Service of Unequalled Excellence

1996

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.

1999

Employment at The Word & Brown Companies surpasses 300, with employees working in offices in Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose, California.

2001

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.

2001

Web-based COBRA services are launched by Word & Brown.

2002

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).]

2003

Word & Brown combines its COBRA and Flexible Benefits divisions (CobraPro and FlexPro) to establish CONEXIS, a nationwide benefits administrator.

2003

CONEXIS acquires the assets of CompLink and expands to become the nation's leading provider of COBRA and HIPAA administrative services, Flexible Benefits Administration (FSAs, HSAs, HRAs), and Direct Bill Services.

2003

The CHOICE Administrators corporate name is adopted as the parent organization of the CaliforniaChoice private health exchange.

2004

Word & Brown General Agency expands its service to Inland Empire-area brokers by opening a fifth California office – in Ontario.

2005

The Word & Brown Companies surpass 700 employees nationwide.

2006

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.

2007

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.

2007

The Word & Brown Companies launch the California Rx Card discount prescription program. (The Nevada Drug Card is added in 2008.)

2008

Quotit^® Corporation, the leading Internet application service provider for the health insurance and employee benefits industry, joins the Word & Brown family of companies.

2009

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.

2009

The Word & Brown Companies launch HealthCompare to help individuals and families research, compare, and enroll in individual and family health plans.

2009

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.

2010

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.)

2012

Word & Brown introduces Word & Brown Medicare Brokerage, a field marketing organization.

2012

Jessica Word is named president of Word & Brown General Agency.

2012

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.

2013

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.

2014

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.

2014

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.

2015

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.

2015

Word & Brown University Vice President Don Goldmann is elected president of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU).

2015

Word & Brown General Agency marks its 30-year anniversary.

2015

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.

2016

The California Rx Card celebrates $397 million in savings to California cardholders since the program launched in 2007. The Nevada Drug Card celebrates $41 million in savings since 2008.

2016

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.

2016

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.

2016

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.

2017

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.

2017

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.

2017

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)

2018

The Word & Brown Companies earn five awards in the GDUSA American Graphic Design Awards.

2018

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.

2019

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.

Select systems of The Word & Brown Companies earn “Certified” status for information security from HITRUST, the Health Information Trust Alliance, the most prestigious certifiable security framework for the health care industry.

2019

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.

2019

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.

2019

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.

2020

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.

2020

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.

2020

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.

2020

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.

2020

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.

2020

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.

2021

CaliforniaChoice celebrates 25 years as California’s multi-carrier, employee-choice, private health insurance exchange, offering coverage from eight leading health plans.

2021

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.

2022

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.

2022

CEO Jessica Word is selected by the Orange County Business Journal 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.