Families deserve more than coverage. They deserve a partner.
Parity Plus was built and is led by people with autistic children and family members of their own.
This is deeply personal.
We understand the joy, milestones, and possibilities these children bring.
And we understand how difficult the surrounding systems can be to navigate.
That experience led us to ask a different question: What if families didn’t have to piece together support across disconnected providers, plans, claims processes, and resources?
Parity Plus was created to help answer that question.
We are building the first family-centered, single-point solution designed to bring together care support, claims intelligence, provider collaboration, and benefits expertise into a more connected experience for families raising autistic children.
Parity Plus is built to protect care, reduce unnecessary financial strain, and create more space for families to focus on what matters most.
The Parity Plus Leadership Team
David Essary
Chief Executive Officer
David Essary is the Chief Executive Officer of Parity Plus. A seasoned executive and strategic advisor, David brings deep experience in health, benefits and insurance technology, with a track record of leading growth, digital transformation and strategic partnerships.
Most recently, David served as Chief Strategy Officer at Alight, where he led corporate strategy, M&A, product strategy and partner strategy. Previously, he was President of Allstate Health & Benefits, overseeing a $2.6 billion business.
An accomplished entrepreneur, David has co-founded and led several ventures in health and benefits administration. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University.
Aaron Tucker
Chief Operating Officer
Aaron Tucker is the Chief Operating Officer of Parity Plus. Tasked with executing the strategic vision of the CEO and Board, Aaron brings over two decades of global leadership experience spanning the military, corporate, and academic sectors.
Prior to joining Parity Plus, he was a Principal Director at Accenture, specializing in AI-driven operating models and organizational growth, and held key roles at Deloitte and SAIC.
Aaron is a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Navy SEAL Teams.
He holds a BA in Business Administration, an MBA, and has conducted Ph.D. research at the intersection of business and behavioral sciences.
Nicole Hawthorne
Chief Marketing Officer
Nicole Hawthorne is the Chief Marketing Officer of Parity Plus. She leads brand, marketing and communications strategy.
Prior to joining Parity Plus, Nicole held senior communications roles at Allstate, Esurance, Liberty Mutual and AIG, advising C-suite executives through growth and transformation.
Her experience spans brand reputation, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, employee engagement, executive positioning, B2B marketing, and stakeholder communications across highly regulated environments.
Nicole holds a B.S. from the University of Georgia and an M.A. from Webster University.
Brian W. Busanni
Vice President, Sales
Brian W. Busanni is Vice President of Sales for Parity Plus, leading sales strategy, broker and consultant engagement, and market growth. He has more than 25 years of experience across supplemental health, voluntary benefits, distribution strategy and client development.
Prior to joining Parity Plus, Brian held senior sales leadership roles at Aetna, Voya Financial, BenefitMall, Colonial Life, UnitedHealthcare, UnumProvident and Sun Life Financial. His experience spans sales strategy, RFP development, enrollment optimization, broker partnerships, product positioning and cross-functional execution.
Brian holds an MBA in Finance from the University of San Francisco and a B.A. in Communication from Arizona State University.
Amy Palacios
Chief of Staff
Amy Palacios is the Chief of Staff for Parity Plus. In this role, Amy supports executive alignment, operational execution and team coordination, bringing more than 13 years of experience working alongside C-suite executives and senior leaders in fast-paced, high-growth environments.
Prior to joining Parity Plus, Amy held key executive operations roles at The Standard and Allstate Health & Benefits, where she supported leadership strategy, cross-functional communication, organizational transitions, executive meetings, employee engagement and high-touch client events.
Amy holds a B.A. in Business Management with a marketing emphasis from Webster University.
The Parity Plus Clinical and Advisory Team
Dr. Colleen A. Kraft
MD, MBA, FAAP
Colleen A. Kraft is a member of the Clinical and Advisory Team at Parity Plus. A nationally recognized pediatrician and former President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Kraft brings deep expertise in developmental disabilities, behavioral health, pediatric care and managed care.
Dr. Kraft is Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She previously served as Medical Director of the Health Network at Cincinnati Children’s and as a Virginia Medicaid Managed Care Medical Director.
Her work has focused on integrating care for children with developmental disabilities and behavioral health conditions into primary care pediatrics, and she frequently lectures on pediatric topics at international conferences.
Dr. Kraft earned her M.D. from Virginia Commonwealth University, her MBA from the University of Cincinnati and her undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech.
Strategic Advisor
Bill Kampine
Bill Kampine is a Strategic Advisor to Parity Plus. An accomplished healthcare executive, entrepreneur and recognized healthcare innovator, Bill brings more than 30 years of experience in healthcare economics, analytics, artificial intelligence and transparency.
Bill co-founded Healthcare Bluebook, a pioneer in healthcare price transparency. Bluebook helped bring visibility to an historically opaque healthcare pricing system, using data to enable millions of consumers to compare costs and identify more affordable care.
He was also part of the founding team at CareSteps, an early company to apply predictive modeling and machine learning to assess risk across insured populations.
Most recently, Bill co-founded VB Scout, which provides transparency and intelligent technology solutions to brokers, employers, carriers and policyholders in the voluntary benefits market.
An economist by training and recognized expert in healthcare data and pricing, Bill has testified before U.S. Senate and House congressional committees and currently serves on the Executive Board of the American Benefits Council in Washington, D.C.
Our purpose
Parity Plus exists to put children first in autism care – improving care quality, reducing unnecessary costs and making the system easier for families to navigate.
What we bring to autism care
Care
We help shape autism care around each child’s needs, with a focus on appropriate, effective care and the realities families face.
Clarity
We create transparency around care, costs and choices so families and partners can understand what is happening, what is helping and what comes next.
Trust
We build confidence in autism care so families and partners can trust that decisions are made in the child’s best interest.
Our principles
Put the child first.
We start with each child’s individual needs and consider how every recommendation affects the child and family.
Focus on appropriate, effective care.
We assess whether care fits the child’s needs and provides meaningful benefits, revisiting recommendations as needs and evidence change.
Listen before recommending.
We consider families’ perspectives alongside evidence and expert judgment before recommending a path forward.
Be honest and accountable.
We explain recommendations, acknowledge uncertainty and follow through on our commitments.
Frequently Asked Questions
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We are the first family-centered, single-point solution designed to bring an easier-to-navigate, clearer care experience for families raising autistic children.
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Parity Plus was built and is led by people who have autistic children and family members of their own. Our team understands firsthand the challenges families often face navigating coverage, care, costs, and support systems, and we believe families deserve a better experience.
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Parity Plus works alongside families, therapy providers, employers, brokers, TPAs, and other partners to help strengthen the support experience surrounding autism care.
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Parity Plus works with providers and partners to help identify opportunities for more thoughtful pricing, stronger coordination, and reduced inefficiencies that can contribute to rising costs for families and employers.
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Parity Plus is willing to negotiate for fair pricing on numerous types of therapies / treatments for autistic children, including ABA, speech, occupational, nutritional and others.
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Yes. We work alongside employers, brokers, third-party administrators (TPAs), and other partners involved in the autism care industry to create a better claims experience for everyone.
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No. We are not a TPA. We are a single-point solution for autism claims.
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No. Parity Plus is not a therapy provider. We work with them to ensure the care provided is fairly priced and delivers meaningful outcomes for the child receiving the therapy.
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We can greatly reduce the amount of time it takes for you to receive payment for your services.
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Talk to your employer or HR benefits partner at your company about Parity Plus. You can also contact us directly at info@parityplus.com.
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No. Protecting continuity of care is a core priority for Parity Plus. Our approach is designed to support families and the services their children rely on—not create unnecessary disruption.
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Visit our “Contact Us” page and submit a request to learn more about Parity Plus and how we can help you, your clients, employees and families of autistic family members.