25 Years of Advocacy, Caring, and Innovation
For 25 years, Health Advocate has guided people through some of the most complicated and time-consuming moments in their health journeys. Whether recovering after a serious diagnosis, appealing a bill or referral decision, finding a specialist, or coordinating care for a loved one, we have helped millions of people get the care and support they deserve.
Health Advocate was created in 2001 to solve a growing problem. Healthcare was becoming harder to navigate, costs were rising, and people needed trusted guidance. What began as a pioneering health advocacy service has evolved into an integrated, data-driven, personalized health and well-being experience. Through that evolution, one principle has remained constant: Start with the member.
The member-first idea that started it all
Health Advocate’s founders recognized that having benefits and access to care did not necessarily mean people knew how to get help. They created the idea of health advocacy to give individuals and families personalized, independent help navigating healthcare, resolving issues, and making informed decisions.
As cofounder and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Abbie Leibowitz explains, “We built Health Advocate with a singular focus on what’s best for the member. People needed someone who could make sense of a complicated system and advocate for what they needed. Twenty-five years later, that principle is still at the heart of everything we do.”
From solving problems to supporting the whole person
Over the years, we learned that health needs rarely exist in isolation. A question about a medical bill can reveal a broader need involving a diagnosis, treatment decision, emotional health, caregiving, or overall well-being.
That understanding guided Health Advocate’s growth from advocacy into a more holistic experience encompassing clinical support, emotional health, wellness, health screenings and vaccinations, analytics, and digital engagement. Today, emerging technology and other tools help us identify needs earlier and personalize support, building on decades of experience and millions of member interactions.
Better support can mean better health—and lower costs
As healthcare costs rise, employers strive to get more value from the benefits they already provide. Helping employees understand and use those benefits more effectively can reduce wasted time, ease the burden on both employees and their HR teams and guide people toward appropriate care sooner.
The financial impact can be significant. Over the past 12 years, Health Advocate has saved members more than $400 million through efforts such as resolving billing and claims issues and helping people make more informed healthcare decisions. Employers also saw a 10% lower annual medical cost trend than the market and a 38% care-gap closure rate in just one year.
Our value extends to the whole person, helping employers, employees, and families get more from their benefits investment while improving health and reducing avoidable costs. Clinical support can help prevent complications for people with complex and chronic conditions; wellness programs focus on reducing risks and creating lasting behavior change; screenings and vaccinations identify risks earlier and help prevent illness; and EAP and Work/Life support can lessen the productivity impact of stress, family responsibilities, financial concerns, and other life challenges. Together, these services help people save time, effort, and money while closing gaps in care, supporting emotional well-being, and making it easier to navigate complex health and benefits-related challenges.
High-tech enables high-touch
Data, analytics, and AI are making advocacy more proactive and personal, and our philosophy is clear: technology enables our advocates to focus on providing compassionate care. Digital tools identify patterns, surface opportunities, and analyze complex information. Our experts bring the clinical knowledge, judgment, empathy, and understanding that make those insights meaningful.
As Kathy Richardson, President of Health Advocate, says, “Our vision is to continue transforming the way people experience healthcare by making it simpler, more connected, and more personal. We’re investing in artificial intelligence, data analytics, and other capabilities to help us identify needs earlier and deliver even more personalized, cost-effective support. Our technology makes our human connection more meaningful.”
The next 25 years start now
As healthcare becomes increasingly complex, advocacy isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s essential. For employers, that means helping people use their benefits more effectively while improving engagement, outcomes, productivity, and cost management. For members, it means being treated as a whole person, not simply a question to answer or a problem to solve.
Twenty-five years after pioneering health advocacy, Health Advocate continues to build on that foundation with integrated support, data, analytics, and AI that help us see needs sooner and make our experts even more effective in helping members.
The tools will continue to evolve, but our north star will not: start with the member, understand the whole person, and keep finding better ways to improve health while helping employers manage the costs of care.
This is the promise that will carry us into the next 25 years: Caring for you in all ways. Always.