Marcy Heath

06/23/2026

Expanding benefits offerings can feel like progress.

But more benefits do not automatically improve outcomes for employees or employers.

When benefits are misaligned with actual employee needs, utilization often decreases and waste increases over time.

Effective plans focus on relevance, accessibility, and employee understanding.

In some cases, simplifying or restructuring benefits improves engagement more than adding additional options.

The goal is not volume. It is creating a plan employees can realistically understand and use effectively over time.

06/21/2026

This Juneteenth, we recognize the importance of reflection, progress, and continued opportunity for future generations.

Strong workplaces are built on respect, inclusion, and the ability for people to contribute meaningfully and grow together.

Today is an opportunity to acknowledge history while continuing to move forward with purpose and perspective.

Wishing everyone a meaningful and reflective Juneteenth.

06/20/2026

Happy Father's Day weekend to all dads, grandfathers, step dads and other father figures! We hope you celebrate big!

06/19/2026

Many organizations evaluate healthcare plans based only on annual renewals.

But renewals alone do not always provide enough context to determine whether costs are truly competitive.

Benchmarking against broader performance data can help employers identify inefficiencies, utilization gaps, and long-term trends that may otherwise go unnoticed.

Better visibility often leads to stronger strategic decisions.

Without context, it becomes difficult to know whether rising costs are unavoidable or whether meaningful opportunities for improvement may exist.

06/17/2026

As employers continue looking for ways to support a multigenerational workforce with diverse needs, lifestyle spending accounts are emerging as a popular addition to employee benefits programs.

Originally viewed as an extension of wellness programs, LSAs are broader and more flexible. Here's how they work and why they are so popular among employees.

As employers continue looking for ways to support a multigenerational workforce with diverse needs, lifestyle spending accounts are emerging as a popular addition to employee benefits programs.

06/17/2026

Many employers assume improving healthcare affordability means significantly expanding benefits.

But there are strategies that can help employees manage out-of-pocket costs more effectively without dramatically increasing plan complexity.

Health Reimbursement Arrangements, or HRAs, can provide additional flexibility while helping employers maintain stronger cost structure control.

For some organizations, they offer a way to improve affordability while supporting long-term financial sustainability.

Like any strategy, the value comes from how well it aligns with workforce needs and business goals.

06/15/2026

Today’s workforce includes employees at very different stages of life.

Some are beginning careers, others are raising families, and some are preparing for retirement.

Each group approaches healthcare differently and values different types of support.

A one-size-fits-all benefits strategy can create utilization gaps and lower employee satisfaction over time.

More intentional plan design considers these differences and aligns resources accordingly.

That does not necessarily mean offering more benefits. It means structuring benefits more thoughtfully around how employees actually use them.

06/13/2026

Strong healthcare strategies are rarely built around products alone.

They are built around alignment between business goals, employee needs, financial priorities, and long-term planning.

When everyone involved is working toward the same outcome, decision-making becomes more sustainable over time.

That is why transparency and shared incentives matter in employer healthcare strategy.

The strongest partnerships are not transactional. They are collaborative and focused on long-term outcomes that support both the workforce and the business itself.

06/11/2026

New pharmacy benefit transparency rules are increasing visibility into how prescription costs are managed.

But greater transparency does not automatically reduce employer responsibility.

Employers still maintain fiduciary obligations related to how their healthcare plans operate and how vendors are managed.

Many organizations assume PBMs or carriers fully handle everything behind the scenes.

In reality, oversight remains important.

Understanding how pharmacy arrangements work can help employers identify unnecessary complexity and improve long-term cost management.

06/09/2026

As million-dollar health insurance claims continue to surge, stop-loss insurers that provide excess coverage for self-insured employers are increasingly using a controversial underwriting tactic to limit coverage for high-cost claimants.

The tactic, called "lasering," entails applying a higher deductible or exclusion to a specific individual or condition, like heart failure or cancer. Instead of the normal attachment point applying uniformly across the group, the insurer carves out higher-risk individuals and shifts more financial responsibility back to the employer.

Stop-loss insurers that provide excess coverage for self-insured employers are increasingly using a controversial underwriting tactic to limit coverage for high-cost claimants.