By: William Jones

For Jarred Pierce, giving people more choices in healthcare is personal. Long before discussing provider networks or negotiating rates, he experienced a loss that would shape the way he approached the industry: the death of his 17-year-old cousin.

Pierce believes his cousin’s death could have been prevented. He recalls that his cousin’s HMO coverage restricted him to a particular health system, limiting his ability to seek care elsewhere. That experience stayed with him and helped inspire his commitment to building a network that responds to where members want to receive care.

“Consumers should be able to choose the care that meets their needs, especially with how much they spend on healthcare,” Pierce says.

Today, that conviction is helping guide Unity Preferred Network’s Chicago expansion and the launch of Employers Preferred Choice (EPC), a self-funded health plan designed to serve both employer groups and individuals. The offering will extend to businesses of varying sizes, as well as 1099 workers, independent contractors, real estate agents, influencers, and creatives.

For Pierce, Unity’s partnership with Northwestern Medicine represents a major milestone in the Chicago launch. He describes access to one of the nation’s leading health systems as a defining strength of the offering, connecting members with highly regarded physicians, hospitals, and medical facilities. Paired with fixed provider rates and customized plan designs, the partnership is central to his vision for bringing high-quality care to members throughout Chicago and Cook County, Illinois, with a focus on keeping costs down.

Healthcare was not his original career ambition. Growing up, Pierce imagined becoming a sports commentator or sports agent. He loved competition, statistics, sports history, and negotiation. Those interests eventually found a different outlet.

“My dream job was in the sports world, but those strengths have helped me find success in the Healthcare world as well,” he says.

Chicago emerged as a launch market through a combination of community relationships and an expanding provider network. Pierce’s business partner, Dr. Tian Xia, is a board-certified anesthesiologist whose practice has long been based in the Chicago area. According to Pierce, Xia owns multiple provider practices, including surgery centers and occupational therapy clinics, and has built strong relationships with medical professionals, patients, and local business owners.

Pierce sees that experience as an important foundation for understanding the community’s healthcare needs and building trust in the new offering.

According to Pierce, Unity secured a direct agreement with Northwestern Medicine, which will serve as one of the network’s Tier 1 premier hospital systems. Its participating hospitals, physicians, and medical facilities complement other high-quality providers throughout Illinois, giving members a growing range of options.

“Northwestern is the health system we’re promoting most and one we’re really proud to give our members access to,” he says.

For Pierce, the Chicago launch brings together established community ties and a provider network designed to make quality care more affordable. He wants employers and individuals to have access to leading medical providers while keeping costs manageable.

A central part of that approach is allowing members to nominate providers. Before joining or at any point during their membership, individuals can identify a doctor or medical facility they would like to access. Unity uses those requests to pursue direct agreements and guide the network’s continued growth, giving members a voice in shaping their healthcare options.

“We’re constantly customizing the network and securing more direct agreements based on what our members are asking for,” he says. “It’s an ongoing process, and we want our members to have a voice in it.”

For members who want to continue seeing a familiar physician, that process creates an opportunity to build the network around existing care relationships. Members can check participation through a dedicated directory that, according to Pierce, is updated daily as providers are added.

He also says the network serves members throughout Illinois and provides access to participating providers in other states, offering options while traveling or seeking care outside their home market.

“We want to understand who they’re seeing through their current plan and continue customizing our network around those needs,” Pierce says.

Cost is another focus. Pierce says EPC will offer a plan option with no deductible and no coinsurance, supported by access to the Unity network.

His goal is to deliver comprehensive coverage at an affordable price, offering an alternative to traditional plans that he says often become more expensive each year without delivering better access or value.

For Pierce, affordability also means helping members understand their expenses.

“We also want their costs to be predictable, so they have a clearer understanding of what to expect,” he says.

Beyond price, Pierce says the model aims to reduce administrative barriers to care, including preauthorization requirements, denials, and other burdens that can complicate access and increase costs. He views accessibility as both the ability to choose a provider and the ability to receive care without unnecessary obstacles.

With employers preparing for coverage renewals on January 1, 2027, Pierce says onboarding is underway. The process involves gathering employer information, submitting it to underwriting, determining eligibility, and developing a quote. Unity and EPC can work with an employer’s broker or directly with the business and its human resources team.

Pierce emphasizes collaboration throughout that process. He wants members, employers, and brokers aligned around coverage that serves members’ needs, with the broker community encouraged to embrace and promote the model.

Beyond Chicago, Pierce is looking toward continued national growth. He says Unity is in discussions with some of the country’s top hospital systems, academic medical centers, and specialty providers. EPC’s planned expansion includes markets where Unity already has a strong hospital presence, while Unity continues building provider relationships nationwide, including Puerto Rico.

Through each stage of that growth, Pierce returns to the same idea that shaped his approach from the beginning: members should have a voice in where they receive care and should not have to overpay for it. His ambition is to make leading doctors more affordable to access through EPC and Unity while continuing to expand members’ choices.

“We’ll keep growing the network around our clients’ needs,” he says. “We don’t want to overlook any part of the country where our members need access to care.”

According to Pierce, Unity already has providers in every state. With that foundation in place, he says the team is ready to bring the EPC model to additional markets wherever members need it.