January 19, 2022
One of our go-to tools to better manage health plans and deliver affordable healthcare to employers is a self-funded health plan. And while these plans promise transparency and control, employers may be wary for various reasons, some grounded, others not so much. While the full list of myths and misconceptions is inexhaustible, let’s tackle some …
January 12, 2022
We aim to help our group benefits clients to design and promote a sustainable benefits program for now and for the long term. A sustainable benefits program manages costs now and has mechanisms in place to improve outcomes and control costs long-term. And a foundation for these benefits plans is to be self-funded. “But these …
December 22, 2021
Healthcare is a massive part of the US economy and a major expense for most small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). And many organizations can best steward their health plans by looking past current year costs to trends over the next 3 to 5 years. Between 2014 and 2019 (before the pandemic), the US population increased …
December 8, 2021
The health insurance industry is typically behind the overall economy when it comes to innovation. This is a major problem since insurance premiums and costs are on an unsustainable trajectory. Employers often find themselves stuck in the cycle of increasing annual renewals with their only option being to spreadsheet other carriers and plans. But what …
December 1, 2021
As we hurtle towards 2022 and wrap up open enrollments for many of our groups, we’re seeing some continuing trends as well as new ones. With the end of the year upon us and the corresponding flood of lists out there, we figured “Why not add one more?” and put together our predictions for benefits …
November 18, 2021
Much has been said about declining birthrates throughout the developed world. The CDC has found that the US had its lowest birth rate in over 30 years as of 2018. The effects of this are not just the longer people are waiting to have children, but also fertility issues. And these issues are well known …
October 28, 2021
Health plan costs are a burden on employers and employees. Health insurance premiums and cost-sharing are increasing faster than the median employee wage, with no end in sight. And as PwC’s health cost trend finds, we are expecting health costs to double every 10 years. With this environment, employers look to their benefits consultants for …
October 20, 2021
Surprise medical bills have received a good amount of attention recently and for good reason. Sarah Kliff, a health policy reporter for the New York Times, has written extensively on this topic recently. Surprise medical bills cost Americans millions each year. After years of debate, Congress is now set to ban most of them. https://t.co/3eoeez9Ina …
October 13, 2021
Starting in the early 2000’s, carriers began offering HSA-compatible health plans, known as High Deductible Health Plans, or HDHPs. These plans proliferated throughout the market because the premiums paid by employers were dramatically lower, and in many cases, the employer would also contribute to the HSA for each employee. Between 2007 and 2018, enrollment of people under …
October 6, 2021
As companies continue to feel the pressure from increasing costs of employee benefit plans and healthcare costs, they need solutions. Their employees, who face greater and greater cost-sharing requirements like deductibles and co-pays, also need relief. One healthcare strategy that has received increasing attention over the years is Value-Based Care. It can take the form of Accountable …
