Cristy Ramirez Pursues Clarity in Complexity to Deliver Out-of-the-Box Benefits Strategies That Last

When Cristy Ramirez first walked through Marsh McLennan Agency Arizona’s doors at just 21 years old, she didn’t expect to find her true passion.

Cristy began as a receptionist and quickly discovered that the world of benefits fit her natural drive to learn, lead and connect with people.

Fourteen years later, she’s risen through nearly every role in the benefits department, from Analyst, to Client Manager, to Senior Manager and now Senior Vice President of Client Relations.

Through it all, every stage of her journey has been about helping clients cut through complexity and find real, workable solutions in a benefits landscape that’s growing harder to navigate alone.

Making Sense of the Most Convoluted Clients

Cristy specializes in larger, more complex self-funded accounts. The industries she serves vary from charter schools and nonprofits to technology companies, pharmacies and even cannabis groups. But what unites her clients is intricacy.

“I wouldn’t say I have a specialty,” Cristy explains. “Really, my work is industry-agnostic — but with every client, all solutions depend on their short- and long-term goals.”

She thrives on consolidating multiple benefit programs after an acquisition, aligning structures across different entities, and helping leadership manage the nuances of self-funded plans and pharmacy spend. The goal is to enable employers to deliver culture-aligned benefits that employees truly value while balancing cost realities for leadership. 

Finding Creative Paths Through a Hard Market

These days, Cristy’s expertise is more critical than ever. Employers are navigating a benefits environment defined by sky-high claims and shifting market pressures.

“Between the increase in prevalence of million-dollar claims, new gene therapies and hospital contracts coming up for renewal — we are starting to see a shift toward a hardening market,” she says. “It’s about finding that balance between cost containment and value, especially as healthcare spend continues to climb.”

Striking that balance demands equal parts financial savvy and creativity. Cristy looks beyond off-the-shelf answers to craft alternative funding strategies that mitigate premium spikes, layering in chronic care management programs and intervening early on volatile claims.

It’s a hands-on, constantly evolving process that requires her to reframe problems in fresh ways and push clients to think differently about what’s possible.

This level of creative problem-solving has proven powerful for Cristy’s clients. One client saw a 20% reduction in claims within the first quarter after she implemented an unbundled, self-funded structure with a concierge health management vendor.

Another client that was merging three companies with different carriers and renewal dates walked away with a cohesive, culture-aligned benefits package that fit everyone’s needs and cut costs in the process.

Collaboration Is a Leadership Non-Negotiable

As much as she thrives on problem-solving, Cristy knows relationships are what hold everything together. She credits Marsh McLennan Agency Arizona’s culture of care as the reason she’s never looked elsewhere in her career.

“Health insurance is complicated, and no day is the same,” she says. “Through the highs and lows, at the end of the day, if we can deliver a benefits package that aligns with the goals of the client and helps employees really feel the value, that’s what matters.”

Stepping into leadership reshaped her perspective. No longer focused solely on her own clients, Cristy now helps lead client executives, building mentorship opportunities and encouraging collaboration across the team.

She’s learned that the best ideas often come from sharing knowledge sideways, not just up and down. Fostering that environment through prep meetings, check-ins and open dialogue has helped Cristy ensure the team feels supported, and clients benefit from a broader range of insights.

Life Beyond Benefits

Outside of work, Cristy channels her creativity into travel, sports and event planning. She and her husband, both Arizona natives, make it a tradition to visit a new baseball stadium each year for a Diamondbacks away game, taking in the unique atmosphere of each game while exploring a new city.

Beyond baseball, some of Cristy’s favorite destinations have been Boston, Denver and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

At home, she’s happiest surrounded by friends, family and her two beloved dogs — Zoey, a shepherd mix, and Louie, a terrier mix with soulful eyes.

And whether it’s planning the department’s holiday party, spearheading the company’s Growth in Relationships & Opportunities for Women events or coordinating a couples’ trip to Cabo, Cristy has earned her reputation as the mastermind who makes it all happen.

“Event planning has become a hobby for me,” she says with a laugh.

What stands out most is how naturally she applies the same instincts in both workplace and personal settings, understanding the needs of the people and creating structure from complexity to empower those she helps lead and support.

Connect with Cristy on LinkedIn.