Nava Announces New Members to Healthcare & Benefits Advisory Board

NEW YORK, September 30, 2021 -- Nava, a modern healthcare benefits brokerage leveraging technology and benefits innovation to tackle the rising costs of healthcare, today announced the addition of three new members to its Healthcare & Benefits Advisory Board. Todd Bisping, Global Benefits & Health Manager at Caterpillar, Tracy Desmond, Head of Global Benefits, Wellbeing & Mobility at Airbnb, and Ellen Meza, Director of Global Benefits, Wellbeing & Mobility at DocuSign will join leaders from Walmart and Delta Airlines to provide strategic expertise and counsel as Nava works to bring world-class employee benefits to thousands of small-and-midsize employers.

Nava was founded in 2019 with a mission to provide high-quality, affordable care options to the 160 million Americans who receive healthcare coverage through their employer. The company launched its Healthcare & Benefits Advisory Board in 2020 to bring benefits expertise from the country’s largest employers straight into the hands of small and midsize employers. Its members, known as Nava Advisors, work directly with Nava's leadership and customers to scale and deploy what they have learned from their organizations to improve healthcare coverage for employees across industries and around the country. Advisors will also partner with Nava's benefits, product, and engineering teams to design innovative tools and products for employees and HR leaders

"The data is clear: the US healthcare system is crushing small-and-midsize employers. We observed that 8 in 10 are in the wrong benefits strategy and getting overcharged as a result. Meanwhile, America's largest employers are playing a different game and pay 20-25% less for the equivalent or better benefits," said Brandon Weber, CEO and co-founder of Nava. "The good news is that the mid-market can too, and we're fortunate to be partnering with these thought leaders to bring their expertise and playbook to the employers who form the backbone of the American economy."

"What we're doing at Caterpillar can be done by small-to-midsize employers across the country — but to make that happen, they need a partner they can trust," writes Todd Bisping, Global Benefits & Health Manager at Caterpillar. "Usually it goes that the smaller the company, the less leverage they have in healthcare. That's one of the problems Nava is trying to solve. With a high level of transparency and a strong commitment to the client's needs, Nava is on track to become a champion of SMB benefits."

Ellen Meza, Director of Global Benefits at DocuSign, added: "As someone who has sat in the role of HR leader and benefits consultant, I have witnessed firsthand just how much this space needs innovation. It's even better when that innovation is anchored in a mission we can all get behind: high-quality, affordable healthcare for all."

"Nava aims to revolutionize the broker-employer relationship," notes Tracy Desmond, Head of Global Benefits, Wellbeing & Mobility at Airbnb. "Driving change in the healthcare industry means being proactive, innovative, and forward-thinking. That's what Nava brings to small-to-midsize employers and I'm thrilled to be a part of a team working together to disrupt the existing system."

The three members bring a diverse set of skills, input and knowledge and join existing Board members, including:

• Kelley Elliott, VP, Total Rewards at Delta Air Lines
• Dr. Marty Makary, Johns Hopkins Surgeon & Professor of Public Health, and New York Times bestselling author of "The Price We Pay"; Chief Medical Advisor at Nava
• Marcus Osborne, SVP Walmart Health at Walmart
• Dene Sparrman, Director, Global Benefits at Amazon

‍