Elevating the Standard for Benefits Guidance.
For Workers. Year-Round.
Benefits programs exist to protect the health, financial security, and well-being of workers. Yet too often, the tools meant to guide employees fall short — leaving people confused, underprotected, and turning to unvalidated sources for help. We are bringing together vendors, brokers, employers, carriers, and investors to ensure the tools guiding employees year-round are safe, effective, and built on trust.
The Rise of the "Shadow Agent"
With 69% of employers expecting medical trend rates over 7%, employees are feeling the financial squeeze. In the absence of sanctioned, easy-to-use guidance, they are turning to the only free advisor they can find: public AI like ChatGPT.
Recent data shows 52% of U.S. adults now use Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, while Intuit reports that nearly two-thirds of Americans have used AI for financial advice. They are copying and pasting their Summary of Benefits and Coverage into ChatGPT. They are asking Claude to explain their HDHP. They are using Gemini to compare premiums.
We call this the "Shadow Agent." It happens when employees unknowingly feed their personal health history—claims data, medication lists, family planning questions—into a public machine that has no obligation to keep it private.
MetLife's 2026 Employee Benefit Trends Study reinforces the stakes: 61% of employees are worried about the ethical and safety risks of AI — including bias, misinformation, and lack of accountability — and 67% of employers say AI is creating new points of friction or mistrust between employees and management.
The "Do Nothing" strategy is now a liability. It's time to provide a safe, validated alternative.
The Silent Data Harvest
Privacy Blind Spots
Public models ingest sensitive employee data to train their algorithms without enterprise-grade protections.
Hallucinated Advice
Public AI doesn't know your specific plan design, network, or employer contributions, leading to costly mistakes.
Lack of Governance
Without adherence to frameworks like NIST AI RMF or ISO 42001, employers carry the risk of unmanaged AI usage.
The Benefits Guidance Manifesto
We believe in a "Big Tent" approach. Whether you build a traditional calculator, a next-generation AI agent, or a year-round advocacy and care navigation platform, all benefits guidance tools must adhere to three core pillars. The full Manifesto expands these into six foundational principles.
Clarity
Guidance must be comprehensible. It should translate complex insurance jargon into plain language that empowers employees to make confident financial and health decisions.
Transparency
The methodology behind the guidance must be visible. Users should understand how recommendations are generated, what data is used, and how their privacy is protected.
Validation
Claims must be proven. Solutions must demonstrate accuracy, mitigate bias, and show measurable ROI in improving employee outcomes and reducing employer costs.
Led by Industry Experts
Decades of experience in benefits technology and market strategy.
Ben Yomtoob
Co-Founder
Principal at BuckleyRoberts. A 25-year veteran of benefits and HR technology, Ben helps organizations navigate complex "Build vs. Buy" decisions and go-to-market strategy, with executive experience spanning Workterra and Gallagher Benefit Services.
Meg Collins
Co-Founder
Founder of RevGem Consulting. With senior growth roles at Ideon and Benefitfocus, Meg has spent 25+ years connecting people, process, and technology to drive market outcomes for carriers, technology platforms, and investors.
Join the Movement
The benefits industry needs a unified standard for benefits guidance — from enrollment through year-round education, decision support, and utilization. We are building a community of vendors, brokers, employers, carriers, and investors who agree. Add your voice to the Consortium.
- Stay informed on industry standards
- Connect with vendors, brokers, employers, carriers & investors
- Shape the future of benefits guidance
Join the Consortium
Add your voice to the movement for better benefits guidance.