Marcy Heath

08/29/2026

Health Reimbursement Arrangements can help employees manage eligible medical expenses while giving employers another option for designing affordable benefit strategies.

They are not the right solution for every organization, but understanding how they work helps employers evaluate whether they fit broader business objectives.

A thoughtful benefits strategy begins with understanding every available tool.

08/28/2026

Today's workforce spans multiple generations with different healthcare priorities and expectations.

A benefits strategy that recognizes these differences can improve engagement and encourage more effective utilization.

Instead of assuming one solution fits everyone, employers can build plans that remain flexible while supporting a diverse workforce.

08/27/2026

Effective healthcare consulting goes beyond annual meetings and renewal negotiations.

Long-term partnerships create opportunities to understand business objectives, monitor performance, and adjust strategy as workforce needs change.

Collaboration built on transparency and shared goals helps employers make more confident decisions while creating stronger outcomes over time.

08/26/2026

As Americans live longer, many of the country's workers are balancing job responsibilities with caregiving duties — contributing to higher stress, lower productivity and increased burnout.

Caregiving demands can lead to absenteeism, distraction, fatigue and scheduling conflicts, while the emotional strain of supporting loved ones may reduce engagement and increase the risk of mistakes or accidents, which can turn into costly blowback for your organization. Don't lose a key employee to this growing problem.

Learn how caregiving responsibilities affect employee stress, productivity and retention, and how employers can support workers with flexible benefits.

08/26/2026

Without benchmarking, it is difficult to know whether healthcare spending is competitive or simply becoming more expensive each year.

Comparing utilization, claims patterns, and cost trends against broader performance data provides valuable context for decision-making.

Employers who measure performance consistently are better positioned to identify opportunities and improve long-term predictability before renewal discussions begin.

08/25/2026

Many expensive claims begin with health concerns that were postponed for months or years.

Encouraging preventive care and helping employees access appropriate treatment early may reduce the likelihood of more serious conditions developing later.

Beyond healthcare costs, early care can support productivity, attendance, and employee wellbeing.

Prevention is not simply a health initiative. It is part of a long-term business strategy.

08/24/2026

Many healthcare conversations focus on negotiating lower prices.

While discounts have value, they rarely solve structural problems within a health plan.

Sustainable improvement comes from understanding how costs behave, how employees use benefits, and where incentives align or conflict.

Employers who think about healthcare as a system often uncover opportunities that are impossible to see when decisions are made one renewal at a time.

08/21/2026

Prescription drug costs remain one of the largest contributors to employer healthcare spending.

Greater transparency around pharmacy benefit management is helping employers ask better questions, but visibility alone is not enough.

Employers still need to understand how pharmacy arrangements operate, where costs originate, and whether incentives are aligned with long-term goals.

Better oversight can improve decision-making while supporting a more sustainable healthcare strategy.

08/19/2026

Employers that offer prescription drug coverage will need to take a fresh look at whether their plans qualify as creditable coverage after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services finalized rules that take effect for plan years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2027.

Employers will need to take a fresh look at whether their plans qualify as creditable coverage after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services finalized rules.

08/19/2026

Offering valuable benefits is only part of the equation.

Employees also need to understand how and when to use them.

Better health literacy can reduce confusion, improve utilization, and help employees make more informed care decisions.

Employers who invest in communication and education often see stronger engagement with existing benefits.

Sometimes the most effective improvement is not adding another benefit but making the current plan easier to understand.