Word and Brown Logo
Our Portfolio
Value-Added Benefits
QUOTE
DOCUMENTS & FORMS
COMPLIANCE
APPS + TOOLS
EDUCATION + EVENTS
Newsroom
Featured Article
Sales Support
Enrollment & Underwriting
Account Management
WBCompliance
Marketing
Tech Support
Executive Team
Milestones
The Word & Brown Advantage
Getting Started
Upcoming events

Corporate Headquarters: (800)-869-6989

Milestones

For more than 35 years, Word & Brown has provided brokers in California and Nevada Service of Unequalled Excellence. Here are some of the milestones and achievements we are most proud of.

  • 1980s
  • When It All Started

    Word & Brown Insurance Administrators is founded.

  • First COBRA Administrator

    Word & Brown creates a COBRA division, becoming the first company in the nation specializing in COBRA compliance and administration.

    Word & Brown #1

    Word & Brown becomes the nation's largest independent small group health distributor.

  • 1990s
  • Flex Administration

    Word & Brown introduces a Flexible Benefit Plans division to assist businesses with Section 125 Flexible Benefits administration and disbursements.

  • Private Exchange Introduced

    Word & Brown establishes sister company CaliforniaChoice, the first multi-carrier, private small group health insurance exchange.

  • 300+ Employees

    Word & Brown surpasses 300 employees, with service locations in Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose.

  • 2000s
  • Web COBRA

    Word & Brown launches Web-based COBRA services.

    Entrepreneur of the Year

    John M. Word III and Edward J. “Rusty” Brown, Jr., co-founders and managing partners of Word & Brown, are awarded “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young.

  • CONEXIS Launched

    Word & Brown acquires CONEXIS, a nationwide benefits administrator.

  • Ontario Office Opens

    The General Agency expands its service by opening a fifth office — in the Inland Empire.

  • Employment Surpasses 700

    The Word & Brown Companies reach 700 employees across the country.

  • Online Quoting

    Word & Brown introduces a new website-based quoting engine enabling brokers to compare all health plans, rates, and benefits, and create customized proposals instantly.

  • Providence Center Opens

    The John Word & Rusty Brown Hearing Aid Center opens at the Providence Speech and Hearing Center in Orange, Calif., in honor of co - founders John M. Word III and Edward J. “Rusty” Brown, Jr.

    Nevada Office Added

    Word & Brown expands its service to Nevada and opens a new regional sales and marketing center in Las Vegas.

    New Agency Management Tool

    AgencyWow, a no-cost agency management system for brokers, is introduced.

    Prescription Savings Card

    The California Rx Card, a prescription drug assistance program, is introduced. The no-cost card offers Californians savings of up to 80% on prescriptions at more than 50,000 chain and independent pharmacies nationwide.

  • Nevada Rx Savings Card

    The Nevada Drug Card is introduced, offering Nevadans prescription drug discounts of up to 80% at more than 50,000 pharmacy locations across the country.

  • Client HR Services

    HRWow, an online human resources administrative services program designed to help employers save time and money, is introduced and available to clients at no cost.

  • 2010s
  • New GA Leader

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

  • Expanded Quoting

    Word & Brown expands its quoting capabilities, giving brokers the ability to quote from anywhere using a desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device. WBQuote offers automatic plan mapping, automated plan comparison with highlighted differences, customized quote output, and multilingual benefits spreadsheets.

    CONEXIS Sold

    The Word & Brown Companies complete the sale of employee benefits administrator CONEXIS to WageWorks, Inc.

  • Advertising and Website Awards

    Word & Brown’s "Say the Word" advertising campaign earns a Bronze Stevie® Award in the international American Business Awards competition. The same campaign earns a 2015 American InHouse Design Award from Graphic Design USA and Honorable Mention in the Advertising category in the Insurance and Financial Communicators Association (IFCA) 2015 competition.

    Executive Recognition

    Jessica Word, president of the Word & Brown General Agency, is awarded a Bronze Stevie® Award in the international Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

    General Agency Celebrates 30 Years

    Word & Brown General Agency marks its 30-year anniversary as a leader in the development and distribution of health benefits and other insurance solutions to employers, individuals, and families through licensed brokers.

    NAHU Leadership

    Word & Brown University Vice President Don Goldmann is elected president of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), which represents more than 100,000 licensed health insurance agents, brokers, general agents, consultants, and benefits professionals in America.

    National Philanthropy Day Honor

    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.

  • Charitable Giving Recognition

    The Orange County Business Journal recognizes John Word and Rusty Brown, co-founders of Word & Brown and The Word & Brown Companies, as standout philanthropists in the publication’s 2016 Giving Guide

    Private Exchange 20th Anniversary

    CaliforniaChoice, the state’s first private, multi-carrier health insurance exchange, celebrates 20 years as the authority on employee-choice health care for businesses with one to 100 employees.

    Rx Savings Exceeds $439 Million

    The California Rx Card celebrates $397,560,001 in prescription drug savings to California cardholders since the program launch in 2007. The Nevada Drug Card celebrates $41,803,844 in savings to Nevada cardholders since 2008.

  • Word & Brown Adds Kaiser Permanente to Small Group Quote Offering

    The agreement further deepens Word & Brown’s roster of leading health insurers serving the small business market in California, and gives brokers access to all of the top carriers through one general agency.

  • Jessica Word Recognized by Employee Benefit Adviser as One of 2018 Top Women in Benefit Advising

    Jessica Word, president of the Word & Brown General Agency, is named one of the “Top Women in Benefit Advising” for 2018. Following a month-long nominating process, she joins 19 other women nationwide selected by the editors of Employee Benefit Adviser (EBA) for this annual industry recognition.

  • Word & Brown General Agency Achieves HITRUST CSF® Certification

    HITRUST CSF Certified status demonstrates Word & Brown’s systems have met key regulatory requirements and industry-defined requirements and the organization is appropriately managing risk. This achievement places Word & Brown in an elite group of organizations worldwide that have earned this certification.

    Word & Brown President Jessica Word Among “CEO Today” 2019 Healthcare Awards Winners

    In November, CEO Today announced the selection of Word & Brown General Agency president Jessica Word as one of the publication’s healthcare awards winners for 2019. Dedicated to celebrating the success and hard work of professionals engaged in the health industry, the CEO Today Healthcare Awards recognize the most elite innovators and specialists making a difference around the globe. The nearly 100 winners and finalists featured in the magazine include health, pharmaceutical, biotech, insurance, and other professionals across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australasia, and Europe.

  • 2020s