A Better Partner in Health
Northwind delivers unparalleled service and care for your members.
“Our total commitment to producing health delivers improved member well-being and superior financial results that Taft-Hartley fiduciaries value.”
Why Union Members Love Northwind
White-glove Pharmacy Logistics
One way Northwind increases adherence is through its pharmacy that provides overnight high-touch prescription fulfilment services for your members.
Northwind’s experienced pharmacy team provides unique clinical expertise and accountability, resulting in high member satisfaction.
One Customer Service Phone Number
Northwind’s member support team operates with a one-call ideology: if a member calls in with a need, concern, or question, that is the only call they will need to make.
Our team then reaches out directly to providers, pharmacies, and other parties to facilitate any navigation needs — so the member does not have to worry about making additional outreach.
A Superior Member Experience
Across Northwind’s current book of business, our Member Services team maintains a <1% abandonment rate with a 22-second average time to answer.
Members are able to seamlessly engage with our support team through multiple channels, including phone, email and use of the mobile app.
Our Taft-Hartley Clients
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Indiana Teamsters Health Benefits Fund
Mid-Central Operating Engineers Health & Welfare Fund
Midwest Operating Engineers Local 150
Plumbers & Steamfitters Local Union 166
How We Deliver
Northwind works with Fund Administrators, Trustees, and Business Managers responsible for the health benefits of plan members across multiple participating employers. Multi-employer funds carry a different burden than single-employer plans — fiduciary obligations to members and beneficiaries, the financial health of the Fund itself, and a population that deserves best in class benefits advocated by their unions.
Our Advantage
- Half of Northwind employees are clinically licensed, empowering them to optimize for member health
- Northwind helps your members easily navigating their medical path optimizing for health and convenience
- We are focused on reducing copays for members to improve engagement and health outcomes
Northwind is fully-integrated with leading Worksite Clinics.
Having worked extensively in the Health Center space, Northwind understands that the true impact of a Health Center on the health plan is directly tied to member engagement — particularly engagement among high-risk and high-cost members. By expanding the role of the Health Center in partnership with Northwind, we have the opportunity to create a more proactive and integrated care model that uses pharmacy insights to identify at-risk members earlier and connect them to the right clinical programs and interventions at the right time.
Why Fund Administrators Choose Northwind
A track record with multi-employer plans.
Northwind has administered services for multi-employer funds since 2019. Trustees and Fund Administrators evaluating Northwind can speak directly with peers — labor and commercial — who have moved their plans onto Northwind's TPA, PBM, pharmacy, and chronic disease management services. Reference conversations are part of the diligence process, not an obstacle to it.
Care designed for the members funds serve.
Multi-employer plans often cover populations with higher chronic disease prevalence — diabetes, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal injuries, and behavioral health needs that come with physically demanding work and aging workforces. Northwind's clinician-led model pairs each high-cost, high-risk member with a pharmacist and a board-certified health coach. The team coordinates directly with providers to stabilize members whose claims would otherwise become the catastrophic events that strain the Fund.
Transparent, fee-based economics auditable at every layer.
PEPM and PMPM administration fees. Cost-plus pharmacy pricing since 2008. Pass-through rebates with NDC-level audit reporting. Trustees and Fund Administrators see exactly what the Fund is paying for and exactly what it is saving — the level of transparency a Board needs to discharge its responsibility to members.
Protection of Fund assets through waste, fraud, and abuse elimination.
Northwind estimates that 15% of healthcare spend, on average, consists of waste, fraud, and abuse — unnecessary procedures, billing redundancies, rebates captured by prior vendors, and misaligned incentives across siloed point solutions. Northwind targets eliminating 8 to 12% of combined pharmacy and medical spend within 18 months of onboarding, with savings flowing back to the Fund rather than to intermediaries.
One Partner, One Integrated Team
Most funds run their health plan through five or more disconnected vendors — a TPA, a PBM, a pharmacy, a chronic disease management vendor, and a rotating set of point solutions. Each adds a layer of cost. Each creates a data and member experience silo. Northwind delivers TPA, PBM, pharmacy, and chronic disease management under one roof, executing on a shared multi-year strategy with one team accountable to the Trustees.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of funds does Northwind serve?
Northwind serves multi-employer health and welfare funds, Taft-Hartley plans, commercial multi-employer plans, and trust funds. Northwind’s current book of business includes IBEW locals, Operating Engineers funds, Teamster health benefit funds, and UA locals, among others.
What size fund does Northwind serve?
Northwind’s ideal clients have between 1,000 and 20,000 covered lives. Fund Administrators and Trustees evaluating Northwind can speak directly with peers at organizations of comparable size and structure already on the platform.
How does Northwind price its services?
Northwind prices on PEPM or PMPM models. Pharmacy is priced on a cost-plus basis with pass-through rebates and NDC-level audit reporting. Analysis, audit, and strategy services are priced on deliverables. Pricing is transparent and auditable at every layer.
What financial impact can be expected?
Northwind targets 6% year-over-year increases in healthcare spending versus the 18% industry average, and targets eliminating 8 to 12% of combined pharmacy and medical spend through waste, fraud, and abuse reduction within 18 months of onboarding. PBM first-year savings average 11.5%.
Must the we engage all of Northwind's services?
No. Funds can engage Northwind’s TPA, PBM, pharmacy, or chronic disease management as standalone services. The full integrated solution typically produces the strongest financial and clinical outcomes, but the Fund chooses the model that fits its plan design and existing vendor relationships.
Does Northwind work with existing worksite clinics or wellness partners?
Yes. Northwind is fully integrated with leading worksite clinic operators and collaborates with wellness vendors, health systems, and pharmacy support services already engaged by the Fund. Northwind’s pharmacy insights are used to identify at-risk members earlier and connect them to clinical programs available through the Fund’s existing health center infrastructure.
What does the member experience look like?
Northwind operates on a one-call ideology: if a member contacts Northwind with a need, that is the only call they make. Northwind’s Member Services team maintains a less than 1% abandonment rate with a 22-second average time to answer. Members have access to registered nurses and pharmacists seven days a week. High-cost, high-risk members are paired with a dedicated pharmacist and a board-certified health coach. Bilingual staff and translation services are available.
What data does Northwind need to evaluate a prospective fund?
A complete analysis requires full pharmacy and medical claims files and a census file. Northwind will return a targeted plan analysis with specific savings opportunities and implementation considerations.
What states does Northwind serve?
Northwind is licensed in all 50 states, with facilities in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Oregon. Current growth markets include Indiana, California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, and Florida.
Can we speak with other Fund Administrators who have moved to Northwind?
Yes. Reference conversations with Trustees and Fund Administrators at peer organizations are part of the diligence process. Northwind has administered services for multi-employer funds since 2019.
