UnitedHealthcare celebrates partnership with Opportunity Enterprises

This year marks the third consecutive year of the partnership between UnitedHealthcare and Opportunity Enterprises, a business relationship dedicated to uplifting local initiatives through corporate action.

Opportunity Enterprises is a non-profit organization that has served the Northwest Indiana community since 1967, dedicated to cultivating spaces while encouraging the success and inclusion of people of all abilities. The services it offers to the community include day programs, employment readiness training, social groups, and supported living for people living with disabilities.

In the past three years, Opportunity Enterprises has found an ally in UnitedHealthcare, which serves as a health insurance provider as well as a sponsor to the non-profit and its employees.

Opportunity Enterprises Chief Human Resource Officer Stephanie Anderson stressed the importance of cost-effective solutions for the organization.

“We’re a non-profit. Our staff does two and a half jobs for 75% of the pay. We have to ask, ‘How can we save them money and put money back into their pocket,’” Anderson said.

When navigating benefits, a major part of the conversation lies in the ability of the company to meet the needs of the employees through action. The ability for UnitedHealthcare to take action effectively has contributed to the last three years of partnership between the two organizations.

Anderson and the Opportunity Enterprise team have had a number of positive experiences in their collaboration with UnitedHealthcare.

“When you go to a carrier and tell them ‘We are leaving for another because they offered us a cheaper rate,’ and your current broker goes, ‘We can do that,’ it’s like ‘Okay, then why didn’t you before?’” Anderson said. “UnitedHealthcare is already doing that.”

On top of working with Opportunity Enterprises on benefits, UnitedHealthcare has offered financial support through donations to the organization. Opportunity Enterprises Associate Director of Major Gifts Jane Kobak shared her perspective about the importance of this support.

“When we have partners who invest in organizations like Opportunity Enterprises, the entire community benefits overall,” Kobak said. “UnitedHealthcare came on board around the same time they became our [health insurance] provider. When we asked them to partner with us in sponsorships, they were very open to the idea and jumped right in.”

Since joining Opportunity Enterprises as a sponsor, UnitedHealthcare has contributed around $16,000 towards the mission of the non-profit, allowing it to continue its goal of impacting and supporting people across the community.

Kobak reflected on the similarities between both organizations and their missions, citing these as a strong reason for the strength of the partnership.

“It’s a shared commitment to improving the health, well-being, and quality of life of individuals and families in our community,” Kobak said. “Both of our organizations focus on helping people, so coming together was a natural alignment of our missions. That has only continued to strengthen over time.”

Another major way that UnitedHealthcare provides direct support to Opportunity Enterprises is through educating employees on benefits or other programs available to help them maximize their coverage. The dedication of UnitedHealthcare Vice President of Sales Mike Telesky and his staff is something that has stood out for Anderson in this partnership.

“Mike and his team are passionate about making sure our staff understand their benefits and how to make them work for them,” Anderson said. “That’s one of the things that they have done for us. It may not always be Mike coming in, but it may be someone that he recommends, and he’ll get in touch with that person and have them come in and meet the staff.”

Located in the Region, both Telesky and Opportunity Enterprises’ UnitedHealthcare broker stay close to the heart of the organization, allowing them to act on the needs of the non-profit in an appropriate and timely manner.

“It’s always so nice when you have a rep in your area who can truly watch out for your best interests,” Anderson said. “Running into Mike at the grocery store, running into him on the golf course at an outing – it allows him to be like, ‘Oh, hey, did I mention this to you? Let’s talk about this program,’ and that really makes a difference. Our relationship with UnitedHealthcare is different from the ones we’ve had with other companies.”

Kobak echoed Anderson’s comments on Telesky and the UnitedHealthcare team’s contributions to working with Opportunity Enterprises.

“Mike has always been very engaged with us as the representative of UnitedHealthcare. He’s always very involved in bringing attention to us. UnitedHealthcare gets tickets to our gala, and they come to that and then individually support our mission as well, which is amazing,” Kobak said. “Mike brings other people in to hear and learn about our mission. He uses his network to spread the word and bring in support to us. It’s amazing.”

Through their partnership, both organizations have contributed to creating a more accessible and helpful community. The mutual understanding of each group lends to a partnership built on a desire to continue to change Northwest Indiana for the better.

“It’s important for Opportunity Enterprises staff, myself included, to have excellent healthcare and support, so that we can then turn around and provide our services in the best possible way to the individuals we serve,” Kobak said. “UnitedHealthcare’s partnership demonstrates how businesses can really make a lasting impact by investing both in non-profit missions as well as the people like myself who carry them forward.”

For more information about UnitedHealthcare, you can visit uhc.com. To learn more about Opportunity Enterprises, you can visit its website.