Karen Spangler has joined Alliant Insurance Services as vice president within its Employee Benefits Group, based in Chicago. She comes from Mercer, where she spent 14 years as a principal advising large, jumbo, and multinational employers on complex benefits programs across multiple industries.That large-employer focus carries directly into her new role, where she will partner with Midwest clients on benefits strategy and program performance.
Health benefit costs are on pace to rise 6.7% in 2026, pushing the average above $18,500 per employee, according to Mercer’s 2025 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans. At that pace, large employers are leaning harder on advisors who can do more than shop coverage.
Kevin Overbey, president of Alliant Employee Benefits, said Spangler brings both strategic depth and the ability to challenge conventional program design.
“Karen has a proven ability to develop creative solutions for organizations with sophisticated benefits needs,” Overbey said. “Her background aligns benefits strategy with broader business priorities -- exactly what our Midwest clients are asking for.”
Large-employer focus in a growing market
Spangler’s academic background adds dimension to her consulting profile. She holds a master’s degree in epidemiology and preventive medicine from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, alongside a bachelor’s in health planning and administration. The combination reflects an analytical approach to population health and plan cost outcomes.
Her hire is the latest in a sustained push by Alliant to deepen its benefits consulting bench across the Midwest. Alliant restructured its employee benefits group into three formal regions to drive more locally targeted growth: Eastern; South and Southwest; and Northwest and Midwest. It has added a series of senior consultants to the Northwest and Midwest division across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri over the past year.
