Current and Past Articles

The Hidden Danger in Your Benefits Plan: The Power of Assumptions I was sitting across the table from a referred HR director recently when she smiled and said, “I think we’re in pretty good shape.” I asked a simple question. “Who handles your benefits compliance?” Without hesitation she answered, “Our carrier.” I asked another question.…

You Can’t Control Claims—But You Are Worrying About the Wrong Variable Recently, I was sitting across from a business owner who was incredibly frustrated. His corporate health insurance renewal premiums had jumped significantly yet again, and he felt completely defeated. He looked at me and said, “Al, I just don’t know what else to do.…

Assumption is Not a Strategy: Are You Making Benefits Decisions with Incomplete Information? A few years ago, I sat down with a company owner who was visibly frustrated about facing yet another double-digit health insurance renewal increase. He was entirely convinced that the insurance carrier was simply squeezing his business. His exact words to me…

Why a Quiet Open Enrollment is Actually a Warning Sign During open enrollment, no news is generally taken as good news. Human resources teams breathe a sigh of relief when the deadline passes without a flood of frantic emails or phone calls. But after years of managing corporate benefits programs, we have learned a hard…

When business leaders look at their annual healthcare spend, they tend to focus on the big numbers: total claims paid, premium spikes, and renewal percentages. But here is an overlooked reality of corporate benefits management: most of the expensive decisions employees make with their health plan don’t happen when a claim is filed. They happen…

Is Your Health Insurance Renewal Meeting Lying to You? Every year, business leaders gather around a conference table for the annual health insurance renewal meeting. The atmosphere is usually a mix of anticipation and dread. But here is a hard truth about that meeting: it is lying to you a little. This isn’t because your…

Is Your Benefits Plan Strategy or Just Expensive Wallpaper? Most employers look at enrollment numbers or payroll deductions. But that’s not the real question. The real question is: Are employees actually using the benefits you’re paying for? Most companies know exactly what they spend on insurance every month. Far fewer know if their employees truly…

As a small business owner, “renewal season” is often met with a sense of dread. You see the double-digit increases, your HR lead is stressed, and your employees are confused about their coverage. Most owners react by doing the only thing they think they can: shopping for a lower premium. But here’s the reality: You…