Bardon Insurance Group Adopts Merit Predict to Triage Stop-Loss Submissions at Intake
Independent MGU uses predictive underwriting to reach faster decisions on submissions that arrive without claims
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. and AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bardon Insurance Group, an independent managing general underwriter specializing in medical stop-loss, has deployed Merit Predict, Merit Medicine’s predictive underwriting platform, across its new business intake process.
Bardon applies Merit Predict at the point of submission, before a file reaches an underwriter. The platform converts a census file into member-level clinical and financial insight without requiring integration with a third-party administrator or the sharing of employer claims data. That allows Bardon’s team to reach an informed decision on a substantial share of the submissions that arrive with no experience data attached, a category that has traditionally consumed underwriter time with the least information to work from.
“A large share of what comes across our desk arrives with no experience data at all. Merit Predict lets us form a view on those submissions before an underwriter opens the file, which means our people spend their time where their judgment actually changes the answer, and producers hear back from us sooner,” said Byrd Preston, Vice President and Chief Underwriting Officer at Bardon Insurance Group.
The approach is central to how Bardon staffs its underwriting function. Rather than adding headcount to work through submission volume, the firm has kept a small and highly experienced team, using Merit Predict to route their attention toward the submissions where underwriting judgment carries the most weight.
Bardon began evaluating alternatives after the predictive model it had been using was withdrawn from the market.
” When I asked the people in this industry whose opinions I respect, one name kept coming up, and the feedback from my underwriting team since we went live has told me it was the right call,” Preston added.
“Bardon’s underwriters are among the most experienced in the market, and they were not looking for something to replace that experience. They were looking to point it in the right direction faster. Intake is where most of our customers start, and it is not where the value stops. The same member-level view changes how an underwriter reads a renewal, a mid-year block review, or a group whose claims history looks clean today but may not twelve months from now,” said Ali Panjwani, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Merit Medicine.
Merit Predict starts with a group’s census and matches it against Merit Medicine’s proprietary data network, drawing first-dollar medical and pharmacy claims at the member level. That produces a forward view of how a group is likely to perform over the next 12 months rather than a summary of what has already happened. Carriers and MGUs working with Merit Medicine have seen double-digit improvement in medical loss ratio, and benefits advisors use the same clinical insights to help employer clients plan for the risk ahead of them rather than simply react to the prior year. To arrange a demo, visit www.meritmedicine.com.
About Bardon Insurance Group
Bardon Insurance Group is a managing general underwriter of medical excess loss coverage for single employer self-funded groups ranging from 25 to more than 5,000 lives. Founded in 1996 and based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Bardon offers both specific and aggregate excess loss products and works through a national network of third-party administrators and brokers. Bardon underwrites on behalf of Standard Life and Accident Insurance Company rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best, and is a member of the Self-Insurance Institute of America and the Health Care Administrators Association, and a Stop Loss Service Partner of the Society of Professional Benefit Administrators. For more information, visit bardon.net.
About Merit Medicine
Merit Medicine is a healthcare analytics company focused on delivering AI-led predictive insights that help carriers, captives, consultants, and employers better understand and manage group health risk. Merit Predict combines advanced AI, machine learning, and clinical intelligence to deliver actionable underwriting and risk selection insights before losses occur. For more information, visit www.meritmedicine.com.
Media Contact
Robin McGinnis Head of Growth, Merit Medicine, Inc. robin.mcginnis@meritmedicine.com
