For Tom DiLiegro, founder of Vero Advising, building a better benefits system isn’t just a professional goal—it’s a personal mission. Inspired by his own experiences navigating a system that often prioritizes itself over people, Tom shares how transparency and fairness can reshape healthcare for the better.
Vero Advising has a unique approach to benefits consulting. What led you to start the company, and how does its mission reflect your personal values?
I never understood why insurance was often used to pay for services that could be accessed affordably through direct cash payment. Over time, I found myself operating within the industry’s status quo, perpetuating a system that didn’t always prioritize the best interests of those it was meant to serve. When I began working with brokers, I saw how misaligned incentives often influenced recommendations—decisions were made to benefit the brokerage or other stakeholders rather than the employer or their employees. This same misalignment was evident during my time at a local health system, where organizational interests frequently overshadowed the needs of patients and the employers who bear the financial burden of premiums.
I realized that while marketing materials touted transparency and fairness, the reality behind the scenes often didn’t align. What I saw was a system that prioritized its own perpetuation over the people it was supposed to serve.
My inspiration for starting Vero Advising was deeply personal. Growing up, my father’s employer-sponsored plan provided health, disability, and life insurance that truly worked as intended—it protected and supported my family during times of need. That experience shaped my belief in what benefits should be: reliable, fair, and meaningful.
Early in my career, I witnessed firsthand how the system often served itself instead of the people who depended on it. I founded Vero Advising to be an advocate for employers and their employees, to break away from the traditional model of self-serving incentives, and to create something grounded in honesty and integrity. At Vero, we commit to addressing issues with cold, hard truths, providing clarity and transparency, even when it’s uncomfortable. This mirrors the way I try to live my personal life—with honesty and transparency as guiding principles. I believe that mission should extend into the work we do every day for our clients.
With rising healthcare costs, transparency has become a buzzword. How do you define true transparency in benefits, and how can it make a difference for employers and employees?
Transparency alone isn’t enough—it has to exist within a framework of fairness and shared value. A contract can be fully transparent about its terms, yet still be exploitative or one-sided. True transparency means more than just clarity; it means aligning the interests of all stakeholders—practitioners, vendors, employers, and the employees who depend on the system. It’s about creating agreements that are equitable and mutually beneficial, balancing the economic realities of the system with the dignity and well-being of the human beings it ultimately serves.
To me, transparency has to be “good.” Good transparency is transparency that fosters trust and ensures fairness. In other words, it must also be moral. It means making sure all parties—practitioners delivering care, vendors facilitating the process, employers footing the bill, and employees receiving care—are treated justly and derive value from their participation in the system.
The immediate benefit of this kind of transparency is often reduced costs, but the impact goes far deeper. At its core, it’s about improving health outcomes and preserving the dignity of individuals. True transparency ensures that decisions are driven not just by financial considerations but by compassion for the human experience of healthcare. In the end, transparency isn’t just a financial tool—it’s a moral imperative.
At Decent, we believe in simplifying healthcare for small businesses. What role do you think smaller companies play in driving innovation in benefits, and how can they better navigate the system?
Small companies are the true innovation labs of the benefits world. Their size and agility allow them to adopt innovative approaches that larger organizations, bogged down by layers of bureaucracy, often cannot. Without the constraints of insurance mandates and hierarchical decision-making, smaller employers can partner with like-minded advisors, vendors, and employees to test groundbreaking ideas. These experiments often serve as proof of concept for strategies that can eventually scale to larger organizations.
However, navigating the system is a challenge for companies of all sizes. For small businesses, the key isn’t necessarily becoming better at navigation but choosing partners who share their vision and can guide them through the complexities. By aligning with forward-thinking advisors and vendors, smaller companies can simplify their benefits administration while driving the kind of systemic change that benefits everyone.
Small businesses also have the power to humanize healthcare. Their closer-knit structures often foster stronger connections between employers and employees, enabling them to craft benefits solutions that directly address the needs of their workforce. This personal touch, combined with a willingness to innovate, positions small businesses as a vital force in reshaping the benefits landscape.
What’s one thing about you that might surprise people? (A fun fact, a favorite hobby, or an unexpected skill!)
I bake the best chocolate chip cookies in the world.
