Symetra Marks 50 Years as a Stop Loss Leader

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BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 22, 2026--

Symetra Life Insurance Company is celebrating its 50 th anniversary as a stop loss provider — marking five decades of helping employers protect their self-funded health plans from high-cost claims and rising medical volatility. A pioneer in the industry, Symetra issued its first stop loss policy in 1976. Since then, self-funded health plans have gone mainstream, now covering over 60 percent of workers in the U.S. 1 With rising costs tied to specialty drugs and gene therapies, stop loss coverage is more essential than ever.

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“We’re exceptionally proud of our legacy of helping employers, brokers and benefits professionals navigate an ever-changing healthcare landscape with stability and innovation,” said Jeremy Freestone, SVP, Stop Loss Strategy at Symetra. “We’ve seen self-funding evolve from a strategy used by a handful of large employers to a standard solution for organizations of all sizes. What hasn’t changed is the need for a trusted partner to help manage that risk. Fifty years later — with a demonstrated service, underwriting and claims management expertise — we remain committed to helping employers meet the challenges of a complex health care environment.”

To help mark its historical milestone, Symetra today drops a special episode of its Working Forward podcast, The Future of Stop Loss: Lessons From a Changing Market. The January 2026 stop loss cycle delivered a market unlike anything in recent memory. Escalating medical inflation, a surge in cancer and other catastrophic claims, and carriers under pressure to hit pricing targets collided — creating one of the most volatile stop loss cycles on record. In this episode, Jeremy Freestone and members of Symetra’s stop loss leadership team are joined by Ron E. Peck, Esq., Chief Legal Officer at The Phia Group, LLC, and Mehb Khoja, Chief Growth Officer at BCS Financial Corporation, to unpack what happened and explore what’s next for brokers, carriers, and self-funded groups.

Symetra also has launched a dedicated microsite, 50 Years of Stop Loss, which features a retrospective video with stop loss leaders and team members, a timeline of key milestones, and a revolving series of insights on stop loss and the employer-sponsored health care industry.

Looking ahead, Symetra remains focused on innovation, financial strength, and helping employers stay resilient in a challenging benefits landscape. “Our mission remains the same: protect employers so they can protect their people,” said Freestone. “We’re proud of our first 50 years — and we’re ready for the next 50.”

About Stop Loss

Medical stop loss insurance protects companies that self-fund their health insurance plans against large or catastrophic claims. Employers with stop loss insurance are reimbursed for individual employees’ medical costs above a certain pre-determined dollar amount. Stop loss insurance also protects against unexpectedly large amounts of total medical claims. In such a case, the coverage kicks in once a certain amount has been paid by a client toward all of its employee medical bills.

About Symetra

Symetra Life Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Symetra Financial Corporation, a diversified financial services company based in Bellevue, Washington. In business since 1957, Symetra provides employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through a national network of benefit consultants, financial institutions, and independent financial professionals and insurance producers. For more information, visit www.symetra.com.

1Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Employer Health Benefits 2024 Survey, “Self Funding”, p. 11.

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CONTACT: Diana McSweeney

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KEYWORD: WASHINGTON UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ENTERTAINMENT HEALTH INSURANCE HEALTH INSURANCE HUMAN RESOURCES PODCAST

SOURCE: Symetra Life Insurance Company

Copyright Business Wire 2026.

PUB: 01/22/2026 12:00 PM/DISC: 01/22/2026 12:00 PM

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