Community Interest
Leading with Care
In celebration of National Women’s Small Business Month this October, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is honoring women whose leadership extends far beyond the bottom line.
Behind every successful team is a leader making decisions that often go unseen. Decisions that strengthen a business and support the people who keep it moving forward.
In celebration of National Women’s Small Business Month this October, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is honoring women whose leadership extends far beyond the bottom line. Across industries—from finance and nonprofit leadership to marketing and healthcare services—these leaders share a common commitment: caring for their employees as much as they care for the organizations they’ve built. Providing quality health coverage is one of the most meaningful ways they put that commitment into practice.
No two businesses are exactly alike, and neither are the people behind them. That’s why BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina offers health plans designed to meet employers where they are. Whether a company is growing its team, managing a budget, or looking for greater flexibility, businesses can choose from a range of solutions backed by South Carolina’s largest provider network and local support.
Alex Chastain
Shareholder & Principal, Abacus Planning Group
Every financial plan begins with understanding the person sitting across the table. As a shareholder and principal at Abacus Planning Group, Alex Chastain brings that same approach to the firm’s employee benefits.
Health insurance has long been one of Abacus’ most valuable employee benefits. As the firm has grown, Chastain has made it a priority to revisit its coverage, recognizing that employees’ needs change over time.
“Just because you picked one thing one year, you’re not always necessarily locked into that forever,” Chastain says. “We’ve gotten bigger over the years. As your company changes, the needs of your employees change. It’s important to look to see what other options you have within that scope.”
That perspective led Abacus to BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. A broad provider network allows employees to continue seeing the doctors and hospitals they trust, while a wide range of plan options gives the firm the flexibility to choose coverage that fits its team. Different deductibles, co-insurance levels, and Health Savings Account-compatible plans allow Abacus to build coverage around its employees, rather than expecting employees to build around a single plan.
For business owners exploring health insurance, Chastain’s advice is straightforward: ask insightful questions and revisit your options as your business evolves. The right plan isn’t necessarily the one you’ve always had—it’s the one that continues to meet the needs of your people.
Hear more from Alex Chastain in her interview with BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina!
Leah Wicevic
Chief Executive Officer, Sistercare
Leah Wicevic has built her career around serving others. As CEO of Sistercare, which supports thousands of domestic violence survivors and their children across the Midlands each year, she knows that meaningful care begins with the people providing it.
“We have staff that are on the front lines in our emergency shelters providing these services to survivors day in and day out,” Wicevic says.
“It’s really important to me that I’m able to provide them the health insurance that they need so they can take care of themselves to be able to do this important work.”
With nearly 65 employees serving survivors across shelters, satellite offices, and administrative locations, Sistercare’s workforce spans generations and life stages. To meet those varying needs, the organization offers two health plan options through BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, giving employees coverage that reflects where they are in life while remaining affordable for the nonprofit.
For Wicevic, quality health insurance is more than an employee benefit. It’s an essential part of recruiting and retaining the compassionate professionals who make Sistercare’s mission possible. In the nonprofit sector, where organizations compete for talented staff with limited resources, offering strong benefits helps level the playing field.
After many years with BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Wicevic values the relationship the organization has built with Sistercare. Transparent communication, an understanding of the nonprofit’s unique needs, and the ability to provide quality coverage at competitive rates have made BlueCross BlueShield a trusted partner.
Her advice to other business leaders is to take the time to build a relationship with your insurance provider. The more they understand your organization, your employees, and your goals, the easier it becomes to find coverage that supports both your people and your mission.
Hear more from Leah Wicevic in her interview with BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina!
Merritt McNeely
Chief Executive Officer, Flock and Rally
Flock and Rally has spent more than a decade helping organizations rally communities around great ideas. Behind every campaign is a team of people bringing those ideas to life, and Merritt McNeely has never viewed employee health insurance as a line item to shrink. It’s part of the culture the agency has chosen to build.
Every renewal season means starting over. Numbers are compared. Coverage is evaluated. Questions are asked. Then comes the decision.
“BlueCross BlueShield is superior, both from a customer service perspective and in what it offers and covers,” McNeely says.
That conclusion has held steady year after year. Rather than searching for the lowest premium, Flock and Rally looks at the complete picture—provider access, prescription coverage, copays, customer service, and the experience employees will have long after enrollment ends.
Choice matters, too. Employees can select between Silver and Gold plans, use Health Savings Accounts, access telehealth services, and take advantage of a wellness fund that encourages them to define wellness on their own terms rather than someone else’s.
“You get what you pay for,” McNeely says. “Quality has lasting value.”
Hear more from Merrit McNeely in her interview with BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina!
Teri Todd & Beth Bunge
Co-founders, Bright Start
Bright Start’s team of more than 130 employees provides early intervention and case management services in communities across the Upstate, Midlands, and Lowcountry, helping individuals with special needs and developmental delays reach their greatest potential. For co-owner Teri Todd, a team that reaches across South Carolina deserves health coverage that does the same.
A provider network that stopped at county lines simply wasn’t an option. BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina offered the statewide reach Bright Start was looking for.
“Our experience with BlueCross BlueShield has been amazing,” Todd says. “Community is something we’re deeply committed to, and being able to partner with an organization that shares those values over the past 15 years is something we truly appreciate.”
Just as important as a broad provider network is the ability to give employees choices. Bright Start offers multiple plan options, allowing employees to select coverage that fits their lives while keeping costs as manageable as possible.
With employees working in communities from the Upstate to the Lowcountry, Todd wanted more than a provider network. She wanted every member of the team to know quality care was never out of reach.
Hear more from Bright Start in this interview with BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina!
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