs
• Professional services firms — accounting, consulting, legal, architecture — with 10 to 200 employees
• Employers whose workforce skews young and healthy, making them good candidates for level funded surplus refunds
• Organizations that have experienced unsatisfying service and opacity from legacy carriers and want a different kind of partner

Sana may be less suitable for groups with older demographics or several members with significant chronic conditions, as the underwriting process may result in higher-than-expected pricing. Contact Illinois Health Agents to compare Sana against other level funded options for your group.