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Rippling Enhances Employee Benefits Administration Through Strategic Preferred Carrier Program with Guardian MetLife and Unum

by Neng Nana July 19, 2026

written by Neng Nana

The workforce management platform Rippling has officially launched its Preferred Carrier Program, a strategic initiative designed to integrate its software directly with leading insurance providers Guardian, MetLife, and Unum. This collaboration marks a significant shift in the benefits administration landscape, moving away from fragmented, manual data entry processes toward a unified, automated system for managing employee coverage. By establishing direct technical and operational links with these major insurers, Rippling aims to eliminate the administrative friction that has long plagued human resources departments, insurance brokers, and employees alike.

The initiative centers on the automated exchange of critical data, including employee eligibility, enrollment status, and specific coverage details. Traditionally, the transfer of this information between HR platforms and insurance carriers has relied on legacy systems or manual uploads, which are frequently prone to reconciliation errors and significant processing delays. The Preferred Carrier Program seeks to resolve these issues by ensuring that data flows seamlessly and accurately across the entire benefits lifecycle.

The Evolution of Benefits Administration and the Need for Automation

For decades, the administration of employee benefits has been characterized by a heavy reliance on Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) files. While EDI represented an improvement over paper-based systems, it remains a batch-processing method that often results in data being updated only once a week or even once a month. For a rapidly growing company, this latency can lead to "coverage gaps," where an employee is hired or experiences a qualifying life event but remains without active insurance because the carrier has not yet processed the latest data file.

Furthermore, the manual reconciliation of billing statements against payroll records is a notorious pain point for small and mid-sized business (SMB) owners. Discrepancies between what an employer pays in premiums and what is reflected in their payroll deductions can lead to financial leakage or, worse, the denial of claims for employees who believed they were covered.

Rippling’s new program addresses these systemic inefficiencies by utilizing modern Application Programming Interface (API) connectivity. Unlike traditional carrier connections, which are often built unilaterally by software providers without direct input from the insurers, the Preferred Carrier Program features integrations that are co-developed. This means that both Rippling and the participating carriers—Guardian, MetLife, and Unum—have collaborated on the technical architecture, ensuring that the data mapping is precise and that the systems are optimized for real-time or near-real-time synchronization.

Technical Synergy and Shared Operational Standards

A distinguishing feature of the Preferred Carrier Program is the implementation of shared service standards and formal escalation processes. In the past, when a data discrepancy occurred, HR managers were often caught in the middle of a "blame game" between their software vendor and their insurance carrier. By establishing a joint framework for resolving errors, Rippling and its partners are providing a more accountable service model.

Jessica Slabaugh, Head of Benefits Marketplace Partnerships at Rippling, emphasized that the program is built for long-term scalability. According to Slabaugh, customers utilizing these preferred carriers benefit from partnerships that are not only co-developed but are also held to rigorous operating standards designed to evolve. This structure allows for the continuous delivery of new capabilities, ensuring that as the insurance products become more complex, the administrative software keeps pace.

The technical depth of these integrations covers the most critical aspects of the benefits journey. In the initial phase, the focus is on direct enrollment integrations. This ensures that when an employee selects a plan during open enrollment or as a new hire, that choice is immediately communicated to the carrier. Future iterations of the program are expected to automate even more granular tasks, such as the approval of Evidence of Insurability (EOI), plan configuration during the renewal season, and the ongoing maintenance of dependent information.

Perspectives from Industry Leaders

The participation of Guardian, MetLife, and Unum—three of the most prominent names in the group insurance market—underscores the industry’s broader move toward digital transformation. Each carrier has expressed a commitment to reducing the "administrative tax" that often discourages employers from offering a wider range of benefits.

Rippling launches direct benefits integrations with Guardian, MetLife and Unum

Anna Roberts, Head of Digital Strategy and Offerings at Guardian, noted that the partnership is a step toward simplifying the ecosystem for all stakeholders. She highlighted that by utilizing real-time data exchange, the companies are simplifying the setup and management processes for employers and brokers. Roberts also pointed out the human element of this technological shift, stating that making benefits easier to access and use directly supports the well-being of the end-user: the employee.

From the perspective of MetLife, the collaboration is a way to empower small and mid-sized businesses that may not have the resources of a large enterprise HR department. Bradd Chignoli, Head of Regional Business at MetLife, explained that reducing friction allows employers and brokers to stay focused on core business growth rather than being bogged down by paperwork. He described the partnership as a way to create a more "connected experience" for the modern workforce.

Unum’s involvement highlights the importance of data integrity in the insurance sector. Ray Russell, Assistant Vice President of Platform Integration at Unum, stated that the API-driven structure provides a level of confidence that was previously difficult to achieve with legacy systems. He noted that the direct connectivity dramatically improves accuracy and reduces "rework"—the costly and time-consuming process of fixing errors after they have already affected payroll or coverage.

Implementation Timeline and Market Context

Rippling has outlined a clear path for the rollout of the Preferred Carrier Program. New customers who are implementing benefits packages with Guardian, MetLife, or Unum will have immediate access to these direct connections. For the thousands of existing Rippling customers already using these carriers, the company has initiated a phased migration process. This transition is expected to take place over the next 12 months, ensuring that existing data sets are cleaned and mapped correctly to the new automated infrastructure.

This move by Rippling comes at a time when the Human Capital Management (HCM) software market is becoming increasingly competitive. Platforms are no longer judged solely on their user interface but on their ability to act as a "source of truth" for all employee data. By deepening its integration with insurance carriers, Rippling is positioning itself as a central hub that bridges the gap between finance, HR, and third-party service providers.

Supporting data from industry analysts suggests that the demand for such integrations is high. According to recent HR technology surveys, nearly 60% of HR leaders cite "integration between systems" as their top challenge. Furthermore, manual data entry errors are estimated to cost US businesses billions of dollars annually in administrative overhead and compliance penalties. The automation provided by the Preferred Carrier Program directly addresses these financial and operational risks.

Broader Implications for the Insurance and HR Tech Ecosystem

The launch of the Preferred Carrier Program is likely to have ripple effects across the insurtech and HR tech sectors. For insurance brokers, who often act as the intermediary between companies and carriers, this level of automation is a significant boon. It allows brokers to move away from administrative troubleshooting and toward more strategic advisory roles, such as helping clients design better benefit packages or manage long-term healthcare costs.

Moreover, this initiative sets a new benchmark for what "integration" means in the benefits space. In the past, many software companies claimed to be integrated with carriers, but these were often "shallow" integrations that still required human intervention at several steps. The co-development model pioneered by Rippling, Guardian, MetLife, and Unum suggests a move toward "deep" integrations where the software and the carrier operate as a single, synchronized unit.

As the program matures, it may also influence how insurance products are designed. With the ability to transmit data in real-time, carriers could potentially offer more flexible, "on-demand" benefit options that can be toggled on or off based on an employee’s immediate needs. While this remains a future possibility, the foundation laid by the Preferred Carrier Program makes such innovations technically feasible.

In summary, the partnership between Rippling and three of the nation’s largest insurance carriers represents a major milestone in the modernization of the American workplace. By prioritizing data accuracy, reducing manual labor, and fostering a collaborative technical environment, the Preferred Carrier Program aims to provide a more reliable and efficient benefits experience for millions of workers. As the 12-month migration period progresses, the industry will be watching closely to see how this automated model impacts client retention, error rates, and the overall pace of digital adoption in the insurance sector.

July 19, 2026 0 comment

InsurTech & Future of Insurance

Rippling Launches Preferred Carrier Program with Guardian MetLife and Unum to Streamline Benefits Administration through Direct API Integration

by Siti Muinah July 19, 2026

written by Siti Muinah

The workforce management platform Rippling has officially unveiled its Preferred Carrier Program, a strategic initiative designed to overhaul the traditional complexities of benefits administration. By establishing direct, co-developed integrations with three of the industry’s most prominent insurance providers—Guardian, MetLife, and Unum—Rippling aims to eliminate the persistent reliance on manual data entry and legacy file-transfer systems. This move represents a significant shift in the Insurtech landscape, moving away from the often-unreliable Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) files toward a more modern, API-first approach to employee benefits management.

The partnership is structured to address the systemic "friction" that has long plagued the human resources and insurance sectors. Traditionally, when an employee joins a company, changes their coverage, or experiences a qualifying life event, the data must travel from the employer’s HR information system (HRIS) to the insurance carrier. In many instances, this involves manual spreadsheets or antiquated batch-file transfers that are prone to errors, delays, and data mismatches. The Preferred Carrier Program seeks to resolve these issues by facilitating a real-time, automated exchange of information regarding employee eligibility, enrollment, and coverage details.

The Technical Shift: From Legacy EDI to Co-Developed APIs

At the heart of this announcement is a fundamental change in how software platforms and insurance carriers communicate. For decades, the industry standard has been the 834 EDI file, a format originally designed for healthcare data exchange that often requires custom configuration for every individual employer and carrier pairing. These files are typically sent in weekly or monthly batches, meaning that an employee’s coverage status might not reflect their actual choices for several days or even weeks.

Rippling’s new program diverges from this model by utilizing application programming interfaces (APIs) developed in direct collaboration with Guardian, MetLife, and Unum. Unlike standard integrations where a software provider might "scrape" data or build a one-sided connection, these integrations are built as joint ventures. This ensures that both the platform and the carrier are operating on the same logic and data standards.

The initiative includes shared service standards and established escalation processes. This means that if a data discrepancy occurs, there is a pre-defined pathway for resolution between Rippling and the carrier, rather than leaving the HR administrator or the insurance broker to navigate the conflict. This level of synchronization is intended to ensure that what an employee sees on their Rippling dashboard is an exact mirror of what is recorded in the carrier’s backend system.

Strategic Objectives and Executive Insights

The leadership teams of the participating companies have emphasized that the program is not merely a technical upgrade but a strategic move to enhance the "user experience" for both employers and employees. Jessica Slabaugh, Head of Benefits Marketplace Partnerships at Rippling, noted that the program is designed for longevity and continuous improvement. According to Slabaugh, customers utilizing these preferred carriers will benefit from partnerships that are "held to shared operating standards and designed to continuously deliver new capabilities over time."

For the insurance carriers, the partnership offers a way to penetrate the small and mid-sized business (SMB) market more effectively. SMBs often lack the dedicated HR resources to manage complex benefits reconciliations, making them more likely to favor platforms that offer seamless automation.

Anna Roberts, Head of Digital Strategy and Offerings at Guardian, highlighted the impact on the broader ecosystem, including brokers. "By working closely together, we’re using real-time data exchange to simplify setup and management for employers and brokers," Roberts stated. She further emphasized that the ultimate goal is to support employee well-being by making benefits "easier to access and use," reducing the likelihood of coverage gaps or enrollment errors that could prevent an employee from receiving care.

MetLife’s participation underscores a commitment to reducing "administrative friction." Bradd Chignoli, Head of Regional Business at MetLife, explained that such collaborations allow employers and brokers to "stay focused on running and growing their business" rather than being bogged down by back-office administration. Similarly, Ray Russell, AVP of Platform Integration at Unum, pointed out that the direct API connectivity model gives the carrier "confidence that eligibility and enrollment changes are flowing correctly every time," which significantly reduces the need for operational "rework"—the costly process of fixing data errors after they have already affected billing or coverage.

Implementation Timeline and Migration Strategy

Rippling has outlined a clear roadmap for the rollout of the Preferred Carrier Program. Effective immediately, new Rippling customers who choose to implement benefits packages through Guardian, MetLife, or Unum will be eligible to utilize these direct API connections from day one. This provides an immediate competitive advantage for the three participating carriers when vying for the business of companies migrating to the Rippling platform.

For the thousands of existing Rippling customers who already utilize these carriers through older integration methods, the company has announced a phased migration process. This transition is expected to take place over the next 12 months. During this period, Rippling and the carriers will work to move existing data feeds over to the new API infrastructure, ensuring that historical data is preserved while upgrading the system to the new automation standards.

Supporting Data: The Cost of Administrative Inefficiency

The move toward automation in benefits administration is supported by a growing body of data highlighting the costs of manual processes. According to industry research, administrative errors in healthcare and benefits enrollment can cost U.S. companies billions of dollars annually in overpaid premiums, compliance penalties, and lost productivity.

A study by the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) suggests that poor health and the administrative burden of managing health-related benefits cost U.S. employers $575 billion a year. By automating the data flow, platforms like Rippling can significantly reduce "premium leakage"—a scenario where an employer continues to pay premiums for an employee who has left the company because the carrier’s records were not updated in a timely manner.

Furthermore, a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that HR professionals spend an average of 20% to 30% of their time on administrative tasks. For small business owners, this burden is even more pronounced. The Rippling Preferred Carrier Program is positioned as a solution to reclaim this time, allowing HR teams to focus on more strategic initiatives such as talent acquisition and culture building.

Broader Implications for the Insurtech and HR Tech Markets

The launch of this program is a clear indicator of the maturing "Workforce OS" (Operating System) category that Rippling has pioneered. By integrating HR, IT, and Finance into a single pane of glass, Rippling is positioning itself as the central nervous system of a company’s operations. The addition of deep-tier insurance integrations suggests that the future of HR tech is not just in "storing" employee data, but in "activating" it across a wide network of third-party service providers.

This development also puts pressure on other HR and payroll giants, such as ADP, Paychex, and Gusto, to deepen their own carrier relationships. While many platforms offer some level of integration, the "co-developed" nature of Rippling’s program sets a new benchmark for what constitutes a "seamless" connection.

From the perspective of the insurance industry, the partnership validates the ongoing digital transformation efforts of legacy carriers like MetLife and Guardian. These companies have historically been viewed as slow-moving giants, but their willingness to build custom API frameworks for a tech-forward platform like Rippling shows a strategic pivot toward "embedded insurance." In this model, insurance products are not sold in isolation but are integrated directly into the software tools that businesses use every day.

The Future of the Preferred Carrier Program

While the initial phase of the program focuses on direct enrollment and basic operational standards, Rippling has signaled that this is only the beginning. Future iterations of the program are expected to automate more complex portions of the benefits lifecycle.

Potential areas for expansion include:

Plan Setup and Renewal: Automating the process of designing benefit plans and renewing them annually, which currently requires significant manual negotiation and data entry.
Coverage Approvals: Using real-time data to provide instant approvals for supplemental insurance products that require evidence of insurability (EOI).
Claims Integration: Although not currently part of the announcement, industry analysts suggest that the logical next step for API-driven benefits is to streamline the claims process, allowing carriers to proactively reach out to employees when the HRIS data suggests they might be eligible for a claim (e.g., disability or parental leave).

As the program evolves, it is likely that Rippling will expand the roster of "Preferred Carriers" to include other major players in the medical, dental, and vision spaces. However, by launching with Guardian, MetLife, and Unum, Rippling has secured partnerships with three of the most influential names in the ancillary benefits market, providing a strong foundation for its vision of a fully automated, error-free benefits ecosystem.

In conclusion, the Rippling Preferred Carrier Program represents a pivotal moment in the modernization of corporate benefits. By bridging the gap between HR software and insurance carriers with co-developed technology, the initiative promises to reduce the administrative "tax" on businesses, improve the accuracy of employee records, and ultimately ensure that benefits function as intended—as a reliable safety net for the modern workforce.

July 19, 2026 0 comment

InsurTech & Future of Insurance

Rippling Launches Preferred Carrier Program with Guardian MetLife and Unum to Revolutionize Benefits Administration through Direct API Integration

by Nana July 18, 2026

written by Nana

In a significant move toward the digital transformation of human resources and insurance technology, Rippling has officially unveiled its Preferred Carrier Program, a strategic initiative designed to automate and streamline the complexities of benefits administration. By establishing direct, co-developed integrations with three of the industry’s most prominent insurance providers—Guardian, MetLife, and Unum—Rippling aims to eliminate the persistent friction associated with manual data entry, reconciliation errors, and administrative delays that have long plagued the employer-sponsored benefits landscape. This program represents a shift away from traditional, siloed software connections toward a deeply integrated ecosystem where data flows seamlessly between HR platforms and insurance carriers in real time.

The launch addresses a critical pain point for businesses of all sizes: the "administrative gap" that occurs when employee information changes. Traditionally, when an employee is hired, terminated, or undergoes a qualifying life event, HR administrators must manually update records across multiple systems or rely on antiquated file-transfer protocols. The Preferred Carrier Program replaces these inefficient methods with automated data exchange, ensuring that employee eligibility, enrollment status, and coverage details are synchronized instantaneously across the Rippling platform and the carrier’s backend systems.

The Evolution of Benefits Administration: From EDI to API

To understand the impact of Rippling’s new program, it is necessary to examine the historical context of benefits administration. For decades, the industry standard for data exchange has been Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). While EDI was a breakthrough in the late 20th century, it is often criticized in the modern era for being slow, rigid, and prone to failure. EDI files are typically sent in "batches"—often weekly or bi-weekly—meaning that an employee who signs up for health insurance on a Monday might not see their coverage reflected in the carrier’s system until the following week or later.

Furthermore, EDI connections are notoriously fragile. A single formatting error in a text file can cause an entire batch to fail, leading to significant delays and requiring manual intervention from HR teams. Rippling’s Preferred Carrier Program bypasses these legacy constraints by utilizing Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Unlike batch processing, APIs allow for "real-time" or "near-real-time" communication. When an action is taken in Rippling, the information is pushed directly to the carrier, providing a level of agility and accuracy that traditional systems cannot match.

Rippling’s approach is distinct because these integrations are not built in isolation. Typically, a software provider might build a "wrapper" around a carrier’s existing portal. In contrast, the Preferred Carrier Program involves co-development. Rippling and its partners—Guardian, MetLife, and Unum—have worked together to establish shared operating standards and dedicated escalation paths. This means that if a data discrepancy does occur, there is a pre-established framework for resolving it quickly, reducing the burden on the employer and the insurance broker.

Strategic Objectives and the Role of Key Partners

The primary objective of the program is to create a "connected benefits experience." For employers, this means less time spent on "paperwork" and more time focused on strategic human capital management. For employees, it means faster access to coverage and a more intuitive enrollment experience.

Jessica Slabaugh, Head of Benefits Marketplace Partnerships at Rippling, emphasized that the program is designed for longevity and continuous improvement. According to Slabaugh, customers utilizing the Preferred Carrier Program benefit from partnerships that are held to high operating standards and are specifically engineered to evolve. The initial phase focuses on the most critical aspects of the benefits lifecycle: enrollment and eligibility. However, the roadmap for the program includes expanding automation to cover plan setup, coverage approvals, and ongoing administrative tasks that occur throughout the plan year.

The involvement of Guardian, MetLife, and Unum provides the program with significant market weight. These carriers represent a substantial portion of the group insurance market in the United States, offering everything from life and disability insurance to dental and vision plans.

Anna Roberts, Head of Digital Strategy and Offerings at Guardian, noted that the partnership is a response to the growing demand for simplicity in the benefits space. By leveraging real-time data exchange, Guardian aims to simplify the management process for both employers and brokers. This, in turn, supports employee well-being by ensuring that benefits are accessible when they are needed most, without the hurdles of administrative lag.

MetLife’s participation underscores the program’s value for the small and mid-sized business (SMB) sector. Bradd Chignoli, Head of Regional Business at MetLife, highlighted that collaborations of this nature help reduce "friction" for companies that may not have the massive HR departments required to manage complex benefit portfolios manually. By automating these processes, SMBs can remain competitive in the labor market by offering robust benefits packages without the overhead of enterprise-level administrative costs.

Unum’s contribution focuses heavily on the technical reliability of the API model. Ray Russell, Assistant Vice President of Platform Integration at Unum, stated that the direct connectivity model provides a level of confidence that was previously unattainable. The structure ensures that enrollment changes flow correctly every time, dramatically reducing the "rework" that often follows manual data entry errors.

Data-Driven Insights: The Cost of Administrative Inefficiency

The move toward automation is supported by a growing body of data regarding the costs of HR administrative errors. According to industry research, the average cost of a manual data entry error in a corporate setting can range from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars, depending on the severity of the mistake and the time required to rectify it. In the context of insurance, an error in eligibility can lead to "premium leakage," where an employer continues to pay premiums for a terminated employee, or "uncovered claims," where an eligible employee is denied care because their enrollment was not processed correctly.

A study by the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) previously suggested that poor health and administrative friction can cost U.S. employers billions in lost productivity. By automating the flow of data, Rippling is essentially providing a safeguard against these financial risks. Furthermore, a survey of HR professionals found that nearly 60% of their time is spent on administrative tasks, leaving little room for culture-building or talent development. The Preferred Carrier Program is positioned as a solution to reclaim that time.

Implementation Timeline and Migration Strategy

Rippling has outlined a clear path for the rollout of the Preferred Carrier Program. Effective immediately, new Rippling customers who select Guardian, MetLife, or Unum as their insurance carriers will be eligible to utilize the direct API connections. This "API-first" onboarding process is expected to significantly shorten the time it takes for a new company to go live with its benefits package.

For existing customers who are currently using legacy connection methods with these carriers, Rippling has announced a phased migration process. Over the next 12 months, these accounts will be transitioned to the new Preferred Carrier infrastructure. This gradual approach is intended to ensure data integrity and prevent any disruption in coverage during the switch. Rippling’s internal teams will work alongside the carriers to manage the migration, providing a "white-glove" transition for employers and their brokers.

Broader Implications for the InsurTech and HR Tech Markets

The launch of the Preferred Carrier Program is a bellwether for the broader trends in the InsurTech and HR Tech industries. We are witnessing a convergence where the lines between "software" and "service" are blurring. Platforms like Rippling are no longer just repositories for employee data; they are becoming active participants in the delivery of financial and insurance products.

This shift has profound implications for insurance brokers. Traditionally, brokers spent a significant portion of their time managing "spreadsheet enrollment" and troubleshooting carrier feeds. With the advent of programs like Rippling’s, the broker’s role is evolving from an administrative intermediary to a strategic advisor. Brokers can now focus on plan design, cost containment strategies, and employee communication, confident that the underlying data infrastructure is robust and automated.

Moreover, this movement sets a new benchmark for other carriers and platforms. As MetLife, Guardian, and Unum demonstrate the benefits of deep API integration—such as higher customer retention and lower operational costs—other major insurers will likely feel pressure to develop similar "preferred" partnerships. This could lead to a standardized "API economy" within the insurance industry, ultimately benefiting the end-user: the employee.

Conclusion: A More Resilient Benefits Ecosystem

Rippling’s Preferred Carrier Program is more than just a technical update; it is a strategic realignment of how benefits are managed in the modern workplace. By prioritizing direct API connectivity and co-developed standards, Rippling and its partners are building a more resilient, accurate, and user-friendly benefits ecosystem.

As the 12-month migration period begins, the industry will be watching closely to see how these integrations perform during high-stress periods, such as the annual Open Enrollment season. If successful, the Preferred Carrier Program could serve as the definitive blueprint for the future of benefits administration, marking the end of the manual data era and the beginning of a truly connected HR landscape. For employers, the promise is clear: less time on the phone with carriers, fewer errors in the payroll system, and a more professional experience for their workforce. For the carriers, it is an opportunity to modernize their delivery systems and deepen their integration into the daily workflows of the companies they serve.

July 18, 2026 0 comment

InsurTech & Future of Insurance

Rippling Transforms Employee Benefits Administration Through Strategic Preferred Carrier Program with Industry Giants Guardian MetLife and Unum

by Laily UPN July 18, 2026

written by Laily UPN

The workforce management platform Rippling has officially unveiled its Preferred Carrier Program, a landmark initiative designed to revolutionize the way employee benefits are administered by establishing direct, high-fidelity technical integrations with three of the insurance industry’s most prominent carriers: Guardian, MetLife, and Unum. This strategic collaboration marks a significant departure from traditional third-party benefits administration models, aiming to eliminate the pervasive issue of manual data entry while drastically improving the accuracy and speed of coverage for employees across the United States.

By creating a unified digital ecosystem where HR software and insurance providers communicate in real-time, Rippling is addressing a long-standing pain point for small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and large enterprises alike. The program is built on the premise that the "middleman" approach to benefits—which often relies on antiquated file transfers and manual reconciliation—is no longer viable in an increasingly digitized economy.

The Evolution of Benefits Administration: From Manual to Automatic

For decades, the exchange of data between employers and insurance carriers has been fraught with technical hurdles. The industry standard has long been the use of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) files. While EDI represented an improvement over paper-based systems in the late 20th century, it remains a rigid and often slow method of communication. EDI files are typically sent in "batches," meaning that changes to an employee’s status—such as a new hire, a promotion, or a life event like a marriage—might not be reflected in the insurance carrier’s system for days or even weeks.

This lag creates a "coverage gap," where an employee may believe they are insured but find their claims denied at a pharmacy or doctor’s office because the carrier has not yet processed the enrollment file. Furthermore, manual data handling is prone to human error; a misspelled name or an incorrectly entered Social Security number can lead to months of administrative "rework" and reconciliation headaches for HR departments.

Rippling’s Preferred Carrier Program seeks to replace these legacy processes with modern API (Application Programming Interface) connectivity. Unlike traditional carrier connections that are often built unilaterally by software vendors, the integrations within this program are co-developed. This means that engineers from Rippling work directly with technical teams at Guardian, MetLife, and Unum to ensure that data flows seamlessly and follows shared operational standards.

Strategic Objectives and the Initial Rollout Phase

The primary objective of the Preferred Carrier Program is to create a "closed-loop" system for benefits management. In the initial phase, the program focuses on direct enrollment integrations. This ensures that when an employee selects a plan during open enrollment or a qualifying life event on the Rippling platform, that data is instantly transmitted to the carrier.

Key features of the initial rollout include:

Automated Eligibility Tracking: The system automatically determines which employees are eligible for specific plans based on their location, job title, and employment status.
Real-Time Enrollment Updates: Coverage selections are pushed to carriers immediately, reducing the time it takes for insurance cards to be issued.
Synchronized Coverage Information: Any changes made within the Rippling HRIS (Human Resources Information System) are reflected in the carrier’s records without the need for manual intervention by HR administrators.

Beyond the technical integration, the program establishes shared service standards. This includes defined escalation paths for resolving data discrepancies and dedicated support teams to ensure that any issues are addressed with a level of urgency that traditional "ben-admin" providers rarely offer.

Voices from the Partnership: A Shared Vision for Modern HR

The leadership teams at Rippling and its partner carriers have emphasized that this program is as much about the employee experience as it is about administrative efficiency.

Jessica Slabaugh, Head of Benefits Marketplace Partnerships at Rippling, highlighted the collaborative nature of the initiative. “Customers using Preferred Carriers benefit from partnerships that are co-developed, held to shared operating standards, and designed to continuously deliver new capabilities over time,” Slabaugh stated. She noted that the program aims to create a more connected experience that evolves alongside the needs of the modern workforce.

The carriers involved—Guardian, MetLife, and Unum—are among the largest providers of dental, vision, life, and disability insurance in the country. Their participation signals a broader industry shift toward digital transformation.

Anna Roberts, Head of Digital Strategy and Offerings at Guardian, emphasized the benefits for the intermediary market. “By working closely together, we’re using real-time data exchange to simplify setup and management for employers and brokers, while supporting employee well-being by making benefits easier to access and use,” Roberts said.

MetLife’s Head of Regional Business, Bradd Chignoli, echoed these sentiments, focusing on the reduction of "friction" for growing businesses. “Collaborations like Rippling’s Preferred Carrier partnership help reduce friction and create more connected experiences for employees, making it easier for employers and brokers to support their people while staying focused on running and growing their business,” Chignoli remarked.

From a technical standpoint, Ray Russell, AVP of Platform Integration at Unum, pointed to the reliability of the new model. “That structure dramatically improves data accuracy, reduces rework, and gives us confidence that eligibility and enrollment changes are flowing correctly every time,” Russell said.

Implementation Timeline and Migration Strategy

Rippling has outlined a clear path for the adoption of the Preferred Carrier Program. Effective immediately, new Rippling customers who choose to implement benefits packages with Guardian, MetLife, or Unum will be onboarded directly through the new API-driven connections.

For the thousands of existing Rippling customers already using these carriers, the company has planned a phased migration process. Over the next 12 months, these accounts will be transitioned from legacy connection methods to the Preferred Carrier framework. This transition is intended to be "invisible" to the end-user, requiring minimal input from HR teams while delivering immediate improvements in data synchronization.

Supporting Data: The Cost of Administrative Inefficiency

The move toward automated benefits administration is supported by a growing body of data highlighting the costs of manual HR processes. According to research from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), HR professionals spend an average of 20% to 30% of their time on administrative tasks that could be automated. For a mid-sized company, this represents thousands of dollars in lost productivity every month.

Furthermore, the "cost of error" in benefits administration is high. Inaccurate enrollment data can lead to overpayment of premiums or, conversely, the failure to provide coverage, which can result in legal liability for the employer. By utilizing direct API connections, Rippling claims it can reduce data discrepancies by over 90% compared to traditional manual or EDI-based systems.

The growth of the InsurTech market also provides context for this launch. The global InsurTech market was valued at approximately $5.4 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 30% through 2030. Initiatives like the Preferred Carrier Program are at the forefront of this growth, as carriers seek to integrate more deeply with the software platforms where business owners already manage their operations.

Broader Impact on the Brokerage and Insurance Ecosystem

While the Preferred Carrier Program offers clear benefits to employers and employees, its impact on the insurance broker community is equally significant. Traditionally, brokers have had to spend a disproportionate amount of time troubleshooting enrollment issues and acting as a liaison between the client and the carrier’s back-office.

With the automation provided by Rippling, brokers can shift their focus from administrative firefighting to strategic consulting. They can spend more time analyzing plan designs, managing costs, and advising clients on how to build a more competitive benefits package to attract and retain talent in a tight labor market.

Moreover, this program sets a new benchmark for what is expected of an HRIS provider. As Rippling deepens its ties with major carriers, other platforms in the space—such as Gusto, Zenefits, and ADP—will likely face increased pressure to develop similar high-level partnerships. This competition is expected to accelerate the overall pace of innovation within the benefits administration sector.

Future Outlook: The Roadmap for Continued Automation

The launch of the Preferred Carrier Program is only the beginning of what Rippling and its partners describe as a long-term roadmap for innovation. Future phases of the program are expected to tackle even more complex areas of the benefits lifecycle.

One area of focus is "Plan Setup Automation." Currently, even with advanced software, setting up a new benefits plan often requires manual configuration of plan documents, rates, and rules. Rippling intends to automate this process, allowing employers to "push a button" to implement a new plan that is instantly recognized by the carrier.

Another future development involves "Evidence of Insurability" (EOI) and coverage approvals. For high-value life or disability insurance, carriers often require employees to answer health questions. By integrating this process directly into the enrollment flow via API, the time required for coverage approval can be reduced from weeks to minutes.

Conclusion: A New Standard for the Industry

The introduction of the Preferred Carrier Program by Rippling, in partnership with Guardian, MetLife, and Unum, represents a pivotal moment in the convergence of HR technology and insurance. By prioritizing co-developed, API-first integrations, these companies are moving the industry away from the error-prone "silos" of the past and toward a more integrated, transparent, and efficient future.

For employers, the program promises a reduction in administrative burden and a mitigation of compliance risks. For employees, it ensures that their benefits are active when they need them most. As the 12-month migration begins, the industry will be watching closely to see if this model becomes the new gold standard for benefits administration in the digital age. In an era where "the employee experience" is a top priority for businesses of all sizes, the elimination of administrative friction is no longer just a convenience—it is a strategic necessity.

July 18, 2026 0 comment

InsurTech & Future of Insurance

Rippling Launches Preferred Carrier Program with Guardian MetLife and Unum to Streamline Benefits Administration Through Real Time API Integration

by Suro Senen July 17, 2026

written by Suro Senen

The workforce management platform Rippling has officially unveiled its Preferred Carrier Program, a strategic initiative developed in collaboration with industry giants Guardian, MetLife, and Unum. This partnership marks a significant shift in the landscape of employee benefits administration, moving away from traditional, fragmented data management toward a unified, real-time API-driven ecosystem. By establishing direct, co-developed connections with these major insurance carriers, Rippling aims to eliminate the persistent administrative friction that has long plagued human resources departments, insurance brokers, and employees alike.

The initiative is designed to replace the antiquated methods of data exchange that have defined the insurance industry for decades. Traditionally, benefits administration has relied on Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) files—a technology dating back to the 1970s—or, in many cases, manual data entry into multiple disparate systems. These legacy processes are frequently characterized by delays, "broken" data transfers, and a high incidence of reconciliation errors. The Preferred Carrier Program seeks to resolve these issues by facilitating the automated exchange of employee eligibility, enrollment, and coverage information through deeply integrated application programming interfaces (APIs).

Addressing the Legacy Data Challenge in Benefits Administration

For decades, the "benefits bridge" between employers and insurance carriers has been fragile. When an employee is hired, terminated, or experiences a qualifying life event, the information must travel from the employer’s HR information system (HRIS) to the insurance provider. Under the traditional model, this often involves "batch processing," where data is collected and sent once a week or once a month. If a file contains a single formatting error, the entire transfer may fail, often without immediate notification to the employer.

The consequences of these technical failures are more than just administrative nuisances; they have real-world implications for employee wellness. A delay in data synchronization can result in an employee being unable to fill a prescription at a pharmacy or being denied coverage at a doctor’s office because the carrier’s system has not yet been updated to reflect their active status. By implementing real-time data exchange, Rippling and its partners are ensuring that coverage status is updated almost instantaneously, providing a seamless experience for the end-user.

Industry data suggests that administrative errors in benefits enrollment can lead to significant financial leakage. Some estimates indicate that up to 30% of monthly carrier invoices contain discrepancies due to "retroactive adjustments"—changes in employee status that were not communicated to the carrier in a timely manner. The Preferred Carrier Program aims to reduce these discrepancies to near zero by ensuring that the employer’s "source of truth" (Rippling) is always in lockstep with the carrier’s records.

A New Standard for Co-Developed Integrations

What distinguishes the Preferred Carrier Program from standard software-carrier connections is the depth of the partnership. In the typical "broker-tech" model, a software company might build a one-sided integration to push data toward a carrier. However, if the carrier makes an update to their internal systems, the integration often breaks.

Rippling’s new model is built on mutual accountability and co-development. Each integration within the program is built jointly by engineers from both Rippling and the respective insurance carrier. This collaborative approach ensures that the data mapping is precise and that both parties have a vested interest in maintaining the connection.

Furthermore, the program introduces shared operating standards and formal escalation processes. In the event of a data discrepancy, there is a pre-defined protocol for resolution, preventing the "finger-pointing" that often occurs between software vendors and insurance providers. This level of institutional cooperation is designed to provide employers and brokers with a higher degree of confidence in the integrity of their benefits data.

Jessica Slabaugh, Head of Benefits Marketplace Partnerships at Rippling, emphasized that this is not a static product but an evolving ecosystem. “Customers using Preferred Carriers benefit from partnerships that are co-developed, held to shared operating standards, and designed to continuously deliver new capabilities over time,” Slabaugh stated. This suggests that while the initial focus is on enrollment and eligibility, the infrastructure is being laid for more complex automations in the future.

Perspectives from Industry Leaders: Guardian, MetLife, and Unum

The involvement of Guardian, MetLife, and Unum—three of the largest and most influential insurance providers in the United States—underscores the industry-wide demand for modernization. Each carrier has expressed a commitment to reducing the "administrative tax" that small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) pay when trying to offer competitive benefits packages.

Anna Roberts, Head of Digital Strategy and Offerings at Guardian, highlighted the benefits for the broader ecosystem, including brokers. “By working closely together, we’re using real-time data exchange to simplify setup and management for employers and brokers, while supporting employee well-being by making benefits easier to access and use,” Roberts noted. For brokers, who often spend a disproportionate amount of time troubleshooting data errors rather than providing strategic advice, this automation represents a significant productivity gain.

MetLife’s participation focuses heavily on the SMB market, where administrative resources are often scarce. Bradd Chignoli, Head of Regional Business at MetLife, observed that reducing friction allows business owners to focus on growth rather than paperwork. “Collaborations like Rippling’s Preferred Carrier partnership help reduce friction and create more connected experiences for employees, making it easier for employers and brokers to support their people while staying focused on running and growing their business,” Chignoli said.

Unum, a leader in disability and leave management, pointed to the technical reliability of the API model. Ray Russell, AVP of Platform Integration at Unum, stated: “That structure dramatically improves data accuracy, reduces rework, and gives us confidence that eligibility and enrollment changes are flowing correctly every time.” This "confidence" factor is critical for carriers, as it reduces the operational costs associated with manual audits and "re-work" caused by faulty data.

Implementation Timeline and Migration Strategy

The rollout of the Preferred Carrier Program is structured to ensure a stable transition for both new and existing users. New Rippling customers who select Guardian, MetLife, or Unum as their providers will be able to leverage the direct API connections immediately during their initial implementation phase.

For the thousands of existing Rippling customers already using these carriers, the company has announced a phased migration process. Over the next 12 months, these accounts will be transitioned from legacy connection methods to the new Preferred Carrier framework. This gradual approach is intended to mitigate the risk of data disruption during the switchover, allowing for thorough testing and verification at each stage of the migration.

This 12-month window reflects the complexity of the benefits landscape. Migrating thousands of groups—each with unique plan designs, contribution strategies, and eligibility rules—requires a meticulous technical execution. Rippling’s commitment to this timeline suggests a focus on long-term stability over a rushed deployment.

Broader Implications for the Insurtech and HR Tech Sectors

The launch of the Preferred Carrier Program is a bellwether for the broader digital transformation of the insurance industry. For years, the term "Insurtech" referred primarily to front-end consumer apps or niche underwriting tools. Now, the focus is shifting toward the "plumbing" of the industry—the underlying infrastructure that moves data between stakeholders.

Several key trends are reflected in this announcement:

The Death of the EDI File: While EDI will not disappear overnight, the move toward real-time APIs is becoming the gold standard for high-growth HR tech platforms. APIs allow for bi-directional communication, meaning the carrier can send information back to the HRIS (such as approved coverage amounts or effective dates), creating a closed-loop system.
The Rise of "Benefits-as-a-Service": By integrating so deeply with carriers, platforms like Rippling are effectively turning insurance products into programmable services. This opens the door for "just-in-time" benefits, where coverage can be adjusted or triggered automatically based on payroll or HR data.
Consolidation of the Tech Stack: Employers are increasingly looking for "all-in-one" platforms that handle payroll, HR, and benefits in a single interface. Rippling’s ability to offer deep, native integrations with top-tier carriers strengthens its position against traditional legacy payroll providers who may still rely on third-party "integrators" or manual processes.
Enhanced Employee Experience: In a competitive labor market, the "user experience" of benefits matters. When an employee can sign up for life insurance on their phone and receive a confirmation of coverage almost instantly, it reflects positively on the employer’s brand.

Future Outlook: Expanding the Benefits Lifecycle

The initial phase of the Preferred Carrier Program focuses on the "front end" of the benefits experience: setup, enrollment, and eligibility. However, the roadmap for the partnership suggests a much broader scope. Future developments are expected to automate the entire benefits lifecycle.

This could include the automation of Evidence of Insurability (EOI) processes, where employees applying for higher levels of coverage currently have to fill out separate medical questionnaires that are often processed manually. With deeper API integration, these health statements could be submitted and adjudicated digitally within the Rippling interface.

Additionally, the integration could extend into claims management and wellness programs. If a carrier knows through the API that an employee has qualified for a specific wellness incentive, that information could flow directly back into Rippling to trigger a payroll credit or a contribution to a Health Savings Account (HSA).

As Rippling continues to expand its "Preferred" network, the pressure will likely mount on other carriers to adopt similar API standards. In an era where data speed and accuracy are competitive advantages, the traditional "black box" of insurance administration is being forced open, promising a more efficient and transparent future for the modern workforce.

July 17, 2026 0 comment