People
At Group Benefits Strategies we believe our people are our greatest asset and we believe that individual attention is absolutely necessary for effective benefits management. Our team will work with you to make sure you're comfortable with your overall benefits strategy and they will always be available to you should you have questions and/or concerns.
John R. Sharry, HIA
CEO
Jack Sharry is the owner of Group Benefits Strategies, a group health insurance consulting and auditing firm, representing more than 200 public sector clients in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut. GBS looks for ways to provide solutions to group health insurance costs without reducing the benefits. These solutions have saved GBS’ clients millions of dollars.
Jack Sharry’s approach to group health care issues draws from a blend of his private and public sector experience. As the Vice President for one of Central Massachusetts’ leading manufacturers, he was directly responsible for all aspects of personnel management. His experience with benefit administration, labor relations, contract negotiations and plan design provides him with a strong working knowledge of what solutions and strategies have had the greatest successes. Jack has also held public office serving as a Worcester Massachusetts County Commissioner from 1983 through 1996. This service provides him the advantage of viewing issues from both a private and public sector perspectives.
Jack understands the unique aspects of group health care issues that face the public sector. Providing direct account service for Group Benefits Strategies, his strong interpersonal skills together with his technical expertise have made him an invaluable asset in bringing various municipal factions together to work on solutions to the myriad of issues surrounding group health care.
Carol Cormier, MHA, LIA
Vice President
Carol Cormier has served as Vice President of Group Benefits Strategies since 1993. She is the consultant and program manager to five of Massachusetts’ municipal joint purchase groups covering more than 60,000 lives. These include the Cape Cod Municipal Health Group, The West Suburban Health Group, the Berkshire Health Group, the Minuteman Nashoba Health Group, and the Scantic Valley Regional Health Trust. In this role she has served as an advisor to more than 100 towns, school districts, and other governmental units while reviewing FY05 health benefits expenditures of more than $230 million. Carol also serves as the health benefits consultant to the City of Newton.
Carol was formerly the Executive Director of Worcester Area Systems for Affordable Health Care (WASAHC), a national demonstration project funded by a large grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. WASAHC was a coalition of employers, labor, health plans, hospitals and physicians implementing strategies to control health care costs and promote systems for monitoring and improving quality of care. The coalition stimulated managed care development in central Massachusetts, which now has among the nations highest HMO penetration. The coalition produced the first Buyer’s Guide to health plans in Massachusetts and produced a guide to Medicare Supplement Plans for Medicare beneficiaries.
The Joint Purchase Group
Group Benefits Strategies (GBS) has a wealth of experience in forming, advising and working with joint purchase groups. In fact, we are an industry leader. By combining the purchasing power of a number of different organizations, we can show you how to dramatically impact your group health care costs. Typically, our groups obtain premium savings of 8% to 30% below rates for similar employers.
Core Accounts Team
Group Benefits Strategies provides individual municipalities with analysis of group health benefit programs, benefit design, and assists with requests for proposals, and collective bargaining. GBS provides monthly financial reports to clients, as well as claims auditing and stop loss tracking. GBS can analyze your current situation and make specific recommendations for improved services and reduced costs.
COBRA Team
The federal statute known as COBRA has a significant impact on your company. This statute mandates that if you have 20 or more employees, you must conform to the continuation of coverage guidelines. The best way to avoid or mitigate various penalties for violating COBRA is to outsource your COBRA Administration through Group Benefits Strategies (GBS).
Medicare Team
Our Medicare team manages the Medicare Part D Retiree Drug Subsidy application process for GBS clients.
