Special Insurance Services

What Special Insurance Services does

Special Insurance Services is a Plano, Texas-based insurance services firm founded in 1987, operating with 51–100 employees to support agents and brokers in meeting their clients' supplemental insurance needs. The company's stated function is intermediary enablement — providing its distribution partners with access to voluntary and supplemental products so they can serve employer groups and individual clients without standing up direct underwriting capability.

The product portfolio evidenced in the input spans supplemental health and personal-lines offerings, including Supplemental Gap Medical Insurance (designed to offset out-of-pocket expenses for employees in high-deductible health plans), Group Personal Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, and Travel Insurance. Distribution appears to be carrier-aligned, with underwriting referenced through Zurich North America / Zurich American Insurance Company, indicating that SIS functions as a distribution and services layer rather than a risk-bearing carrier.

The business model is B2B2C and channel-driven: SIS does not appear to sell directly to end consumers but instead equips preferred agents and brokers with the products, carrier relationships, and servicing infrastructure needed to place supplemental coverage. Revenue mechanics are not disclosed but, consistent with MGA/MGU/brokerage economics, would typically include commissions and overrides on placed premium, plus possible servicing fees. No pricing model, contract value, or revenue figures are disclosed in the input data.

Name

Special Insurance Services

Legal name

Zurich American Insurance Company

Website

https://specialinc.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Special Insurance Services is a Plano, Texas-based insurance distribution firm (founded 1987, 51–100 employees) that equips agents and brokers with supplemental insurance products — including gap medical, accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and travel — for sale to employer groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Supplemental Health Insurance

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242), Other Insurance Related Activities (52429)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Accident & Health Insurance (6321)

akta.pro primary industry

Individual Supplemental Health (Hospital Indemnity, Critical Illness, Accident) (FSAIAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ancillary Employer Benefits (Life/Disability/Accident/Critical Illness) (HLAEAAAK), Group/Employer-Sponsored Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity (FSAIAKAD), Voluntary/Worksite Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity (Employee-Paid) (FSAIAKAF)

Keywords

• Supplemental health insurance
• Gap medical insurance
• Broker distribution services
• Voluntary employee benefits
• Group accident insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Plano

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Supplemental Gap Medical Insurance Premiums: Monthly premiums are collected from employer groups. Premiums can be based on the employee's attained age or a composite rating for the group. Plans support employer-paid, voluntary, and dependent buy-up options. Coverage can be configured for compatibility with high-deductible health plans using health savings accounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Special Insurance Services distributes supplemental insurance products to employer groups through a network of agents and brokers. Its core offering is Supplemental Gap Medical Insurance, which works alongside primary high-deductible health plans to help employees manage out-of-pocket medical expenses, supported by related accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and travel protection products.

Product overview

Special Insurance Services (Zurich Insurance) offers a comprehensive portfolio of insurance products centered around Supplemental Gap Medical Insurance as the core offering. This product works alongside primary high-deductible health plans to help employees manage out-of-pocket medical expenses. The portfolio includes related add-on insurance products including Group Personal Accident Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, and Travel Protection, all designed to provide flexible, customizable coverage options that can be tailored to meet specific employer group needs. The company provides administrative support, plan development assistance, and program management through dedicated support teams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zurich RiskIntelligence: Risk engineering and sustainability services offering litigation management, loss run reports, catastrophe management, and data analytics
• Zurich Academy
• Zurich Advantage
• Zurich Travel Assist

Products and services

• Supplemental Gap Medical Insurance Supplemental insurance product that works alongside an employee's primary high-deductible health plan to help manage out-of-pocket expenses, including deductibles and other eligible costs. Sold through agents and brokers to employer groups.
• Group Personal Accident Insurance Insurance coverage for personal accidents, distributed to employer groups as part of the accident and health insurance portfolio.
• Critical Illness Insurance Insurance coverage that provides financial protection against critical illnesses as part of supplemental health solutions for employer groups.
• Hospital Indemnity Insurance Insurance providing cash benefits to help offset hospital-related expenses for covered employees.
• Travel Protection Insurance Insurance coverage for travel-related risks and emergencies, including business travel accident coverage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Example: An employee with a $5,000 deductible on their primary health plan may receive a cash benefit from Gap Medical Insurance to help address eligible deductible and out-of-pocket expenses after primary insurance pays

Segments1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Aflac: Aflac is the dominant U.S. carrier for individual and group supplemental health insurance (critical illness, accident, hospital indemnity) distributed through worksite and broker channels — a broader, carrier-side incumbent that competes with and supplies products to MGAs like Special Insurance Services.
• Unum Group: Unum is a major U.S. provider of group disability, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and accident insurance sold through brokers and employer worksite channels — directly comparable to the product portfolio Special Insurance Services distributes.
• Lincoln Financial Group: Lincoln Financial sells group supplemental health, disability, and voluntary benefits through brokers and employer worksite relationships, directly overlapping the product set Special Insurance Services distributes.
• MetLife Supplemental Benefits: MetLife is a top-10 U.S. group benefits carrier offering accident, hospital indemnity, critical illness, and other voluntary products through employer/broker channels — a comparable large incumbent in the same supplemental health space.
• Sun Life U.S. Sun Life U.S. is a major stop-loss, disability, and supplemental benefits carrier selling group accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity through the broker channel — a comparable carrier-side competitor in the same employer voluntary space.
• Allstate Benefits:
• Cigna Group Supplemental Benefits: Cigna offers supplemental health products (accident, critical illness, hospital care) alongside its major medical business, distributed through employers and brokers — competing for the same supplemental wallet share that Special Insurance Services targets.

Direct peers

• Brown & Brown, Inc. Brown & Brown is a large U.S. insurance brokerage distributing commercial and voluntary benefits through its own producers — a direct distribution-side comparable to Special Insurance Services' broker/agent-led model in the supplemental health niche.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Gallagher is a large global insurance brokerage that distributes supplemental and voluntary benefits to employer groups through its own broker network — directly comparable to the broker/agent distribution role Special Insurance Services performs in the supplemental health market.

Emerging players

• Assurity Life Insurance Company: Assurity is a mid-sized mutual carrier that sells individual and group accident, critical illness, and disability insurance through agents and worksite channels — a smaller, more focused carrier peer that competes for the same voluntary broker relationships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zurich-insurance-company-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Special Insurance Services