Excess Reinsurance

What Excess Reinsurance does

Excess Reinsurance Underwriters Agency Inc. is a privately held managing general underwriter (MGU) founded in 1988 and headquartered in Woodbury, New Jersey. The company specializes in stop loss insurance for self-funded employer health plans and operates as one of the first MGUs in the nation to focus exclusively on this line of coverage. It underwrites more than 1,000 groups annually and is licensed to issue policies in all 50 states.

The firm's core product set comprises Specific and Aggregate Stop Loss insurance, CAP Level-Funded plans, Controlled Aggregate Protection (targeted at 25-250 member groups), and Captive Arrangements delivered through wholly-owned sister entity Argo Capital Group (founded 1996). Specialized add-on modules include Gene Therapy Protection (covering cell and gene therapies such as Casgevy, Lyfgenia, and Vyjuvek), RBP Shield (integrated stop loss with legal defense for reference-based pricing plans), and MEC & MVP plans to satisfy the ACA employer mandate. Underwriting, actuarial, and claims administration services — including outsourced claims handling for carriers — are supported by proprietary stop loss underwriting and administration software developed in-house.

Excess Reinsurance earns revenue primarily through MGU commissions on stop loss premiums priced on a quote-based, annual underwriting basis, with rates determined by claims history, industry classification, demographics, and specific/aggregate attachment points. Distribution is hybrid: direct field sales to self-funded employers and municipalities, supplemented by channel partnerships with brokers, TPAs, and insurance carriers/reinsurers (including SiriusPoint). The firm holds the AM Best PA-2 (Excellent) Performance Assessment rating — the first stop loss underwriting firm to achieve this distinction (2023), subsequently affirmed in 2024 and 2025. The company has 10 disclosed executives led by President Brian Zidek, with no external private equity or venture capital backing identified.

Name

Excess Reinsurance

Legal name

Excess Reinsurance

Website

https://excessre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Excess Reinsurance is a privately held managing general underwriter founded in 1988 that specializes in stop loss insurance for self-funded employer health plans, underwriting 1,000+ groups annually across all 50 states and holding the first AM Best PA-2 (Excellent) rating in the stop loss MGU segment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Stop Loss Insurance / Managing General Underwriting

NAICS

Insurance Carriers (5241), Claims Adjusting (524291)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Stop-Loss & Reinsurance Administration (Captive/Level-Funded Support) (HLAEALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Insurance Program Administration & MGA/MGU Services (FSAEADAK), Stop-Loss / Medical Excess-of-Loss Reinsurance (FSAIANAI), Stop-Loss & Excess Loss Coverage (Employer Sponsored) (HLAEAAAF)

Keywords

• Stop loss insurance
• Managing general underwriter
• Self-funded health plans
• Reinsurance underwriting
• Catastrophic claims coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodbury

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Stop Loss Insurance Underwriting: Excess Reinsurance operates as a managing general underwriter (MGU) specializing in stop loss insurance. The company earns revenue through underwriting stop loss policies for self-funded employers, TPAs, and broker partners. Premium revenue is generated from specific stop loss and aggregate stop loss insurance coverage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Excess Reinsurance operates as a managing general underwriter (MGU) that underwrites stop loss insurance for self-funded employer health plans across all 50 states. The firm sells specific and aggregate stop loss coverage, level-funded plans, captive arrangements, and specialty enhancements (Gene Therapy Protection, RBP Shield, MEC & MVP), and provides carriers, reinsurers, brokers, and TPAs with underwriting, actuarial, administrative, and claims support services backed by proprietary stop loss software.

Product overview

Excess Reinsurance is a managing general underwriter (MGU) specializing in stop loss insurance for self-funded employers. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of stop loss solutions including traditional Specific and Aggregate stop loss insurance, CAP Level-Funded plans, Captive Arrangements, and Controlled Aggregate Protection (designed for groups with 25-250 members). The product lineup includes specialized coverage enhancements such as Gene Therapy Protection (covering cell and gene therapies with high drug costs), RBP Shield (integrated stop loss with legal defense for reference-based pricing plans), and MEC & MVP plans (ACA-compliant minimum coverage options). These core and add-on products are supported by a comprehensive suite of services including underwriting and administrative support, in-house actuarial support, and claims handling services. Policies are available in all 50 states, and the company underwrites stop loss policies for more than a thousand groups annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gene Therapy Protection: Stop loss enhancement providing coverage for cell and gene therapy drugs to reduce financial risk for self-funded health plans.
• RBP Shield
• CAP Level-Funded
• Captive Alliance
• MEC & MVP

Products and services

• Specific and Aggregate Stop Loss Insurance Traditional stop loss insurance providing specific stop loss coverage (protecting self-funded plans from large individual claims exceeding a specified deductible) and aggregate stop loss coverage (protecting from total claims exceeding a predetermined threshold for the entire group). Designed for self-funded employers, brokers, and TPAs.
• CAP Level-Funded

Quantifiable outcome

• First stop loss underwriting firm to earn AM Best PA-2 (Excellent) Performance Assessment
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Leaf HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 July 2025Strategic partnership between Excess Reinsurance and Leaf Health, a pharmacy benefits management (PBM) consultant. The collaboration introduces preferential stop loss pricing to Excess Re's clients, enhancing their ability to manage prescription drug costs. Leaf Health offers customized pharmacy benefits consulting including RFP assistance, contract negotiation, medical Rx consulting, and rebate aggregation. Clients utilizing Leaf Health for PBM selection gain access to tailored, preferential stop loss pricing solutions.
• Argo Capital GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArgo Capital Group is Excess Reinsurance's sister company, founded in 1996 as a vehicle to facilitate risk-sharing arrangements for Excess Reinsurance's partners and clients. The relationship provides effective risk-sharing arrangements that enhance the stability and strength of Excess Re's offerings. AM Best noted the proven alignment of interests given this uniquely positioned relationship.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Symetra Stop Loss: Symetra Life Insurance Company writes stop loss insurance for self-funded employer health plans and is consistently ranked among the top U.S. stop loss carriers by premium. Directly competes with Excess Reinsurance on specific/aggregate stop loss and serves a similar broker/TPA channel.
• Companion Life (BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina): Companion Life underwrites stop loss insurance marketed to Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, TPAs, and self-funded employer groups across the U.S. Directly comparable to Excess Reinsurance in product offering and distribution through the TPA and BCBSA ecosystem.
• Sun Life Financial (U.S. Stop Loss): Sun Life U.S. is one of the largest stop loss insurers in the United States, underwriting specific and aggregate stop loss coverage for self-funded employers via direct and broker channels. Highly comparable to Excess Reinsurance in core product offering and target market.
• Tokio Marine HCC – Stop Loss: Tokio Marine HCC's Stop Loss division is a leading carrier in the U.S. employer stop loss market, writing specific, aggregate, and captive stop loss. Directly comparable to Excess Reinsurance on product set, broker/TPA distribution model, and self-funded employer target customer.
• Voya Financial Stop Loss: Voya Financial's Employee Benefits stop loss business underwrites specific and aggregate stop loss for self-funded employers through broker and TPA distribution. Directly comparable to Excess Reinsurance on product offering, customer segment, and MGU/carrier operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Munich Re Stop Loss: Munich Re is one of the largest global reinsurers providing stop loss reinsurance capacity to U.S. MGUs and carriers. Comparable to Excess Reinsurance in that it sits in the stop loss value chain, but as a much larger reinsurer providing capacity that Excess Re and similar MGUs depend on.
• Swiss Re Stop Loss: Swiss Re's Health & Life Reinsurance division provides stop loss reinsurance capacity to U.S. carriers and MGUs. Comparable to Excess Reinsurance through the stop loss value chain, but operating as a global reinsurance incumbent rather than as a domestic MGU.
• RGA (Reinsurance Group of America): RGA is a major global life and health reinsurer with U.S. stop loss reinsurance capacity provided to carrier and MGU partners. Comparable to Excess Reinsurance as a counterparty and capacity provider in the stop loss market, but at much larger scale and across multiple lines of reinsurance.
• Cigna Group Health (now part of HCSC): Cigna's stop loss business provides employer stop loss solutions alongside its broader commercial health insurance portfolio. Comparable to Excess Reinsurance on core stop loss offering but competes as a multi-line incumbent with significantly greater capital and distribution resources.
• UnitedHealthcare Stop Loss (Optum Health): UnitedHealthcare/Optum provides stop loss coverage as part of a broader portfolio of health insurance and benefits services. Overlaps with Excess Reinsurance on stop loss underwriting for self-funded employers but operates at vastly larger scale and with a much wider benefits product suite.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/excess-reinsurance-underwriters-inc-

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Excess Reinsurance