Our Story
BUILT BY PEOPLE WHO’VE DONE THIS.
Ascend Administrators was founded by industry veterans with more than 40 years of combined experience in stop-loss, third-party administration, and cost containment.
What We Do
STABILITY MEETS TRANSPARENCY
We design and administer health plans that give employers the stability of a fully funded plan with the transparency and savings of self-funding.
01
Stop-Loss & Risk Pool Structuring
Protection from the shock claims that wreck budgets — built into every plan from day one.
02
Third-Party Administration
Clean claims processing, responsive service, and reporting you can actually use.
03
Cost Containment
Care navigation, smart pharmacy strategies, and high-cost claimant support built into every plan.
How We Work
INDEPENDENT. NIMBLE. ACCOUNTABLE.
We’re independent and nimble, without the slow-moving corporate layers that frustrate brokers and employers. Every program we build starts with one question: what do the broker and the employer need to succeed, now and at renewal?
Then we bring together best-in-class partners to deliver it — with rates you can count on and service that answers the phone.
Our Promise
No gotchas at renewal. Straight answers, fast decisions, and plans built to last.
Leadership
THE TEAM BEHIND ASCEND
TS
Todd S. Houston
Founder & CEO
35+ years building health benefit solutions for brokers and employers, with deep expertise in self-funding, level funding, stop-loss, and TPA operations.
Todd has spent more than 35 years building health benefit solutions for brokers and employers, with deep expertise in self-funding, level funding, stop-loss, and TPA operations.
At Commerce Benefits Group, Todd pioneered an innovative level-funding program built with carriers and brokers to close the gaps in other offerings — not your father’s level-funded program. It became the main reason HealthSmart acquired Commerce Benefits Group in 2014 and grew into one of the largest level-funded books of business in the country. As Vice President of Sales at both companies, he was the number one salesperson in the nation across all verticals.
Todd then founded Performance Health, where he led business development, broker relationships, and new program design, growing the company to more than $18 million in annual sales before selling to The Liberty Company in 2022.
As a consultant, Todd helped launch several other TPAs and ancillary cost containment companies, scaling from 1,000 to more than 50,000 employee lives. Todd holds a double major in Economics and Sociology from Oberlin College.
READY TO WORK WITH US?
Talk to our team about building a plan that works for your group — no obligation, no pressure, just clarity.