Our mission: Simplifying access to better health insurance choices. It’s thanks to our people –
our employees – that we continue to exceed our client expectations.
Word & Brown Insurance Administrators, Inc. Founded on hard work, dedication, and the passion to make health care more accessible for individuals, families, employers, and employees, The Word & Brown Companies organization strives to make Service of Unequalled Excellence not just a saying, but a core value.
From pioneers of the industry to current day innovators, our executive team guides new and innovative ways to deliver health insurance options to businesses and consumers.
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We are passionate about helping our employees make a difference in the communities in which we live and work. We don’t measure our collective impact by dollars spent, miles run, blood donated, or hours contributed, but in how many lives we help. We encourage employee participation in a wide variety of charitable organizations.
The Orange County Business Journal has recognized John Word, Rusty Brown, and The Word & Brown Companies for standout philanthropy, including recognition in the publication’s “Giving Guide.”
Our annual blood drive is a great way to give to an important effort, and it’s easy. Our HR team does a fantastic job of setting everything up so all you have to do is show up.”
My favorite part was including a personalized, hand-written note in each bag for the upcoming school year. Sometimes a few encouraging words can make all the difference in knowing that someone cares.”
We believe this donation of masks is an extension of our mission to help others and to make health care and health insurance more accessible to Californians. It’s even more personal for our employees and our organization because St. Joseph Hospital is our neighbor – our offices are just blocks away in Orange.”
My favorite part of being a mentor is breaking down that wall, breaking her out of her shell, and having fun discussions or trying to make her laugh.”
I’m grateful to work in a place that empowers us to give back. Through various opportunities, we actively support our community, recently donating laptops to a local elementary school, making a positive impact beyond the workplace.
It is a blessing to serve on the Operation Drumstick Fundraising Committee each year, so together we can help the OCRM fill the tummies of hurting men, women, and children with delicious food and fill their hearts with hope for a second chance.”
Word & Brown General Agency (formally Word & Brown Insurance Administrators) is founded by John M. Word III and Edward J. “Rusty” Brown Jr.
John Word and Rusty Brown launch Quot-O-Matic®, an innovative quoting platform giving brokers the ability to consolidate health insurance quotes from multiple carriers into one easy-to-understand presentation for their small business clients.
Word & Brown creates a COBRA division, CobraPro, becoming the first company in the nation specializing in COBRA compliance and administration.
Word & Brown becomes the nation’s largest independent small group health distributor.
Word & Brown introduces a Flexible Benefit Plans division, FlexPro, to assist businesses with Section 125 Flexible Benefits administration and disbursements.
CaliforniaChoice, the state’s first private health exchange for small businesses, is launched by John M. Word III and Edward J. “Rusty” Brown Jr., co-founders of Word & Brown.
Employment at The Word & Brown Companies surpasses 300, with employees working in offices in Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose, California.
John M. Word III and Edward J. “Rusty” Brown Jr., co-founders and managing partners of Word & Brown and creators of the CaliforniaChoice private exchange, are awarded “Entrepreneur of the Year®” by Ernst & Young.
Web-based COBRA services are launched by Word & Brown.
CaliforniaChoice earns the prestigious Health Insurance Association of American (HIAA) “Innovators Award” for true industry advancement. [HIAA merged with the American Association of Health Plans in 2003 to form America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).]
Word & Brown combines its COBRA and Flexible Benefits divisions (CobraPro and FlexPro) to establish CONEXIS, a nationwide benefits administrator.
The Word & Brown Companies surpass 700 employees nationwide.
Word & Brown General Agency introduces a new website-based quoting engine, enabling brokers to compare all health plans, rates, and benefits, and create customized proposals instantly.
The new John Word & Rusty Brown Hearing Aid Center opens at the Providence Speech and Hearing Center in Orange, California, in honor of John M. Word III and Edward J. “Rusty” Brown Jr.
The Word & Brown Companies launch the California Rx Card discount prescription program. (The Nevada Drug Card is added in 2008.)
Quotit® Corporation, the leading Internet application service provider for the health insurance and employee benefits industry, joins the Word & Brown family of companies.
CHOICE Administrators introduces ChoiceBuilder, the nation’s first ancillary-only benefits program offering employer-sponsored and voluntary Dental, Vision, and other benefits through a single program.
The Word & Brown Companies launch HealthCompare to help individuals and families research, compare, and enroll in individual and family health plans.
Word & Brown General Agency adds HRWow, an online human resources administration services program to help employers save time and money. HRWow is available to broker clients at no cost.
Joppel.com is launched to help individuals, family members, and caregivers research, compare, and enroll in the right Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plan. (Joppel is integrated with HealthCompare in 2014.)
Word & Brown introduces Word & Brown Medicare Brokerage, a field marketing organization.
Jessica Word is named president of Word & Brown General Agency.
The Orange County Register recognizes The Word & Brown Companies as a Top Work Place in Orange County, with the organization among 20 mid-sized firms and 85 businesses on the newspaper’s 2012 list.
Quotit® Corporation and HealthCompare both earn certification from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a Web Broker Entity (WBE) connected to the Federally Facilitated Exchange (FFE) marketplace.
CONEXIS, the recognized leader in employee benefits administration, is sold by The Word & Brown Companies to WageWorks, Inc., a leading administrator of consumer-directed benefits.
Word & Brown General Agency expands quoting capabilities, giving brokers the ability to quote from anywhere using a desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device with WBQuote.
The Orange County Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals names John Word, Rusty Brown, and The Word & Brown Companies as Outstanding Corporation Honorees for 2015.
Word & Brown University Vice President Don Goldmann is elected president of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), now known as the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals (NABIP).
Word & Brown General Agency marks its 30-year anniversary.
CaliforniaChoice receives a Gold Award for Best Healthcare Private Exchange Platform and a Silver Award for Best Small Business Benefits Plan/Solution. Sponsored by the Healthcare Trends Institute (HCI), both awards recognize contributions to the betterment of the health care benefits industry.
The Orange County Business Journal recognizes John Word and Rusty Brown, co-founders of The Word & Brown Companies, as standout philanthropists in the publication’s 2016 Giving Guide.
The California Rx Card celebrates $397,560,001.86 in savings to California cardholders since the program launched in 2007. The Nevada Drug Card celebrates $41,803,844.65 in savings since 2008.
The Word & Brown Companies earn a Gold Award in the insurance category at the inaugural Stevie® Awards for Great Employers, sponsored by The American Business Awards.
Word & Brown General Agency adds Kaiser Permanente to Small Group quoting, deepening the firm’s roster of leading insurers to give brokers access to all of the top carriers through a single General Agency.
The Word & Brown Companies earn 12 awards from Graphic Design USA for 2017. The wins include seven GDUSA America Inhouse Design Awards and five GDUSA American Graphic Design Awards.
The Word & Brown Companies announce the sale of HealthCompare, Quotit, and a book of Medicare Advantage and Individual & Family Plan (IFP) business written by Word & Brown Brokerage to National General Holdings Corp. (Nasdaq: NGHC)
The Word & Brown Companies earn five awards in the GDUSA American Graphic Design Awards.
Word & Brown General Agency signs two new Large Group contracts, allowing brokers to write groups of 101 or more employees. Larger UnitedHealthcare cases is available statewide in California. Kaiser Permanente coverage is available to employers in Fresno and San Diego.
Word & Brown General Agency signs a new agreement with Sutter Health Plus, expanding health plan options for brokers, their clients, and employees in 15 Northern California counties.
Word & Brown General Agency and Anthem Blue Cross agree to a new contract that allows brokers to write Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, and Disability coverage for groups of 101-300 employees.
Selected Word & Brown General Agency and CHOICE Administrators systems earn “Certified” status for information security by HITRUST, the most prestigious certifiable security framework for the health care industry.
The Word & Brown Companies, including Word & Brown General Agency, earn nine awards in two competitions sponsored in 2019 by Graphic Design USA. The wins include three GDUSA America Inhouse Design Awards and six GDUSA Health + Wellness Awards.
The Orange County Register recognizes The Word & Brown Companies as a Top Work Place in Orange County for 2020, with the organization among just 105 businesses making the elite employer list.
The Word & Brown Companies earn five Graphic Design USA (GDUSA) America Inhouse Design Awards, seven GDUSA Health + Wellness Awards, four GDUSA American Web Design Awards, and eight GDUSA American Graphic Design Awards.
Word & Brown General Agency expands its employee benefit options for Northern California employers and their workers to include Exclusive Provider Organization plans from Cigna + Oscar in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties.
Word & Brown General Agency promotes Vice President of Sales Marc McGinnis to Senior Vice President of Sales and Strategic Client Management, broadening his responsibilities to include strategic oversight of key agency and high-profile partnerships as well as sales.
The Word & Brown Companies donate 20,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) masks to St. Joseph Hospital Orange, in support of physicians, nurses, staff, and visitors at one of Orange County’s busiest hospitals. An additional 30,000 masks are distributed to support employees, family members, and local communities.
Word & Brown General Agency introduces WBBroker, the fastest, easiest, 100%-secure way for brokers to better-manage their Word & Brown business from the palm of their hand. The app combines guaranteed-accurate quoting, doctor searches, and real-time underwriting updates.
CaliforniaChoice celebrates 25 years as California’s multi-carrier, employee-choice, private health insurance exchange, offering coverage from eight leading health plans.
The Word & Brown Companies earn a second certification from HITRUST for commitment to the highest cyber-data protection standards. The designation places The Word & Brown Companies in an elite group of organizations worldwide.
John Word receives the Harold R. Gordon Memorial Award from the National Association of Health Underwriters (now the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals) as the health insurance industry’s person of the year.
The Word & Brown Companies earn recognition in the “Best Places to Work in Insurance” program. Presented by Business Insurance, the list highlights agents, brokers, insurance companies, and other insurance-related firms for their high levels of employee engagement and satisfaction.
CEO Jessica Word is selected by the Orange County Business Journal/OCBJ as a 2022 Women In Business Awards honoree. She is among six professionals recognized in 2022 for significant contributions to her organization, profession, and the OC community.
The Word & Brown Companies earn a third certification from HITRUST for commitment to the highest cyber-data protection standards. Key systems used by Word & Brown General Agency and CHOICE Administrators are HITRUST certified.
This recognition places Word & Brown in an elite group of organizations globally.
The Word & Brown Companies are recognized for the second time in the 2024 “Best Places to Work in Insurance” program, which honors employers for their outstanding performance in establishing workplaces where employees can thrive, enjoy their work, and help their companies grow.
The Word & Brown Companies earn recognition from the Orange County Business Journal in the publication’s fifth annual “Companies That Care” honors list for 2024. This list celebrates Orange County companies that actively contribute to the OC community through philanthropy and social responsibility initiatives.
John Word and Rusty Brown celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the founding of Word & Brown General Agency.