“It was a big gamble, going into an unknown area.”

That’s how Anthony Kelly, Vice President of Human Resources at The Garlic Company, describes the moment he first considered going self-funded. His only previous experience with self-insurance was through workers’ comp, and it had been messy and unpredictable. The idea of applying that model to healthcare felt risky at best.

But three years later, the outcome is clear. The Garlic Company has saved more than $1 million, reclaimed HR’s time, and empowered leadership to make faster, smarter benefits decisions. What once felt like a leap of faith has become one of the company’s smartest moves.

Self-funding brought big savings and a smart strategy

Financially, the impact has been massive. The Garlic Company saved $465,000 in the first year, plus another $115,000 in prescription rebates over 18 months. In total, they’ve saved over $1 million in two short years. 

More importantly, the team finally has the control and flexibility to make the right decisions for their people. “I am happy with our move to a self-funded plan as it has provided more control, flexibility, and transparency,” says Gordon Cook, CFO of The Garlic Company. “It has allowed us to pivot our plans to the needs of our employees.”

With data and visibility from Nava, the company can now identify trends—like rising hypertension or diabetes—and proactively support employees through targeted education and preventative care.

Leadership meetings that used to stretch over weeks now happen in real time. “We can model different options and make decisions on the spot,” Anthony says. “It’s going to make renewals look very nice.”

Benefits were offered, but clarity wasn’t

The Garlic Company, based outside Bakersfield, California, grows, processes, and sells garlic across the country. It’s family-owned, multi-generational, and deeply rooted in the community. With more than 200 employees, most of whom are Hispanic and live locally, Anthony is proud of the company’s commitment to offering healthcare for all.

But when the company was fully insured, that commitment came with blind spots. “It was predictable, but we didn’t have any transparency,” Anthony says. “You don’t know what’s driving the cost. You can’t target support if you can’t see the problem.”

The HR team, small but committed, was juggling manual processes. Most employees are deskless, which meant benefit communications had to be translated, printed, and hand-delivered. “Even for someone who knows benefits, it’s still a lot. If I had to do it alone, it would take 10 times as long (without Nava).” Anthony says.

Finding the right partner changed everything

When Nava introduced a self-funded model with stop-loss protections and Nava’s full support, the risk felt manageable. The difference was in how it was implemented.

“(Nava) was very good at explaining everything. (They) helped us set it up in a way that felt safe and manageable,” Anthony says. “And over the past three years, it’s proven to be very successful.”

Nava has also rolled out a new technology. Nava HQ, a centralized platform for benefits modeling, plan data, and real-time decision-making, gave Anthony and his team what they’d never had before: control.

Renewals now happen in real time

“With Nava HQ, I can literally model changes during a leadership meeting,” Anthony says. “We don’t have to wait days or weeks for the broker to come back with answers.”

Anthony uses HQ to:

• Build new-hire flyers with live links to plans
• Centralize plan documents so no one’s chasing PDFs
• Model scenarios and renewals on the spot
  

“The key is that the information is accurate and already there,” he says. “You just tweak it to fit your message.”

HR finally got time back

“Open enrollment used to mean dropping everything,” Anthony says. “Now we can keep doing orientations, hiring, and training while Nava handles the heavy lifting.”

Those time savings have been critical for a three-person HR team supporting over 200 people across the corporate office, production lines, and fields.

Nava’s bilingual support has also been a major unlock. About 75% of the Garlic Company workforce is Hispanic, and many prefer Spanish-language communication. “Nava always provides bilingual materials, and they’re really well done,” Anthony says. “That’s a big deal for our workforce.” From translated flyers to Spanish-speaking advocates, employees feel supported—and HR spends less time bridging the gap.

When questions come up, Nava steps in. “I always receive an answer. Problems get resolved quickly.”

Technology helps, but the people make it work

Anthony is a believer in AI and automation, but he’s also realistic. “With benefits, there’s always going to be a human element,” he says. “AI is great at providing data, but not for navigating the gray areas where empathy is needed.”

That’s why Nava’s mix of smart technology and human support stands out. “They’re tech-forward but keep it approachable,” he says. “They make benefits easier for employees, not harder.”