Cindy Kimmel is on a mission to make healthcare and employee benefits work better for everyone. With over 15 years of HR experience, Cindy knows exactly how overwhelming and complicated benefits can feel—for both employers and employees. That’s why she started Kimmel Benefit+: to simplify the process, bring transparency to the table, and help people get the care they need.
Her passion for fixing what’s broken in the system started during her time managing a self-funded plan, where she uncovered fraudulent claims and saw just how misaligned the industry’s incentives can be. Now, she’s helping employers embrace innovative solutions like Direct Primary Care (DPC) and employee-friendly communication strategies to deliver real value.
Cindy’s approach isn’t just about cutting costs—it’s about creating benefits that truly benefit people.
You’ve built an impressive career in employee benefits consulting. What inspired you to enter this field, and what keeps you passionate about it?
I started my journey in benefits on the HR side. With both my undergraduate and master’s degrees in Human Resources, I spent 15 years in the field—most of it focused on benefits. During that time, I worked with traditional brokers but found myself diving into the data and identifying solutions on my own.
A pivotal moment in my career came in my last Director of Benefits role, managing a 400-life self-funded plan. I discovered recurring fraudulent drug test claims being paid out, and while it was clear to us these claims were bogus, the carrier refused to address them due to PHI restrictions and mental health parity. Seeing the carrier continue paying these claims despite our evidence was mind-blowing. After months of escalating the issue—and over $100,000 later—they finally pursued the fraud.
That experience was eye-opening. It became clear that brokers and carriers weren’t truly invested in controlling costs for employers. While I valued my relationships with those partners, I realized the system itself was broken, driven by misaligned incentives. Around the same time, I started learning about solutions like Direct Primary Care (DPC), independent TPAs, and transparent PBMs. That lit a fire in me—I had to share these strategies with other employers who were facing the same frustrations.
Employee benefits are often overwhelming for both employers and employees. How does Kimmel Benefits+ simplify the process to make it more accessible?
Coming from HR, I know how crucial it is to communicate benefits in a way that employees can actually understand and use. Instead of overwhelming employees with legal jargon, we focus on creating employee-friendly benefit guides that highlight what they need to know. The required legalese is kept separate in supplemental documents that are always accessible but don’t clutter the essential information.
Benefits communication also shouldn’t just happen during open enrollment. We meet with clients year-round to review plan utilization and develop strategies to promote resources like DPC, medication shopping, and navigation tools. We’ve found that including spouses in communications, sending postcards to homes, text messages, and sharing employee success stories are some practical ways to help members understand their health plan.
The workforce is changing, with younger employees prioritizing flexibility and wellness. How can employers adapt their benefits offerings to meet these shifting expectations?
It’s all about access—and meeting the level of accessibility that younger generations have come to expect. For most of our groups, we include DPC in their health plans and encourage members to schedule their first visit with their DPC provider within three months of enrolling. This initial hour-long visit helps build a strong relationship and allows the provider to gain a deep understanding of the employee’s health. From there, employees can easily connect with their doctor through a portal or app to receive quick responses for ongoing care. When an in-person visit is needed, members can typically schedule an appointment within a few days, thanks to DPC’s smaller patient panels.
This reduced patient load and freedom from insurance-driven constraints give DPC providers more time to address a broader range of healthcare needs, including mental health needs. To further support mental health counseling, employers should consider virtual mental health solutions or explore direct contract networks where available. These options provide employees with faster, more seamless access to care without the barriers of traditional networks.
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What’s one thing about you that might surprise people? (A favorite hobby, fun fact, or unexpected skill!)
I’m obsessed with ferments! Fermented vegetables have transformed my health, and I try to include them in every meal. I even make my own kimchi and kraut and have hosted a dozen fermentation classes at my home for friends and neighbors. I could talk about ferments all day—don’t get me started!
Who else in healthcare inspires you, and why?
My husband, Jeremy, and his family’s business have been a constant source of inspiration for me. I often joke that we talked about employee benefits while we dated. Over the years, I’ve learned so much from watching them embrace forward-thinking, innovative strategies to navigate rising healthcare costs while maintaining exceptional benefits for their employees.
Their company has been self-funded for over 20 years and was among the first in our area to implement Direct Primary Care (DPC) in 2012. In 2019, as I was beginning my journey as a Benefits Advisor, Jeremy and his team experienced skyrocketing prescription costs. Determined to find a solution, they demanded detailed prescription data from their carrier, which ultimately resulted in their TPA dropping them. Together, we transitioned the company to an independent plan design, achieving a 60% reduction in prescription costs while gaining the transparency and flexibility needed to better manage their health plan.
Jeremy often explains that actively managing a health plan takes effort—it’s work—but it’s meaningful work that benefits both the company and its employees. His dedication to ensuring employees and their families are well cared for continues to inspire me and guide my own work in benefits.
