Waste Management Company Reduces Healthcare Costs by 23.6%

Industry
Municipal Services

Employees
~64

Partner since
2014

Regional Waste Management Company Reduces Healthcare Costs by 23.6%, Improves Benefits Access

OPOC.us Approach

Challange: A mid-sized waste management provider was facing steep, unsustainable increases in healthcare costs, threatening their ability to reinvest in operations or improve benefits. With just over 60 employees, they were under pressure to stay competitive with national players offering union pay and richer benefit packages. They lacked visibility into how premiums, claims, and admin fees were driving rising costs. Without dedicated employee education or benefit support, low engagement led to poor plan utilization and high claims.

Solution: OPOC.us conducted a deep analysis of their claims data, healthcare spend, and employee demographics uncovering cost inefficiencies, low engagement, and a lack of plan transparency. In response, OPOC implemented a new strategy realigning coverage around actual usage so that 95% of employees had no out-of-pocket costs. A dedicated CARE Center equipped employees with one-on-one support, driving smarter care decisions, fewer claims issues, and higher satisfaction, all while controlling costs and improving outcomes.

Results

$00.0million
In cumulative
savings over 10 years, well below benchmark despite broader inflation trends
00.0%
Reduction in per employee costs in Year 1, without reducing access or coverage

Plan Performance

Annual cost increases held significantly below market trend
Per-employee spend remained below pre-OPOC levels for 9 years, rising just 4.4% higher—only 0.4% CAGR over 10 years
Regained competitive positioning vs. national providers with richer pay

Employee Experience

95% of employees had no out-of-pocket costs for the services they used most

Higher employee satisfaction with their benefits

HR reported fewer escalations and faster resolution of benefit- related issues

Why It Worked

This organization wasn’t just looking to cut costs—they were looking for a benefits program that truly supported the people powering their business. OPOC’s model delivered on that promise through:

A transparent redesign that eliminated unnecessary coverage and redirected dollars to real usage
Full-service support through the CARE Center
Improved plan structure that minimized out-of-pocket costs for most employees
A competitive benefit that helped retain talent over union-backed alternatives